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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 761 to 771]
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D. R. from Springfield, MN
(10/30/2003)
" Fun race to run - thanks to the Marines" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I agree the Metro was crowed but I stayed downtown D.C. and I got on early so I did not have to wait. The corrals were marked but had a problem with finding the slower times. I agree with the one writer that it is difficult to get to the bridge on time if you are a slower runner, and they should somehow use your chip time. It took me a long to get to the start line. The course was great. For me, who is used to training along corn and bean fields, this was great. I agree the 14th Street bridge was tough and a water stop on the bridge would be nice. The crowds were great. The Marines were very helpful and encouraging. This was my ninth marathon and it was rewarding and fun to run this with my daughter. We had a good time and the sites were great. I like the warmer weather. It did not seem that bad. | |
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C. T. from Dallas, TX
(10/30/2003)
"My first MCM, but certainly not my last" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon but my first MCM, and it was great. The organization was amazing. Some people have complained about chaos at the start but I didn't find it that way. I ran Dubin in 2001 and it had less than half the number of participants and it took just as long to get to the start line and even at that point we still couldn't do more than shuffle. At least I was actually jogging by the time I reached the start line at MCM. There were plenty of water stops and each one was fully stocked. The Marines and spectators were great motivation. The course was great except Haines Point and the 14th Street Bridge but they weren't nearly as bad as I had heard. The services of the Marines and the volunteers were second to none. I would run this race again in a heartbeat! | |
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K. E. from Minnesota
(10/30/2003)
"Great spectators, course is only ok" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 For all the hype, the course was only ok. The start was horribly confusing and spectators were allowed to mill around where runners would be lining up. The bridge at Mile 21 was awful - hot and windy and no water stops and the race finishes in an industrial part of town. I'd like to see the course wander through Georgetown more and highways less. The weather was very hot and humid, not anything race organizers can control but be prepared for hot weather. Ultima is a horrible sports drink - I brought my own Gatorade. But the Marines and other spectators were great - they stayed out until the bitter end and all their cheers were encouraging (no 'you only have a 10K left' when you're at mile 20 and no 'you're almost there' when you're not)! | |
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Tim Seigal from Langley AFB, VA
(10/30/2003)
"Do this marathon!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Outstanding event--marathon #5! Yes, the expo and post-race areas were overloaded, but the course was outstanding! I agree with the others; water stops need to be added past the 14-mile marker. The Marines are always putting out the red carpet. I'll see everyone next year!! | |
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J. P. from the midwest
(10/29/2003)
"Good, Bad and Ugly!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The good - USMC-simply the best. Couldn't be prouder of the Marines who ran water stops, took care of crowd control and did their best to make for a nice event. The bad - The packet pick-up and expo is a nightmare. We had to wait on Saturday almost an hour just to get in. The organization of this part of the event is horrible. They need to move it to a convention center or some other facility where it's on one floor and everybody can enjoy it. One of the worst setups I have seen for an alleged 'big time' marathon. Course could use an overhaul. An awful lot of up and down ramps and back and forthing on the course to make miles. Ugly - Finish area way too crowded. No enjoyment here at all. Also, let's ban Galloway pace groups. What a pain they are. They might run pain free with their little groups and just inflict it on the rest of us. Always in the way. Going around and then stopping in front of you for their little walk breaks. Couldn't tell you how many times they are on one side of the road only to cut across to the other side and then start walking holding up people. Why don't you train a little more and just run the event like a real runner then you wouldn't have to run like a moving road block. Overall - I was a little disappointed with this marathon for all the hype that it gets. Wouldn't run it again either. | |
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carlos gonzalez from ajax, ontario , canada
(10/29/2003)
"Ok marathon, but not as easy as advertised" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 MCM was my 13th marathon and I was hoping to qualify for Boston '04 at this race. I had read and heard how it was a great race and the course was fast. Well it might not have any really tough hills to speak of, it did have many miles on highways with uneven slanted pavement which caused my back to go into spasms. Also an abundance of turns which makes for a slower course, and of course the humidity did not help at 90%. The long out-and-back sections were boring and demoralizing except for one with tree cover on both sides, and the bridge crossing after mile 21 into the wind was a major pain. Water was scarce and crowd support as well. The crowds were supportive when ever we ran by them, and the Marines were great. This marathon should be renamed the On and Off Ramp Marathon for the many we traversed during the race . This was not Boston, but I would only come back to run it for fun, not race it, unless course changes are made. | |
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S. B. from Jacksonville, FL
(10/29/2003)
"Hills, hills, and more hills" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The 2003 MCM was only my 4th marathon, and sadly my personal worst. However, I don't blame that on the course or the weather or anything except myself. The crowd support was definitely there and the Marines were FABULOUS! Expect this course to be tough because of its association with the Marine Corps alone! It was a great way to see D.C. Post-race, the Marines were (as always) a welcomed sight; helpful, courteous, and caring. And the BENCHES! What an excellent idea they were! Great if you wanted to wait for later finishers - or simply REST! Thanks Marines! | |
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S. K. from Leesburg, Virginia
(10/29/2003)
"Good, but could be and will be better" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Having run the last 4 MCM's, I am very aware of the recent spate of course changes. My first year we ran ALL the way down Haines Point which was between 15-19 I believe. If you think the lack of crowd support towards the end this year was bad, you should try that entire stretch without a soul on the sides of the road, and THEN the 14th Street bridge. Due to construction they changed the course to an up-and-back down Rock Creek Pkwy for the last 2 years with a few additional tweaks in other areas, partly due to security concerns and construction at the Pentagon. The trip up Rock Creek was nice with more spectators than Haines Point, but it is much shadier and has a tendency to get cold, particularly with the wind as you come out by the Potomac. This years trip up Rock Creek was shorter, and I for one appreciated it! They also returned the course to Haines Point, albeit a smaller stretch. It still has the silence and lack of spectators (due to road closures I?ve heard), but thankfully it?s shorter. The addition of the hill around mile 5 was an unwelcome change that I knew about when I saw the map, having worked at the Navy Annex. Although not fun, running next to Arlington National Cemetery seeing the rows and rows of white headstones was a nice touch. And coming down provides a nice view of the Pentagon and D.C. As many have noted, the 14th Street bridge is brutal, and the one thing most runners mention. I suspect, because it has to be re-opened so soon after the race, they can't allow spectators, but the band or aid station mentioned earlier would be nice. Unfortunately, in order to start and finish at the Iwo Jima Memorial and yet run most of the race in D.C requires crossing from Arlington Va to D.C. and back again. In my opinion, they should look at extending the distance through D.C. and crossing (maybe twice) the river via Memorial Bridge... although still concrete, it spans the water from the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial, and offers GREAT views. Memorial Bridge is widely considered the most beautiful bridge in D.C. is in a perfect place to be either one or both crossings of the Potomac. The one big change I did not like was the barren stretch after the 14th Street bridge. That was new and really needs to go before next year! Although in it's 28th year, the make-up and number of the participants lend itself to some chaos at the beginning. Local news reports prior to the race indicated that over 12,000 runners would be 1st-timers. If they were anything like me, they were excited, nervous and had absolutely zero idea of what they should/should not do despite advice on racing etiquette. Someone mentioned the lack of corrals. I saw them, but the signs were small. Perhaps more 'enforcement' of corrals and better markings would help alleviate some starting area stress. That and opening up both sides of the road, also as mentioned before. All things considered, it can be and has been done a little better in the past, but you do have to cut them some slack. 2 years ago, there was talk of canceling the entire race as it was only 7 weeks after the terrorist attack. Thankfully they didn?t, and running past the damaged portion of the Pentagon was one of those moments people never forget. I saw many people slow to a walk, or even stop completely and stare. This race is run in THE nation's capital. Besides the massive amounts of construction which necessitated course changes this year, security concerns about terrorist attacks and general increased security around 'high value' targets add to the difficulties of mapping out a good course. While I enjoy running close to the Capitol building, there are many other monuments that we could run right next to if allowed. Hopefully with a few more course tweaks in the coming years they?ll be able to settle on one consistently good course. In the end, I'm confident it will improve. Keep in mind, the only other marathon, the ?Washington D.C. Marathon? was canceled this year due to terrorist concerns! As for the expo, well I?m not big on those anyway, so that didn?t bother me. I must admit the crowds were huge this year, and honestly too big for the space. Hopefully they can re-work the space, or move the expo. And hopefully they'll eventually get rid of Ultima!!!!! As always, the Marines and other volunteers were fantastic!! | |
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P. M. from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
(10/29/2003)
"Great fun, but could use some changes" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and I am so glad that I chose the MCM as my first! My two friends and I drove to Washington from Canada and arrived on Friday afternoon. We spent Friday at the expo, Saturday sightseeing and Sunday running. The course was great until about mile 20, with great scenery and the most amazing spectators. But the 14th Street Bridge at about mile 20 was an absolute killer, with blazing sun, no spectators, and no music of any kind. At that point, everyone just seemed to give up and walk. I thought for sure that once we finished the bridge it would get better, but then we had to run through a deserted industrial park area. All I kept thinking was: 'Where the heck are the spectators??!!' The race organizers really should have planted almost all of the bands in that area, since that was where the runners needed the most support. There was no shortage of fluids or food on the course, but I highly recommend bringing along your own sports drink in a holder if you can't stomach the Ultima. I also brought along extra Gatorade powder in my pouch, and I had no problem finding a kind Marine to refill my bottle with water so I could mix up a new batch. The overall organization was quite good, but I thought some things could be improved. The expo was well-organized, but even by late Friday, it was getting crowded and noisy. We talked to several runners who said that they had to wait in an hour long line-up outside the Hyatt on Saturday just to get their race packets. We also heard tales of how packed the Metro was all day Saturday and Sunday, and we were glad that we had booked a hotel that was within walking distance of the race start. The link-up area at the end of the race was an absolute disaster, with hundreds of families and friends all standing under four balloons in a tight area, looking for their runners. Everyone was packed in so tightly that the poor runners couldn't even work their way through the crowd and nobody would move for them! There was lots of extra space closer to the Iwo Jima Memorial that could have been used for this purpose. But despite these problems, I must say that the fans were unlike any I've ever seen in any other race. The first half of the marathon just flew by because of the incredible crowd support. At mile 13, I remember actually thinking to myself: 'Wow! I'm already halfway done!' My friend and I had been hesitant about wearing our Canada shirts, but in the end, we were both so glad that we did! I was absolutely overwhelmed at all of the Americans who were cheering 'GO, CANADA!!!' and 'Canada, eh?' at me with their sweet American accents! I had never expected such tremendous support. Whenever there were spectators around, I had tears in my eyes, a lump in my throat and a huge smile on my face, even though I was in the worst pain of my life. Despite a few problems, this was definitely a race I would highly recommend. We're already talking about next year! | |
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J. D. from Schwenksville, PA
(10/29/2003)
"Great First Marathon" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 After reading some of the negative comments posted so far for this year, I have to wonder if I ran the same event as some of these people. This was my first marathon, and I ran with the Galloway 5 hour group. I had no trouble with the bridges, or the weather, or the road surfaces. I left my hotel early because I knew there would be tens of thousands of people heading to this thing. The start area was a 5-minute walk from the Metro stop. My corral was right outside the baggage tent. The fact that many people are too selfish or too ignorant to pay attention to corral signs is human nature - but it is the one aspect of this event that annoyed me. If you're looking to set a fast PR, you probably need something less crowded, but if you're looking for for a good time at a big event in a scenic town, you can't beat this. |
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