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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 511 to 521]
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Jim Skibo from Cedar Hill, TX (Dallas)
(10/30/2006)
"Marines = 5+, Organizers = 3" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my 21st marathon and one of the most scenic I've run within an urban setting. Weather was flawless (44-60) with a cool northern breeze and a clear sky. Spectators: A bunch, but not as many as you might expect. I don't care one way or the other but I mention it in case it is important to you. Not as dense or as many as Chicago. Organization: The race was flawlessly organized except for one glaring area, and that was the finish. I am proud of the many marines who gave their time to staff the water holes, the security at the expo, etc. because the race itself came off without a hitch. The Pre-Race Corrals: There weren't any! Two different bib colors were used depending on your expected time, but there was no one enforcing who started in which group. As a result, slower runners moved ahead so they could start with their faster friends. I expect a slow race on a course this packed, but there were walkers in front of runners!! In a 5K I expect that, but not in a major marathon. Fix it. The Post-Finish Area: Disaster. Whoever was doing security on the civilian side permitted a backflow of non-runners back into the limited amount of after-race food. It slowed the egress to a snail's pace. Then you had to leave the memorial area and cross a short highway bridge that was severly narrowed because of some tents on one side of the bridge. It took me almost 30 minutes to nudge forward to get across a 100'-long bridge. Not good. There was no area whatsoever to sit down in after the race; it was through the rather limited food offerings and then right onto the street. A large grassy area next to the memorial was fenced off so no one could walk or sit on the couple acres of grass. I've run some smaller $35 marathons that had far more attention to runner's needs at the end than this race. For $100+, the ending just sucked and really took some of the fun away from the event. I hate to ding "organization" because the marines had their act together and were truly good-spirited throughout the race. Even today (Monday) when I walked around the memorial, several marines came up to me and asked about the race. I ran with a slight tendon injury but I felt comfortable that if I got into any serious trouble, there'd be medical help. That speaks volumes. I give the jarheads a 5++ and a 3 for the civilians who dreamed up with the post-finish arrangements. The course: The course was magnificent. Yes, there were some hills, but nothing awful. The final half mile does go up a hill to the memorial but it beats finishing in Arlington Cemetery! There are a couple of funnel areas in the course that forced runners to slow down because they got shoved together. Lodging: There are several hotels within 1/4 mile of the finish and within 3/4 mile of the start. You can walk to/from both and skip the metro. I understand from some fellow runners that the metro was a mess. The Medal... and More: The medal is really neat - nicely detailed with red, white and blue enamel on silver. The center triangle is a representation of the Iwo Jima flag-raising. Note: USAA (the insurance company) also gave a free military "coin" medal to all finishers. It is really beautifully executed (actually looks better than the race medal!!). Not sure if they'll do that next year, but you should check because once you see the coin, you'll want one. Jim | |
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W. F. from Cincinnati Ohio
(10/30/2006)
"Great race, horrible ending!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The course was great. This was my 4th marathon and I enjoyed the course and the crowds. The marines were awesome. The finish was horrible. After completing the marathon it took over an hour to work through the stampede of family coming to see the finish. Many people were passing out trying to work their way through the crowd after running 26 miles. It also took way too long to receive nourishment at the end of the race. Too many runners in too small a space. My hats off to the marines I encountered as they were very professional and motivational. | |
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Deborah Ferguson from Connecticut
(10/30/2006)
"Great job, marines, but the finish needs lots of h" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This is my second MCM - last one in 1994 (with Oprah) was rainy but the marines made up for the weather, which is why I came back this year with two family members running alongside. Why is it that with all the roads in DC we have to do out-and-backs on this course!? The finish was a nightmare - no organization, baggage WAY too far away, never did find the spot to get a promised finisher's coin, three-hour wait for the Metro... you've got to be kidding me! Just what you want to do after running 26.2 miles.... Go another mile to get into warm clothes then walk a couple more to find a cab and a $50 ride back to your hotel while others wait in a three-hour line for the Metro. This needs serious help next year!!!!! | |
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R. W. from usa
(10/30/2006)
"The post-race experience was horrible!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The race committee must have been partying too hard when they came up with the idea to have 30,000 runners and there family link up post-race on a 10-foot wide overpass! Thank God there were no runner emergencies on that overpass. It took me two hours to cross that 50-foot span of road to get to my baggage on the other side. Thank God my wife and I had cell phones or we would still be there looking for each other. There was a two-hour line the night before to get into the expo; what was that problem? And after the race we were handed our finisher's medals and again stood in line 20 minutes before a marine handed us water at the finish. The marines were great, as the crowd was. I ran this course in 1991. It was so organized then that I always wanted to return. Now that I did, the desire is gone to return for a third time. | |
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P. G. from USA
(10/30/2006)
"Excellent, but..." (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I had a great experience running in the MCM this year, but I would provide just a bit of constructive criticism to improve the race for next year. The finishing area and the processing of finishers was not well-planned. There was significant congestion before the food/water tent and runners started passing food and water back into the crowd so that people could get something to eat/drink upon finishing. After exiting from the food/water tent, runners had to cross the narrow bridge over Route 50 to get to the gear pickup, but this required them to exit the family meeting area. To add insult to injury, there were a number of sponsor tents set up in the middle of the bridge. This resulted in an enormous snafu - it took almost 45 minutes for me to walk from the food/water tent to the gear pick-up, most of which I spent standing still in a crowd. As anyone will tell you, you need to keep moving after a marathon to optimize recovery and this made it very difficult. I have a few suggestions. Other races of this size organize the meet-up area by individual letters (A,B,C...) rather than groups of letters (ABC, DEF, GHI...). Marine Corps should do this - it would cut down on the congestion. Sponsor tents should be relocated so that they don't result in congestion on the bridge. I was so irritated by the long wait time on the bridge that the publicity those tents provided was actually negative. If it is impossible to reorganize the layout of the finish, the bridge should have clearly marked transit lanes on one side (to Iwo Jima, from Iwo Jima). If I don't run NYC next year, I'll definitely be back. | |
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J. P. from Alexandria
(10/30/2006)
"OOHRAH!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Outstanding course! You can't beat running in the nation's capital. Marines were friendly and very courteous. However, the post-race set-up was horrible. Family meet-up area should have been AWAY from all else to avoid the huge cluster that occurred as a result. Also, the bag-drop was way too far from the finish for tired runners to trek. Fix for next year! | |
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D. L. from Bethesda, Maryland
(10/30/2006)
"11th MCM and it never disappoints!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 11 MCM in a row and it never disappoints. The weather was great, the course is historic and the support provided by the marines is second to none. The expo is well organized and packet pick-up moves quickly. Trying to buy clothing, however, can be a long wait, but fortunately in different lines. The finish at the Iwo Jima Memorial is wonderful, but the area was too cramped this year because of the way the crowds were "funneled" through certain areas and commercial exhibits. I am sure the sponsors will fix the problems for the 2007 race and that it will be even better. It truly is the people's marathon and it gives you one more reason to be so proud of the young men and women in the United States Marine Corps. Semper Fi! | |
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n. s. from Chicago
(10/30/2006)
"Beautiful Course, Great Fans, Horribly Organizatio" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Nothing compares to running in our nation's capital with the marines giving you water and support along the way. The course was beautiful and the fans were wonderful! Honestly I would do it again because of the fan support and the beautiful course. Maybe I'm spoiled because I live in Chicago and run the Chicago Marathon every year, but organizationally the Marine Corps Marathon is lacking. The marathon hotel is nothing to write home about unless you want to tell them to send more money - $400 for one night is a rip-off and they don't even provide transportation to the race, despite being the official marathon hotel. Registration for the race was necessary because they don't mail your bib or chip and that would have been fine only the line for registration on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. was a 3-4-hour long line! Then after the race all you want to do is get your medal, have some water and see your family (not necessarily in that order) and trying to meet your family at the end was almost as challenging as running a marathon. So I'd say if you're considering this marathon, go for it - just pray the organization is better next year and prepare to stand in lots of lines! | |
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M. Q. from Virginia
(10/30/2006)
"This race needs help" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 The marine corps marathon is an absolutely gorgeous course but the organization of this race is a nightmare. The metro system was jammed and I am guessing that is why there was a delay in the start and the finish line was hideous. I sprained my ankle, slipped on a cup at the mile 8 mile marker which was such a hazard, and had to exit the course about 1 hour and 30 minutes into the race. While the attention from the medics I received was excellent the organization wasn't. The marines told me to walk to the nearest tent..what I CAN'T WALK. I didn't get back to the finish line until 4:30pm. Instead of having seperate buses for injured folk we had to wait on the straggler bus, ride behind the walkers of the rest of the marathon course which was 15 miles. Just absolutely ridiculous organization. I do have to say that the two medics that carted me around were the best ever. Because of this marathon (and I have ran Chicago)I will no longer run big marathons. I am done with race directors trying to cram 30,000 people and their families into 26.2 miles. The disorganization exhausts you before you even get to the start line and then makes you want to run 5 more miles away when you are done no matter how the last .2 makes you feel. | |
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D. M. from Colorado
(10/30/2006)
"Great Course, Poor Organization" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I ran the MCM yesterday and overall I enjoyed myself and the course. The weather was great and I met many nice people. But this event was an exercise in patience for me. If MCM wants to be one of the largest races in the country, then they need to develop the organization, facilities and logistics to support it. To start, the lines at the expo on Saturday were unbelievable. The DC Amory is simply not big enough. I stayed within walking distance of the start, but heard horror stories of waiting for the Metro which the MCM encourages people to use. It can't handle all the people before and after. They need alternatives such as shuttle buses from parking lots out of the area. During the run, there were points where the spectators narrowed the road to less than a car lane, causing dangerous congestion. They need to find a way to keep the course open at these points. And finally, as others mentioned, there is the finish area. Took me more than 1/2 hour to get through the people. There was no open area to recover, family and friends were trying to move in while runners wanted out; it was a cluster. In fact, ironically, the area with the most room was the actual area set aside for reuniting (because everyone was down by the finish!). Bottom line, while running I had a great time and enjoyed the sights and people. But the MCM has things they need to fix if they truly want to be "The People's Marathon." |
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