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☰
Washington DC Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Washington DC Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 84 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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A Runner from Norther Virginia
(12/9/2002)
"Nice Race" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This one was nice, good effort by a first time race. The course was nice, the spectators (in sections where they were) were enthusiastic. Organization was good except for the foul up at the baggage check. Course for this year looks to be better, they eliminated the mile 20 hill. Race organizers promise that they won't let the baggage fiasco happen again. | |
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A Runner from Alexandria, VA
(12/5/2002)
"Great Inaugural Marathon" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon and a blast! I did it on a dare, no training, no preparation, and no idea what I was getting myself into. I survived. H2O did an excellent job coordinating/executing the event. Unfortunately, baggage return was a bit of a mess; I found out personally that they would indeed improve the process for 2003. All things considered (i.e. Palm Sunday), the spectator support was grand, you saw a lot of familiar faces as they made their way to several points along the route. DC's Metro is an excellent way to meet up and cheer on your friends/loved ones running. I'm definitely running the 2003 DC Marathon, but this time I will 'train.' :-) Go Navy, Beat Army! | |
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A Runner from Fairfax, VA
(12/3/2002)
"Excellent Race and looking forward to running it" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I enjoyed the race greatly last year and plan to run it again this year. The comments from the runner in NY, show their ignorance as it pertains to our area and this is very much our race. I can't speak to the other information listed on the site but it appears someone has a beef and there are more productive ways to settle it. I encourage everyone to run the race, it was amazing and look forward to running it again. | |
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A Runner from Virginia
(9/1/2002)
"Pretty good but not spectacular" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Like many others, I am also a local runner. I really enjoyed the course, particularly since it travels through somany areas that many locals would never run through on their daily routes or even long runs. Tough enough so I could not break the elusive three hour mark, but not so much I wanted to die at the end. Start time too early, bag pick up a mess, no organized runner/friend meetup area as promised, and a very disappointing expo. But much better organized than MCM. Much. On course support was great (thank god for the vasoline!), crowds were actually very enthusiastic though somewhat sparse, and the krispy kremes were awesome, though I did hear that at the end they ran out of a lot of food. Wold definitely recommend this to another runner - local or otherwise. If you want momuments galore stick to MCM, but otherwise this is the best marathon in town. | |
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A Runner from Washington, DC
(6/25/2002)
"Great 1st effort..." (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran this race kind of on a whim - my brother wanted to do it and I said 'what the heck.' I'm glad I came out. The course was great. It is a very different DC-based marathon from the Marine Corps. The DC Marathon is more neighborhood-oriented and the Marine Corps focuses on the grandeur of the monuments and scenery. They aren't the same course. I heard after the race that there was some problem where a couple runners at the very front got lost - not sure what happened there. And there were complaints about baggage check, which the organizers acknowledged and said they'd fix next time. Someone above mentioned beer at mile 17 - this was a 'public service' of local Hash House Harriers ('on-on'), who do this at various other marathons, too, including the Marine Corps. They weren't officially part of the race, but I know seeing them always puts a smile on my face, because they are most excellent cheerleaders, too. The race was a little expensive, but there were several discounts, including discounts for local running club members. It ended up costing me the same as the MCM, b/c they allowed you to claim more than one discount when registering. I'd recommend this race to my friends. Also, for anyone who cares about the little things: the finisher medals were full color and quite nice! | |
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A Runner from Florida
(6/12/2002)
"Pretty Good job for an inaugural marathon" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was pleasantly surprised by the good job that was done by the organizers of this inaugural event. On the negative side, the expo was unimpressive, the t-shirt was one of the ugliest I've ever received (even worse than the ones at some local 5K's) and the medal, while very attractive, was quite small. On the positive side, the course was beautiful, relatively flat with a few moderate hills to make it challenging, the race was well organized (plenty of water, Gatorade, toilets, etc.) and the fan turnout was better than I expected. Although much of the course did not have many spectators at all, there were a few areas where a fairly large number of spectators gathered. The spectators that did turn out were extremely supportive of the runners. Washington DC was my second marathon and I reached my goal of breaking the 4 hour barrier. While I prefer to run larger events, this marathon will always be special to me and I will consider running it again in the future. | |
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A Runner from Burke, VA
(5/13/2002)
"Excellent job to TEAM H2O!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Congrats to the TEAM H2O reps who pulled this one together. As a neophyte (my first marathon) you have set the bar high for future competitions. Race course was excellent, time was a little early, crowds were thin but encouraging. Recommend it to any other first timers tape their name on their shirt for more 'personal' recognition and encouragement by the crowds - they were inspiring! Again - good job to the H2O team and I will see you next year! | |
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A Runner from Washington, DC
(4/21/2002)
"Great 1st Marathon in DC" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is my 4th marathon and by far the most fun. I live in the DC area and run around DC nearly everyday and the course was well chosen. Although, some of the streets were a bit narrow in the early stages with a few too many cars on them. The only drawbacks I encountered was the early start at 7:00 AM. The DC Metro typically does not run until 8:00 AM on the weekends and my 28 minute trip took 56 minutes making me 13 minutes late for the start. Next year the race should start at 9:00 AM or later for the March 20th - 25th range. As for the Palm Sunday crowd that was around us, most of them were accomodating, but I did see some people with Palms in their window yelling at the course directors. The only real drawback was the baggage pick-up. The wait was intolerable, more people are needed there than the finish line which had perhaps too many. Also, I couldn't find a seat and sat on a box of toilet paper. | |
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A Runner from Manassas, Virgina
(4/19/2002)
"Great race!!!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Wonderful course through a fantastic city. (I may be biased, living here, but ...) Great on-course organization and plenty of water for us slower runners. (I don't check bags so I didn't run into that problem.) The DC police we fantastic in letting traffic through to help with the whole Palm Sunday thing. The only thing missing was more spectators, which should come in the future. The course is spectator friendly though, a big plus. I will definitely run this race again. It ranks right up there after Marine Corps (my personal favorite) and is way better than Disney or Rock'n'Roll in San Diego! And the medal is pretty too! | |
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A Runner from Central Pennsylvania
(4/17/2002)
"Thank You DC" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Forgive me, I'm a first timer and I don't have anything bad to say. We stayed at the Hilton and took the Metro to the start. The sunrise from Arlington was inspiring. I was more of a sightseer and enjoyed the crowds and scenery. I had trouble from North Capitol (mile 18) on but managed to walk in and what a feeling. We had decided not to use the 'bag claim' and that turned out to be a good decision. The meeting area didn't work out but we had a back-up plan: meet back at the hotel. Thanks to all the organizers, the volunteers, the fans, the DC police and to DC itself for a great experience. I am surprised that the official website doesn't have the full results. I am also curious as to how many runners crossed the start line? |
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