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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 661 to 671]
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N. B. from Milan, TN
(11/10/2004)
"Great course, good organization." (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I think this race was very well done overall. Sure, there were lines at the expo but we were adequately warned, and what do you expect in the nation's capital the weekend before the election? I found the corral system worked very well compared to other large races I have done. The Marines were great. The water/Powerade placement was a little confusing but that's not that big a deal. The course was fantastic and rates right up there with NYC. The weather made for a tough day; personally I can't run well at all in that kind of heat, but it was way above normal and that's no one's fault. I loved the little hill at the end and found it to be a great metaphor for the marathon and the monument that we were running to. I believe this is a PR course for me given a good weather day. | |
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J. F. from Washington, DC
(11/10/2004)
"Always a fun run" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall the race was a great experience. Having only two metal detectors at the expo was a disaster, but that is something that is easily remedied. The course was an great improvement over last year. I especially enjoyed running through Arlington towards the end. The race is so much better than other big races in providing the post-race munchies, but having some water/sport drink available at the start wouldn't be a bad idea. Overall, it is definitely a race worth running in. | |
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C. E. from Geneva, IL
(11/10/2004)
"Must do this one..." (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Unseasonable heat and humidity made this a tough race. That aside, it was truly a great experience! The course - even without the heat - was a tough one. There were a couple of hills and some wide open spots where the sun could turn you to toast. But you couldn't beat the sight-seeing!! The USMC did a great job and I spent most of the race 'oooh-rahing' and feeling a part of this thing. A Marine in full dress in the last .2 miles cheering 'The USMC are proud of you, everyone of you' still gets to me and was much needed after that cruel hill at 26 miles. Getting a medal, an enthusiastic handshake and praise from the Marines at the finish was the best way to conclude (except for lying down in the shade... off my feet with a Powerade). The situation with security was a pain... long lines at the expo and suggestions to get to the start two hours early. Still... this is a must-do race!! | |
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C. F. from Gainesville, FL
(11/9/2004)
"tough day!" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The unexpected heat was difficult even for this FL girl! I agree with most of the expo comments. Even though I went on Thurs and did not expect anyone to be there, I waited in line about 20-25 mins. I guess not many people had the problem I had at water stops - they were often scrambling to pour water for those waiting in line to get some. That messed up my pace and made me lose my pacer and my friends. Also, I never knew whether water or Powerade was first or last on the tables because it was different at each stop. It seemed that some stops only had water, no Powerade, when I was needing a little shot of energy and some electrolytes. I may have just missed it though because of the crowds. The course was tough with all the hills at the beginning, my legs were shot early. I would have preferred them more even-spaced (but I'm sure others liked it this way). The spectators were great even though I didn't post my name! Although, not very rowdy in Crystal City! Thanks to some very considerate people just visiting the memorial, I made a jump in line at the WWII Memorial restroom. As I left, they yelled, 'GOOD LUCK!' That was very cool! Overall, it was a great experience. However, I don't want to do it when there are 30,000 people, for sure! | |
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Casmir Kempisty from Dayton, Ohio
(11/9/2004)
"Not enough water stops" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 For being 'The Peoples Marathon', I didn't see all the support I expected. | |
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Jerry Wood from Fort Smith, Arkansas
(11/9/2004)
"Amazing experience" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Come on people, why do you whine so much? Sure it was crowded, sure there were a few slip ups, but overall it was an absolutely awesome day. Getting to the starting line was a little hard, but guess what? I left early enough that I found my correct spot, sat down and enjoyed the early morning. If you cannot get out of bed early enough on such a big day and are rushed, blame only yourself. Finish chute was ok and my wife and I had no problem finding each other. HINT: Plan ahead, find a spot to meet BEFORE you run your race. So many of these complaints could be solved if each runner takes care of certain necessities before the race. No fault on the job the Marines did, my hat is off to them and the job they do along with the sacrifice they are willing to make. Course was hard but fair with all the great sights of D.C. Crowds were fantastic, course support was good. I had no problem at any of the water stations but there could have been more to compensate for the heat. This is my 6th marathon, 1st really big marathon runner-wise. It was a different experience, but again something I knew beforehand and planned on. My goal of a BQ did not happen, but guess what? It was nobody's fault but mine!! So to everyone complaining, plan ahead next time and many of your problems could be taken care of before you run a step. I will be back. | |
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Lois C Fleck from Delaware, USA
(11/9/2004)
"2004 MCM BIG Disappointment!!!" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I?ve run 3 full and 3 half marathons and a ten-miler this past year. Of all these races, rhe MCM was the most disappointing ? actually the MCM was the only disappointing one. First let me say the weather was beautiful, the fans, Marines and volunteers were wonderful and the actual course was decent ? not too hilly and fairly scenic. Maybe I am just spoiled. All the other races I?ve done were so unbelievably organized (even with more runners), I wasn?t prepared for lack of organization we saw this weekend at the MCM. No safety pins for my bib, no ties for my chip (my shoes have no laces), about half the number of porta potties, no food or water at the start and not much at the finish!! There was plenty of water and Powerade on the course but I?m not a fast runner and I didn?t see any oranges at mile 6 or cookies at mile 23, and believe me, I was looking. They wouldn?t let my boyfriend (a spectator) go to the start with me which ticked me off since lots of other spectators managed to get there. And the metro was a nightmare with ?only? 22,000 runners this year; next year should be quite interesting if they manage to get 30,000 to register. I wish all the 2005 runners luck ? I won?t be back. I am glad The MCM wasn?t my first marathon... if it had been, I probably would never have run a second one. | |
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H. L. from New London, Connecticut
(11/8/2004)
"Everything I Thought It Would Be" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Because this was my 'dream' marathon, I was almost prepared to be disappointed at various times -- but I wasn't! Of course, I can be a bit overboard and I tended to try to do things the way they asked: I went Thursday night to pick up my packet and had hardly any wait; I went back to the expo on Friday - twice - and had to wait the second time for quite a while but I was just trying to get in to the Runner's Symposium to hear John Bingham (he was excellent); I arrived the morning of the race 2 hours ahead, got right in, checked my baggage and then waited, no problems whatsoever. I had plenty of time to check out the grounds, read the signs and find my way around. Glad I did because it was crowded after the race. The course was beautiful, and I have to say I felt choked up several times as I ran past our national monuments. The dreaded Hains Point was not dreadful at all. It was a gorgeous stroll along the river and I was lucky enough to be there when the blazing sun went under a cloud cover for a while so I found this part of the run cooling and relaxing. The crowds were spectacular. My fellow runners were quite entertaining as well; between conversations and funny t-shirts the time went by quickly. And, of course, there's nothing like being cheered on by hundreds - or maybe thousands - of Marines. Water stops every two miles would have been more than adequate had the temperature not reached 80 degrees. It might not be a bad idea to go to water stops every mile after 20 miles or so, as that seemed to be where folks were struggling. Of the three replenishments (bananas, Cliff Shots and cookies) the Cliff Shots were the only things available to the later runners. I was glad my family was able to meet me to hand me snacks otherwise I would have been in trouble had I counted on the bananas and cookies being there. Why not just have 1 item of each for each runner? Kudos to the Marines for changing their drink to Powerade -- a little thumbs down because they had advertised that it would be Mountain Berry Blast and it was a citrus flavor. The narrowing of the running lane at the finish was a little hairy -- it got so narrow I was at the mercy and pace of the people in front of me. This intensified as we filtered through the finish tent. For people finishing later (like I was) the food was really picked over and I didn't get anything except water. My only real complaint was with all the walkers -- why can't they get over to the side instead of just stopping dead in the middle of the road? It felt like we had to run about 10 miles before it really cleared up enough to run and then the race was over and we were stuck in the narrowed finish lane up to the Iwo Jima. All in all a dream come true though, I loved every minute of it. I would do it again, although not next year if there are 30,000 runners. (Imagine how many walkers there will be then!) | |
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L. A. from Atlanta, GA
(11/8/2004)
"Great experience!" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 In the future, please have water/fluids available for the runners before the start. | |
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K. F. from New York City
(11/8/2004)
"marines did fine, thanks, but no more cruel jokes." (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Marine Corp. Marathon has always been on the top of my to-do run list. The expo, nightmare. I did Chicago last year, twice the number of runners and it was so easy to get my bag and leave, but this was not. The lines were long, I was so happy that it wasn't raining. Plus I wanted to see DC; this was not the way I wanted to spend my Saturday. But you have to get your number, right? The course was really great, some hills, the last one a killer, but all in all, a good run. HOWEVER, at around mile 11 I was looking for a mile marker and could not find one. At the next water station, I asked a Marine what mile we were at? He didn't miss a beat and replied a very cordial, '13 Ma'am'. I couldn't believe it, I was ecstatic, I thought where did the last 2 miles go? Something told me that this was inaccurate and so I asked another and another, all the same response. So I gleefully went on my way thinking this was going to be a quicker run than I thought, which was good because it was getting hot and humid! I was not too happy when I turned the corner and was faced with the mile marker-11! Not happy at all. I still don't get the rationale, now if they would have told me it was mile 9, then I would have been pleasantly surprised when in actuality I was at mile 11. Any runners get it? More importantly, any race directors? The moral of this long winded story: More accurate mile markers. Thank you. |
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