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☰
Marine Corps Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Marine Corps Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 3.9 
Spectators 4.6
Number of comments: 937 [displaying comments 211 to 221]
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D. A. from Roanoke, Texas
(10/26/2009)
"A top-five marathon for LOTS of reasons!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Was a beautiful day to run in VA/DC, and I knew that this wasn't going to be like any other race - it was moving, special, and well organized. The Marines did a terrific job with race organization and course support, and the crowds were tremendous. Even the medal was a highlight! If there is one thing I'd like for the MCM to consider for next year, it's moving the finish festival closer to the finish line area - having all of the marathoners walk in a daze after the race such a long way to find friends, family, even a restroom. This surely needs better planning. All in all, a super day and a great race! | |
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T. L. from Maryland
(10/26/2009)
"Great Experience for a First-Time Marathoner" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Having never run more than a 10 mile race, this was a great experience for me as a first-time marathon runner. I was truly ecstatic to be in a race with 30,000 other people, and just seeing the mass of people running ahead of me was surreal. The toughest part for me was running 25 to 26, as it was on the highway and there was not much of a crowd there. Another issue I had was the finishing festival at the end, which seemed very sprawled out, and even though I complained about it, I realized that it was for the better to have it farther away from the finish anyhow, as we could have a proper cool-down that way. All in all, this was a great race, and I can't wait to do it again next year! | |
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Sid Busch from Charleston SC
(10/26/2009)
"EMOTIONAL MARATHON" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am a retired Senior Chief Petty officer USN, so running in the capitol of the greatest country in the world, and being supported by the fine men and women of the Marine Corps, makes this a very special marathon for me. The course is amazing. You run by most of the major sites of DC, and running past the capitol, well, it was just very special. The volunteers are great, and the police departments made sure we were not hit by any cars. The finish has to be one of the most emotional of any marathon; running up that hill towards the War Memorial, you find energy reserves you didn't know you had left. The after-run support is great: food and fluids were handed out by Marines, and as posted before me, while they had been out there a long time, you sure didn't know it. They treated all of us as winners. As for the after-race congestion, the Corps did a great job getting 20,000 people plus out of there. You just can't move that many people instantly, so just calm down, take your time, and enjoy the fact that you have run one of the best marathons anywhere. I will be back in 2010. | |
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S. M. from Evansville, IN
(10/26/2009)
"Great scenery, great spectators, great marathon!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is my third marathon and my favorite to date. The course was beautiful and relatively flat. The organization was great. There were plenty of water/food stations. There were more spectators than I had expected and they were all really energized. The only frustrating part was trying to find my family after it was over. We agreed to meet in the family hookup area under our last name initial, but it must have taken me 40 minutes to get to them. If there is some way to keep out spectators so the runners can get out of the finish line area, it would be a huge help. There was just way to much congestion there. My family did like the updates with texting; however, they said it was very delayed (up to an hour) and so it was hard to be ahead of where I was in the race. Overall, a fabulous race, gorgeous day and wonderful people to run with. Thanks, Marines!!!! | |
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G. k. from Raleigh NC
(10/26/2009)
"Very well organized" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my third marathon and my first large race. For the number of people, it was flawless. Even the water stops seemed seamless (having run two previous marathons, which were relatively small in terms of the number of spectators and runners - City of Oaks and Charlotteville in VA.) There were some adjustments. Getting a PR time is very hard. Getting past runners at times was impossible and actually added approximately half a mile (according to my Garmin) to my run, dodging other runners and getting by spectators. My only real complaint about the course was that the last the last three miles, you were confronted by those who were finishing up before you, and the last 300 yards to the finish were uphill. Not sure that was necessary. But that being said, great day - a lot of fun! | |
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D. B. from Arlington, VA
(10/26/2009)
"Second time running it as good as the first" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 So this was my second time running it and I am a native to the area so I know quite a bit of the course like the back of my hand. But with that said, I still enjoyed every moment of the race course. The medals were awesome, the fans were great, and I couldn't have asked for much more. Some things that I didn't like include: that they didn't have clocks at the mile markers (only every 5K, at least from what I saw) and the DC mile markers all had sign spinners... which makes it hard to see where the actual mile marker is. Just go with the traditional mile signs; it makes it easy for the runners. By looking at my splits it, took me about 5K to get into a space where I could run at my own pace, which stinks because I lost time. But it also helped me in not going out too fast, and I was able to make up a good amount of that time, I think. I probably won't be able to run it next year but I will definitely be back. | |
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Gerry Griffin from Virginia
(10/26/2009)
"Superb 10K" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Superb course for a 10K! The point-to-point set-up was fantastic. The course start was easily accessible via metro, which made it an even better place to start. Spectators were a bit sparse at the start; however, it was understandable that they were holding out for the marathon runners. | |
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J. W. from Upstate, NY
(10/26/2009)
"Great race; a few minor quibbles" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 All the comments about how great a race this is and how well the Marines run it are all spot on. It was a great experience and God bless the Marines Corps. My two suggestions would be: 1) start the wheelchair racers 30 minutes early, not just 15. Some wheelchair racers ended up being caught by the runners, which made for some close calls as the chair racers were slower on the uphills and faster on the downhills. I heard there were a few collisions and maybe an injury or two. 2. Keep non-runners out of the finishing area. It was very hard to get through this area with the crush of people; adding other people to the area didn't help. Otherwise, I would run this again - absolutely. Great course, great organization, great crowds, great Marines. This race is a national treasure. | |
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C. G. from Pittsford, NY
(9/23/2009)
"Great marathon for first-timers" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run MCM twice, and both times it was incredibly well organized. The support for nearly all sections of the race is as good as it gets and far exceeds the few other marathons I have done. The last few miles are tough because you are running along a highway, which is in stark contrast to most of the race, which goes by all of the monuments, through historic Georgetown, etc. It is also very slow because there are so many people. I guess this is typical of big marathons, but it takes a good 8-10 miles to loosen up to the point that you are not going side to side to maintain your pace. Post-race activities are great also, and the Marines who help you out immediately after going over the finish line are awesome. I am sure they aren't thrilled about standing out there all morning handing water to runners but you would never know it - absolutely great attitude. I will run this again for sure but won't plan on beating any PR. | |
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A. L. from Vancouver, WA
(8/4/2009)
"Oorah!" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course is great; you see tons of DC. The only letdown comes in the last couple of miles, when you're running across a freeway with minimal spectator support. Organization is awesome; what else do you expect of Marines? |
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