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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 301 to 311]
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H. F. from Charlotte, NC
(8/5/2008)
"OMG... get MORE shuttle buses!!!!!!!!!!" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Race is a nice course, but I was expecting more organization at the finish line. It was AWFUL... huge hordes of people every where and no one could get out of the "pen" due to the stupid fence that was up. The WORST part was waiting 2 HOURS... yes, 2 HOURS for the shuttle bus back to Crystal City!!!! There were not enough buses and they were all tied up in traffic. The Metro had lines out of the stations and wrapped around the block. It was awful. I should have brought $20 with me during the race and just hailed a cab afterward.... It was HORRIBLE!!!! If you run this race, DO NOT plan on using the free shuttle buses!!! | |
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S. C. from Florida
(5/8/2008)
"Too many people." (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon, and I ran it with my boyfriend. Staying together with someone in a race that large was a big challenge. Every step you take, you have to be careful that someone does not bump into you. Be prepared for some hills. The marines were fantastic. View was fantastic. | |
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A. I. from Baltimore, MD
(5/4/2008)
"Great event - Maybe not a PR" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The Marine Corps Marathon is one of those races you have to do if you're a marathoner. Great organization, great spirit, and come on - it's the marines! They were probably the best part of the course: they provided the organization, discipline, loyalty, and steadfastness needed in running a marathon event like this. Wish I could've taken one home with my medal. :) The Expo was great. I was worried that picking up my packet in the last few hours on the last day would be chaotic. Not so - everything was efficient and the lines moved quickly. Lots of stuff at the expo that you'd typically see: shoes, other races, apparel, last-minute Gu. My favorite was the free sport Jelly Bellies (which I trained with and which would be plentiful on the course at mile 20 too). The weather was great this year - sunny, chilly, albeit a bit breezy at times. The latter two were only a problem before and after the race. I started my day at 6:30 for the 8am start. I took the metro, which was scary crowded by 7:15. Then, there was an unreasonably loooong walk to the bag drop-off. What the hey - I'm sure I added at least an extra mile on my legs before the race even began! (Race organizers - any chance people could have the option to drop off a bag at the expo?). CONSIDER YOURSELF FORWARNED about the extra mileage! By the time I got to the bag drop-off it was moments before the gun. People were rushing to the starting line, which I didn't bother with. I walked (more) to the corral area, but didn't cross the starting line until 18 minutes after the gun because it was so crowded. So don't rush to the starting area unless you're going to be towards the front anyway. One of my biggest complaints was that for such a large race, the course sure was narrow in many parts - especially in the beginning - making it hard to pass people. I felt like it wasn't until mile 7 that I was freely running my own pace. Not kidding! Wish they'd chosen roads for the first 5 miles that were as wide as they could get (a two-lane road for 30,000 people? really?!). Big hills in the first 2-3 miles (that's quite a warmup if you're not careful) so with those factors I realized I'd lost time in the beginning and it just wasn't going to be a PR course for me. Yeah, the finish is an uphill switchback. If you ask me, the worse torture was waiting for those darn shuttle buses. I was lucky, my wait was only 20 minutes. But it was 20 minutes of being sweaty, stiff, tired, and hungry with an icy wind whipping through the buildings that froze my sweat to me. And I know it's a family event, but I was annoyed to see non-runners taking up limited seats on the shuttle buses that came infrequently. Come-on people - who deserved those seats the most?! Next year's (new) runners should be aware that this is one of the liabilities of a big marathon - that you can't really arrive/leave when you want to and you'll probably be tortured with some kind of extra walk, crowd, or wait. As for the takeways: GREAT shirt. It's not a technical shirt, but being a combo t-shirt and mock-turtleneck is something I've never seen before and very very cool. It's embroidered in two places with logos (fancy!) along with a silk-screened back and arm. The MARINES down the side of the arm makes me feel cooler than I am, and of course it being a marathon shirt... Nice medal (I know people say you don't do it for the medal but it's nice to have a good one - I agree). Nice finisher's coin (you had to look for that as you were exiting the finisher's area). I probably won't do the MCM again because it's a bloated mega-marathon. But I'm glad to say I did it and I had always planned on doing it at least once. And it was great to interact with and thank all those marines along the way too! | |
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D. W. from Locust Grove, VA
(4/25/2008)
"Too big!" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Pros: This race is a beautiful way to see our nation's capitol and is a must-do for any runner. The Marines who come out are outstanding, and the course is relatively easy. Cons: Race has too many participants to set at PR (if that is your goal). Logistics to get to/from the race are chaotic. MCM should consider taking a symbolic pass of the Marine Corps War Memorial instead of funneling 30,000 runners and spectators into this tiny national park. Once there, transportation options ruined the day. The t-shirt design is great, but it needs to be technical fabric moving forward. Last, the post-race food was the worst I've ever experienced. | |
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A. F. from Arlington, VA
(4/18/2008)
"Highly recommended" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I would definitely recommend this marathon, especially for the first-timer. There is lots of crowd support throughout most of the course. The organization was about as good as you could get. However, that last 1/3-mile is really unnecessary; they need to keep the finish on Rt. 110. I didn't have a problem running up the hill itself, but it can easily cost the typical runner quite a few seconds. | |
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M. K. from Florida
(4/15/2008)
"great except finish area fiasco" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 1st marathon and was an overall great experience. Expo was huge; lots of freebies. Very nice mock turtleneck shirt. Spectators rocked! The only negative was the incredibly narrow and overcrowded area after the finish. They need to open this up and bar spectators from the area before runners can get their food, drinks and bags. | |
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D. E. from San Antonio, TX
(3/17/2008)
"I did it for them!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first, and so far only, full marathon. Initially I decided to train for a marathon because I really needed to do something to become athletic, get in shape, and stay in shape. And that remained my motivation throughout the training period. On race day, I became so emotionally involved in the organization of the event that I changed my motivator: I decided I wasn't going to do this for me, I was going to do this for them, the ones who serve selflessly and ask for nothing in return, the ones who die for our freedom, the United States Marine Corps. Every Marine I came into contact with during those 26.2 miles, I made a point of shaking their hand and telling them, "Thank you." A truly heartfelt thank you. I will without a doubt run this marathon again. In fact, I hope to run it every year for as long as I can. I will do it for them. | |
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P. D. from Pittsburgh, PA
(3/13/2008)
""The People's Marathon" says it all.... Outstandin" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you are looking to run in and feed off the energy of a massive race, this is a good one to start with. Washington offers a scenic background. The Marines are special and make this race so different from the others. Hydration stations are plentiful and well stocked, first aid always present, and crowds are supportive. Not what you want if you are looking for a trail run or a cozy small-town race. Be prepared for concrete, asphalt and a lot of energy. | |
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M. S. from Framingham, MA
(3/9/2008)
"Great experience but improvements can be made" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon and first Marine Corps. Overall it was a great experience, and the opportunity to run through the nation's capital and being cheered on by Marines can't be beat. My biggest complaints are that there is no area for family and friends to see you come through the finish line and getting out of the area after getting your medal was almost as grueling as doing the marathon. They should waive the cost of the Metro on race day so people can get through quickly - the line to get onto the Metro after the race was bad. It took me almost 45 minutes to get on the train, which is not what I wanted to be doing after running for 4 hours. | |
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B. G. from Illinois
(2/27/2008)
"Over-hyped in my opinion" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Great expo! The course was ok, but I didn't like running on all the cement. Major problem with the water stops. They were on one side and the GU station didn't have water available for nearly two miles. Not a lot of spectators, but they were helpful when they were around. Really disliked finishing with the 10K walkers; they got in the way. |
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