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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 691 to 701]
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Diane Daniels from Dallas, TX
(11/3/2004)
"SKIP THIS MARATHON!" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 This is the first marathon I've run that didn't have water stops at every mile. Had to purchase a water belt at the expo and good thing I did considering the high temp. on race day reached 81 degrees and tied for the record high for that day. Water stops at every mile would've made it a better race. Other major negative - no food on the course. There were plenty of banana and orange peels on the ground, but they were long gone by the time I came through at my 4:30-ish pace. Even the chocolate chips cookies advertised at mile 18 were not to be had. I have NEVER run a marathon where there was no food available for the runners on the course. Poor planning. Additionally, the EggBeater burritos that were promised for the finishers... non-existent by the time I finished. The bags of pretzels and little candy bars at the finishers' tent left a lot to be desired. The only palatable thing were the bagels. Would never recommend this marathon much less to a first-timer. I will say one thing positive about the race in general - the marines did an outstanding job of supporting the runners. | |
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George Morgan from Miami, FL
(11/3/2004)
"Awesome Experience - My Second Marathon" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Oorah! | |
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Mark Gershman from Scottsdale, Arizona
(11/3/2004)
"Truly a mixed bag but VERY friendly folks!" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Thought I'd seen it all; this was my 30th marathon, but for a race that is 29-years old, it had organizational lapses/issues I wouldn't expect. The saving grace was the incredible courtesy and friendliness of every single volunteer. The expo was set up in a poorly planned space (actually three levels) and it was also at the mercy of a heightened security screening process. The result was a line that people waited in for 2-3 hours; that is unacceptable under any circumstance. And aside from a charity selling bottled water in the queue, there was no water available anywhere in the expo. The traffic flow took you up and down escalators, through corridors, and even the hotel garage. Organizers said that next year this will be moved to another venue; hopefully they really get it right. Many vendors were passed over because they weren't 'part of the flow'--really not the way to start the weekend. The one big plus was the official merchandise vended by Brooks; it was high quality and priced very fairly. The other big kudos go for the official race shirt; a very high quality mock-neck, long-sleeved, embroidered shirt. Transportation to the start was efficient, but again, it needs work. I know there are legitimate security concerns--and probably always will be because of the proximity of the Pentagon, etc. but a bus dropping you off over a mile away from the start line seems a little much. It was a 25-minute walk to the start area. The starting area (which is also the finish area) is where the race needs the most help. Prepare to walk around in circles. The drop-bag area forces you to walk back to the start line--so anyone jumps in any corral just to get behind the start line. Signage was there but it sits on the ground and is really for post-race staging. Finding the drop tent wasn't easy and the biggest goof was the lack of water; not a single place had water for runners---the Marines said there was water at the start area tables--not a single drop anywhere. They ran the race starting in a different direction and perhaps that added to the challenges---whatever the case, the staging area was a complete mess. The course itself was very scenic and you do see DC and all its glory, history, and monuments. There's a significant hill at about Mile 2 but after that, there are a lot of downhill stretches and fairly flat areas. Crowds were awesome, friendly, and energetic. Water/Powerade stops were well-manned by courteous Marines. There were two glaring problems though about the water: They needed more water stops--it was a fairly warm day and the need for more stops was absolutely necessary. The stretch--the very long bridge--before going into the Crystal City area needed more water stops; it was downright ugly through there. Because it was so warm (not the race's fault), I had never seen so many runners walking, especially so early on, and it only got worse. The lack of water didn't help. With a strong headwind to boot, it turned into an ugly race for many---it's too bad that race organizers couldn't try to mitigate those challenges in some manner. Hey, I know running a marathon isn't supposed to be easy, but with many running their first race there, it would be wise to be prepared for handling novices to the sport--thankfully area medics were on the spot to help out--28 runners went to the hospitals this year. At the end of it all, there was one final challenge: navigating the post-race area. Chip retrieval was just OK; not organized enough--Marines scrambling from runner to runner trying to assist--no chute process to help this along. Food was plentiful--handed out in a covered tent, but again, after that, it was a free-for-all trying to reunite and trying to find post-race shuttles back to the hotels. Basically, picture an ant hill with everyone crawling around it in all directions. It's hard to be critical because you could tell that the Marines and fellow volunteers really tried to be helpful; they had a very sunny disposition and really tried to direct people in the right direction. The t-shirt and medal were first-rate. The crowds on the course were exceptional--especially in Georgetown, near the Capitol, in Crystal City, and in the final mile. The website is comprehensive and updated often. You can't pick on the weather, but you can try to prepare for it. They say that changes are coming for 2005 and they will be adding 5000 more entrants. That said, they really need to re-think the staging area. The expo needs a lot more space and a more efficient screening process. There are enough frustrations for first-timers (this race has many) that they don't need to add any more mental anguish. I'd like to return and hope for better organization next year. The scenery alone is worth any frustration that you may encounter. | |
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L. D. from Austin, TX
(11/2/2004)
"ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon - 1st was Disney in 2003 - and this was absolutely my favorite! First of all, THANK YOU MARINES - a 100% class act. The mostly flat course was beautiful; gorgeous fall colors, the monuments, parks. And the crowds were great, too. Some complained the weather was too warm at 79, sunny & breezy, but having trained in the Texas summer heat in the hill country, I thought it was fabulous. Thanks for switching to Powerade; I had read so much about how terrible the Ultima was in past years. One thing - we got to the expo on Saturday around 11 AM, and it took about an hour to get in. Others got there later and waited 2 hours. The line was, no kidding, wrapped around the block. I read in the program that next year's expo will be at a different, larger location, so hopefully that won't be a problem then. Overall, a fantastic weekend; this one will be hard to beat. | |
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D. H. from Northern California
(11/2/2004)
"Fantastic All the Way." (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The best - what else would you expect from the Marines? I've run other huge marathons, and this one had the best support, the best organization, and the best crowds. Nice flat-ish course - hardly challenging. Can be warm and humid, but the crowds make up for the energy drain from the weather. I crossed the finish line, got my medal in about 3 seconds, walked to the sweats tent, waited for just one person ahead of me, and was given my sweats without a long search. This is a keeper. I'll be back. | |
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r. r. from west virginia
(11/2/2004)
"change has not been beneficial " (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I've run this 8 times before and brought my wife to this one extolling its organization and flat course. We then had to wait an hour to get through a metal detector/bag search to get to the expo. Arriving at the start 45 minutes early still wasn't enough to get through the ill managed crowd to the right side of the start line. The course now begins with hills and a loop at rock creek park and after the 20-mile bridge that have you running out and back for soul sapping miles. Fewer bands and cheerleaders but the marines always run good water stops. I appreciate the corps work but hope this was an experiment gone awry. I've enjoyed the previous races. My wife says she'll go back to Chicago | |
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A. B. from Florida
(11/2/2004)
"Great crowd support " (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Great race for the crowd support and some spectacular scenery; would like to see an earlier start, as it got very hot; very tough course--very hilly; ridiculous lines for the expo due to security procedures in place; transportation from the race back to hotels was poor... | |
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R. D. from Maine USA
(11/2/2004)
"Marathon is not a contact sport" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 How many runners is too many? 16,987. That's the number that overwhelmed the 2004 MCM course and turned a joyful event into a contact sport. I'll let others sing the praises of this race... the Marines (great), the organization, the wonderful city. But in their zeal to make this 'the peoples' marathon', race organizers have placed more runners on the course than it can comfortably handle. Even though I positioned myself in the proper starting corral, the first five miles were nothing more than a shuffle. It was impossible to fall into a comfortable pace until an hour into the race, and there were many more logjams throughout. I could not run through the last two water stops as hundreds stopped to walk though these stations. I'm guessing others suffered my frustration. I am not an elitist, a purist, or usually this grumpy, but I trained and travelled to D.C. to run a marathon and the overcrowding made this a frustrating experience. And next year will be worse as the race director will be opening the race to 30,000 runners. Bad idea. | |
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R. M. from Minnesota
(11/2/2004)
"Great course, but..." (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The course was great, but the expo was very crowded -- I had to wait more than an hour in line to get my packet. Why route 22,000+ runners through a hotel ballroom? The course needed more water stops, and the post-race area was chaotic -- took 40 minutes to get about 200 yards from finish to store. | |
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S. K. from Jeffersonville, IN
(11/1/2004)
"A Great Way To See the Best of the U.S.A." (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The Marine Corps Marathon is a great way to see what is really great about our country. The Marines are a great group of men and women that Serve our country with a capital 'S'. The young servicemen and women were all very professional, polite, and people that give one a great deal of hope for the future of our country. The course is beautiful, and the spectators great, but due to security concerns (the election just days away, and the race occurring on Halloween), the organization negative was for the 45-60-minute line to enter the packet pickup area. I ran with the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Charity, and the St. Jude people are the best. We had our own tent to meet prior to the race and afterwards, where we could recoup and refresh. Thanks to the St. Jude's group for being so hospitable. The only other negative was one the Marines had no control over. The wind off the Potomac River was stiff, and the temperatures got into the upper 70's about halfway into the race which zapped the energy away from many competitors. By the way, the long-sleeve shirt the Marines gave to the participants is the best I have ever received for ANY race! |
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