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Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 3.5 
Spectators 3.4
Number of comments: 286 [displaying comments 211 to 221]
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Toby Baker from Baltimore, MD
(4/20/2007)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Pros: - Fantastic course (don't change it!) - I even loved the hill at 19.5. It gives the course more character. - Love the idea of a qualifying time. - Given the weather, I thought the crowd support was nice. - The packet pickup was an upgrade over the parking lot from last year. - Easy for family to see you throughout the day by using the Metro. Cons: - The lack of a good corral system at the start. Perhaps start the half/full marathon runners at different times, e.g. +/-15 minutes? - Post-race food. - T-Shirt. As long as this course is around, I'll never run the Marine Corps Marathon again. | |
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David Trevino from Arlington, VA
(4/20/2007)
"Getting Better and Better" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the inaugural National Marathon last year, and this year I opted to run the half - as a prep for Boston. All I can say is that the Wireless National Marathon/Half Marathon has a lot of promise to becoming one of the favorites to run. Washington DC should have their own Marathon/Half Marathon run, not just being the Nation's Capital, but because of all the attactions to see and run by. I understand that this year's marathon course had been changed - the inaugural run was probably the most challenging course I have ever run. I would highly recommend this run to anyone, and I truly believe that anyone who enters the 2008 event will not be disappointed. My hope is that this event will be a permanent event for many years, and as a resident of this area, I plan on making this a yearly event, whether it be the full marathon, or the half. | |
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J. D. from Chandler, AZ
(4/9/2007)
"Pretty good" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had a really great time with this race. I had my family there to cheer me on and they were able to get to me pretty easily using the train. I have a couple of thoughts for future races. There were no potties for the first 7 miles. I had to use the bathroom and was forced to hold it for 6 miles. I walked for the first time ever in a marathon. I actually was close to tears I was so uncomfortable. Then I had to wait 6 minutes in line to use it. After that I felt great and ran to a PR and broke 4:30. If I had been able to use the bathroom earlier, I probably would have broken 4:25. Another addition I would make would be to give runners and spectators a route to get out easily. With all the roads being closed, it was difficult to find a route out. Overall, it was a great race. I really enjoyed it and definitely would recommend it to other runners. | |
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Rip Davy from DC
(4/9/2007)
"On the rise" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Agree with most comments. Pluses: Running DC. Interesting and challenging course. Calvert Climb is a bear, but adds character. Running through the neighborhoods. Qualifying requirement ensured knowledgeable and polite runners. A+ for the pacers. Crowds were decent and vocal given the weather. Didn't notice the pit stop issue (people, stop guzzling water in the hour before you run). Shaved 7 minutes from my Marine Corps Marathon time and beat that smack-talking Fenty. Minuses: March in DC can be fickle. We got lucky with cool and misty weather. Finisher's medal was u-g-l-y, featuring the sponsor's ad (make it a capitol or something cool). T-shirt is hideous. Ankle bracelet timing chip. More cowbell. Overall: If they keep holding this race, I'll keep running it. | |
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j. e. from Richmond, Va
(4/4/2007)
"Great course! Great Spectators! Good Beer!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon. I used to live in the DC area and I think you'd be hard pressed to design a marathon in DC that gives a better view of everything the City has to offer. It was a fun course, the spectators were great considering an early Saturday morning start and the size was perfect. Don't tell too many people about this one.... | |
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S. P. from Richmond, VA
(4/3/2007)
"Fun race, will only get better with time!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I really enjoyed this marathon!! Partly because I ran it purely for the fun of running, with no time goal in mind and partly because it was well organized and close to home. The expo was tiny in the huge Armory building, but it was easy to get to on the Metro and quick to get in and out of. There were no booths worth stopping at and the 'goody bag' was trash. I will wear the shirt though. The handing out of chips took way longer than it should have- the volunteers had to look through all of them to find the one with your number!!?? Also the Armory isn't in the best neighborhood- females go with somebody if you go at night. Race morning, it was easy to get to the start, there were plenty of Port-o-Pots in the starting area and bag check was very visable and easy. The start itself was a mess with half-marathoners and marathoners starting together. Even if you are a fast marathoner, start towards the middle of the pack otherwise you will get run over or end up starting way faster than planned. I enjoyed the course but highly recommend wearing an iPod (even though they say they are not allowed- SHhhh!). There was no music or entertainment on the course and few spectators, although more than I had expected. I saw parts of DC that I had never seen (even though I have been here tons of times)and enjoyed seeing the White House, Monuments and Capitol several times. The stretch through Rock Creek Park was scenic and peaceful with lots of local runners out. There were tons of GU stations although I thought the water stops were kind of far apart (often more than 2 miles). The one big hill at mile 19.5 was a doozy (long and steep) but doable, the rest was rolling hills, not too hard on the legs- felt good to have varied terrian. As others have noted, my biggest complaint was the lack of Port-o-Pots on course. I ended up stopping at a McDonald's because I couldn't wait anymore. Also, the lack of Port-o-Pots caused some runners to urinate off the side of a bridge around mile 9, no big deal except the marathon runners were running under the bridge!! I very narrowly missed getting a yellow shower. Have a little respect people! The finish line was exciting and my husband was able to get right up to see me finish. There were few food choices at the end, but I sure enjoyed my free beer! There was nothing going on in the finish area so it was quick to get my bag and take off. All in all, it was a fun race and it was nice having Sunday at home to recover. I would recommend this one to friends as it is bound to only get better next year. | |
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S. S. from Washington, DC
(3/31/2007)
"Marine Corp Marathon? Never Again!!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I live in the DC area and have run the Marine Corp for the last seven years. When I ran it this past year however I was SEVERELY disappointed in the course; it was way too crowded; the streets were too narrow to support all the runners; and the finishing area a mess! The Marine Corp keeps growing and growing and growing so the National Marathon was like a breath of fresh air! My only complaint was that there were virtually NO PORTA-POTTIES on the course, and therefore when I received the call of nature, I had to wait for awhile to find a porta-potty; and when I did find one, it took eight minutes of standing in line just to use it!!! I've done plenty of small marathons, so I didn't expect there to be one at every water station, but having only three in 26.2 miles is just plain crazy! Regardless, this is a good marathon, especially if you are looking for a smaller marathon that is fun and has tons to look at. I'll see you there next year.... | |
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Remus Medley from Baltimore,Md
(3/29/2007)
"Name not listed" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I had a great time, except no results. | |
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W. S. from Houston, TX
(3/29/2007)
"A fun atmosphere in which to run" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I had a great time! I enjoyed the hills. I am from Houston and there are NO hills to incorporate into my training program. In addition, my baby turned 7 months on the day of the race. If I can do this, then everyone else should stop complaining about the hills. The police were fabulous cheerleaders and very much appreciated in their traffic control. People will always find something to complain about, but kudos to the organizers. This marathon gave me the marathon bug and I'm already planning for the next one. | |
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C. L. from colorado springs
(3/28/2007)
"Great tour of DC" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I really enjoyed this marathon. In addition to running past the National Mall, we toured several areas off the beaten path, plus several miles through Rock Creek Park. Several weeks ago I ran the Myrtle Beach Marathon, and found that course a bit boring. I was never bored during this race. I have a few suggestions that would make this race even better: The volunteers were attentive at most of the intersections, but there were times when on-course markings would have been helpful. There were no porta potties until miles into the race and nowhere to sneak off into the bushes. Though I finished the race within the cut off time, I had to play leap frog with the street sweeper crews for the last 13 miles. These machines were not only noisy, but rather intimidating as they drove up behind me. (Myrtle Beach also had to open the roads as soon as their race was finished, and they had a much better system for handling their rolling clean-up.) The technical race shirt is soft and comfortable. I am proud I was able to do a marathon in our nation's capital and think the shirt's design could be improved to better reflect the race's location. If you are looking for a marathon in our nation's capital, this is the one to choose. The volunteers were great, the police helpful in traffic control,and the city was well showcased. Yes there were some hills, but they only added to the challenge of this race. |
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