Sep 21, 2024
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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 571 to 581]
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L. M. from Lake Echo, Nova Scotia
(11/16/2005)
"Disorganized start/and finish.... Wheelchairs??" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The baggage drop-off was too far from the start.... And I think a lot of people didn't realize this until they went to drop off their bag. Then they were late getting to the start. Narrow, congested start made it difficult to get a rhythm going for the first 3 miles or so. Finish was also congested. Bag pick-up was confusing. Wheelchairs behind the runners was the worst decision for a marathon I have ever seen; there must have been some serious accidents.... After 30 years of putting on this race I thought all this would have been worked out years ago; hopefully it will be in the future.... | |
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Charlie Wallace from London, UK
(11/15/2005)
"Fantastic course, great atmosphere!" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I loved this race. We started in the second wave, but luckily managed to get fairly near the front. I guess if I was really bothered about getting a fast time I'd have entered much earlier and made sure i was in the first wave. The Marines were great, crowds brilliant, the water stops were spaced nicely for me, and overall just a lovely race to be part of. Would definitely do it again next year. Charlie | |
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H. O. from California
(11/11/2005)
"Not perfect, but still a great race!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have to agree with most of the comments about the expo and race. Since I was in the back of the pack, I didn't have as much congestion at the finish as those who finished around 4-5 hours, however the metro was jammed - one person fainted waiting to get through the turnstiles. Was surprised there were no corrals at the start - seemed to be no method to the numbering, either. I am slow and got a number in the 17,000's - had a friend who is a sub-four-hour marathoner and his was 25,000 and a first-timer friend had one in the 12,000's! Also where were the other 10,000 runners? Said it sold out, but according to the results only about 20,000 actually ran. If those slots were being held for charity groups that didn't show, something needs to be done about that. Also my GPS showed that the race was 26.7 miles - could be a little off, but I've used it in several races and it's never been off by that much before. Would like to think I was five minutes faster! All this being said, I would definitely do the race again - great course, great crowds, beautiful city. Harriet Ottaviano Seal Beach, CA | |
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Chuck Splawn from Myrtle Beach SC
(11/11/2005)
"A Great First Marathon!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I only have a few negative comments, so I'll get them out of the way. No corrals for the second wave start = one huge, slow mess for the first 3-4 miles. Solution? How about a single start, with organized time corrals (seems to work at the NYC Marathon from what I've heard). Now for all the positives: Great variety in the course, great crowd support, I even got used to water/Powerade stops every two miles (just drink more at each stop). I loved the high school bands along the way; just after the halfway point, hearing the theme to Rocky was pretty cool. Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better first marathon. | |
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E. R. from Buffalo, NY
(11/11/2005)
"Word for the day: Disorganized!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I don't understand why so many people pointed out the many problems with this marathon (they were all dead on), yet gave it a high rating. The disorganization was extremely distracting and frustrating. We had to walk uphill for five minutes to get to the baggage claim - no signs to help point the way, we just followed everyone else. There were probably 100 people in the baggage line when we got to the race because we were late due to the overcrowded, packed-full subways. Luckily, we had a non-runner who could stand in line for us to drop our bags off. After walking back downhill another five minutes, we got to the start on time, but when the gun went off, there were still people coming! I would have been furious if I was still waiting to drop off my baggage when the gun went off! I was lucky enough to finish before the huge crowds, and there weren't too many people waiting to have their chips removed, but not one Marine offered to help me. I even sat there for a few minutes waiting! I've run the 'biggies': NY, Chicago, Boston, and was looking forward to adding MCM to my list. After this experience I don't have to go back and I wouldn't recommend this marathon to others. | |
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J. I. from Edison, New Jersey
(11/10/2005)
"Awesome experience!" (about: 2005)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my very first marathon and I could not have asked for a better experience. The Marines are great and run a well-organized event. I qualified for to run Boston in this marathon, but I will definitely be back to run this event again. I can't imagine it gets any better than this. The weather was perfect and the course was beautiful and kept your mind off the pain. Thanks U.S. Marines, you're the best. | |
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d. n. from San Diego, California, USA
(11/9/2005)
"A race to remember" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 A race that I will always remember. The MARINES are awesome, the food/water are sufficient. The start and finish need more orzanization. Spectators/family members, non-runners should not be allowed at the finish line where the food/drinks are located; it was almost impossible to get an access to them. The post-race party was very lame. Overall, a great race and thanks to the MARINES !!!!! | |
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Alison Lukan from United States
(11/9/2005)
"Was a repeat marathoner here and would do it again" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I've read folks' comments and a lot of the disorganization comments were spot on - I only offer that we all temper this with the fact that the MC significantly increased the field this year for the 30th anniversary. Course was great, day was great and having the Marines really offers a special feel. If they stick with the two=wave start, definitely think through that a bit more and get those wheelchair athletes out EARLY - too much for them to yell at us all day. At the expo, just give more room to the official merchandise - that seems to be what makes NYC, etc. run a lot better. Thanks to everyone for a great race (think back to 2001 for a more organized finish perhaps?). | |
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Chris Bailey from Klamath Falls, OR
(11/9/2005)
"Great First Marathon!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I chose this as my first marathon because it was an event, and I thought that would help with my motivation. The course was awesome. I got choked up when I saw the American flag waving over the Marine Memorial at the end of the race. The spectators were wonderful, really supportive! The Marine volunteers were the best. I haven't yelled 'HOORAH' that much since boot camp. A couple of suggestions. Have corrals for both waves based on projected pace. The second wave had a lot of congestion for at least the first 5 miles. The finish area was very crowded, and whatever can be done to open that up some would be good. And make sure the metro has the escalator running after the race! I was really hurting going down those steps, but I saw some people who were in agony. Tips if you are going to race this: The water stops are crowded. Run down the middle until the end of the stop. They color-coded the cups, so you know where the Powerade ended and the water began. I saw a lot of volunteers with nothing to do toward the back of the stops. I thought the course was tougher than it looked on paper. Some long lonely stretches, and the final bridges were hot and bridge pavement was hard. I flew out from Oregon on Friday. That was a mistake, as I was not over my jetlag by race-day. Don't make that mistake. This was one of the best experiences of my life. I am not sure if I will ever run another marathon, but if this ends up being my only one, I don't think I could have made a better choice. HOORAH! | |
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J. Q. from Wyoming
(11/8/2005)
"Terrible finish-line organization & wheelchairs" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Whoever decided to start the wheelchair division behind runners needs to be fired. Bad, bad decision. I felt terrible for the wheelchair competitors. Second, the finish-line organization was the worst I have ever seen. I had to wait 10 minutes for replenishment; and the finisher photo? Forget about it. |
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