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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 471 to 481]
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M. S. from San Francisco, California
(11/1/2006)
"Some things you just can't control" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 You can't control the weather, which was the perfect temperature, but the strong headwinds made for some tough going during the second half of the race. Overall the course was great except in the parts where you were passing runners in the other direction. I was in the second wave and watching a sea of runners come by you time after time during the course gets to be annoying after awhile and put a damper on my overall mental marathon because every time I saw runners running towards me, I knew I had many more miles to get to to be where they already were. I don't know how many changes in the course there would need to be to alleviate the out-and-back aspects of parts of the course - but you might consider that aspect in future course changes. Beyond that, everything was great. It is awe-inspiring to run in our nation's capital amidst the monuments and the men and women in uniform. As others have said, getting onto the Rosslyn Metro was a nightmare - but I don't know what could be done to alleviate that problem with the numbers of runners involved. The Metro made transportation to and from the race so easy once you actually squeezed onto a train. Overall a great marathon that every long-distance runner should experience at least once. | |
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Jeff Carlson from Annapolis, Maryland
(11/1/2006)
"Great race, horrible finish area" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first MCM and, aside from being weak from a lingering cold, I really enjoyed the race. I live in Maryland and am very familiar with DC, but it was truly great to run by all the monuments on such a beautiful day with so many enthusiastic spectators. I echo the commentary by several others that the finish area was a nightmare. I was in desperate need of food, drink, my drop bag (which had my recovery drink), and a place to sit down to recover. None of these things would come easily, as the crowd was gigantic and the drop bags were a good half a mile away from the finish. The bridge that separated the finish area from the drop bags had vendors on one side and entertainment on the other, and thousands and thousands of people in the middle trying to go in opposite directions. It took my over half an hour to get to my drop bag. Once I finally sat down next to a building and managed to down my recovery drink and collect myself, I had to fight my way back across the bridge to meet with fellow runners. UGH! S...l...o...w... moving. I will say that the people dealt with it as best they could. I read an article where the race director acknowledged the post finish congestion and stated that next year things will be more spread out. Thank goodness! I will give the MCM another try next year, but if the finish area is anything like it was Sunday, I won't be back. How 'bout we finish at The Mall by the Washington Monument? LOTS of room there. | |
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J. B. from BALTIMORE
(11/1/2006)
"Nice course and spectators, but disorganized" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 This was my second marathon - Chicago was my first. Having already done a huge marathon, I figured this would be the same. I was wrong. The organization leaves a lot to be desired. Packet pick-up lines were sooooo long - and no one was moving. Needed more help inside at the expo handing out packets too - a larger expo site would greatly improve the situation. Use of metro on race day was encouraged so I took the blue line from Roselyn to the race start - the subway car was packed, and we got out onto an even more packed platform where we proceeded to wait for about 30 minutes without hardly moving 10 feet. Ended up climbing the eight-foot fence to get out - otherwise probably would have missed the race start!! Finally got to the start of the race - also disorganized. Should have been corrals for expected finish time to attempt to sort out the slower runners from the faster runners. Race went well though. Nice course and good spectator support - except right near the end crossing over the bridge around mile 21. It was a slight uphill climb for over a mile with almost no one in sight.... Too bad because it would have been nice. Finish line came up quick and was easy to hear from a ways a way, so you knew it was coming up. After the finish, though... what a terrible idea for location. I couldn't find my party at all!! Everyone was jammed up on a highway overpass/bridge trying to find one another. It was just completely bottlenecked. This race just can't accommodate the number of people it currently allows!!! | |
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j. o. from USA
(11/1/2006)
"Arghhhhh!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I've run several marathons, though this is the first Marine Corp... and it'll be the last! The course was okay, but it was a logistical nightmare. Dropping gear off at the Runners' Village involved at least a one-mile hike from the metro, with no signage. Then there was an additional hike to the start line... with no signage and no one available to help you get to the start. The scarlet wave and the gold wave started late (about 9:04 for the latter, vs. the 8:40 stated time). The end was an absolute mess. It was as if no one knew 30,000+ people were running that day! I was unable to connect with anyone from my group because the bridge, where they decided to put the family link up, was so jammed with people, trucks, etc., that you literally could not see a thing around you. In fact, I never saw Iwo Jima! We finished a few feet in front of it!! Had to go back the next day for a photo!! I couldn't get to the finisher's photo area, was lucky to have one bottle of water and a bag of pretzels. No signage that I could see telling runners where to go to get their gear, metro, family link up, etc. Not that we would have been able to see it!! I hope they can better prepare the finish next year. | |
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B. T. from Texas
(11/1/2006)
"Spectators deserve a "10"" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everything between landing at the airport and taking off to go home was absolutely FIRST CLASS! The hotel, the Metro, the expo and the race were outstanding! This is an event everyone should do just because! The marines treated us with respect and courtesy everywhere we went. The course was both beautiful and challenging. I can't say enough about the spectators. They were inspiring, especially at the end where we needed it most. Thank you! I've read some complaints about logistics. P-L-E-A-S-E!!! You arrived, you ran, you went home. If it got a little crowded, too bad! Walking to the UPS trucks was good for you - you just didn't realize it at the time! Don't like hills and wind? Reconsider your choice of sports. Finally, I love slow runners - really! I AM ONE! BUT PLEASE GET OVER TO THE RIGHT so folks can pass safely. We could use you help here, Mr. Galloway! I'll be back! | |
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Keith Morgan from Ellington, CT
(11/1/2006)
"Fantastic Experience - OOOHRAAAH" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Since I was running in honor of my son and his USMC battalion currently serving in Iraq, motivation wasn't ever an issue nor was my finishing time. Sure, the finish area was over-crowded, but a little patience made for the continuation of a wonderful experience. To finish in the shadow of the Iwo Jima Memorial was as moving and emotional as I expected and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world. Thank you LCpl Jeff and your 3/2 brothers for the inspiration. Thank you to the USMC. SEMPER FI | |
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glenden p. riddle from Albuquerque, NM
(11/1/2006)
"The Marines get A+++ for great marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My first marathon was at 55 years of age; it was the Marine Corps. The 2006 marathon was my 5th Marine Corps and my 33rd marathon in four years. From privates to colonels, the marines are incredible in their politeness and servant attitudes in making this a truly GREAT marathon. The new medal started in 2005 is just one example of how they keep getting better. Fastest posted results on internet I've ever seen! As many things as I've enjoyed about this marathon, the one thing that will always stand out as absolutely the MOST OUTSTANDING factor will be race director's (Rick Nealis) rapid response to the congestion that occurred in the post-race food/clothing areas. It was such a blessing to see how rapidly he took the responsibility and said that it would be corrected by next year. I got home two days after the race and right there under "Spotlight" was a letter from Rick noting the problem AND the unstoppable Marine-Corps-can-do intention to correct it. Of my 33 marathons in four years, this is the ONLY ONE I go back to each year. Thanks Rick, and thanks to every one of you wonderful marines. God bless you!!! | |
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C. W. from marietta,ga
(11/1/2006)
"Nice course, good weather, post-race FUBAR" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I ran this race in 2004 and again in 2006. The course now goes behind the capitol, instead of in front, which reduced Capitol Hill. The bridge at mile 20 is still tough. There were no marine medical units on the course this time (probably all overseas), but they were replaced by local EMTs and support. Still, there weren't enough units. The post-race spectator area is a major SNAFU - too many people in too small an area, as compared to 2004. There were 20K people on a 1/2-mile by four-lane bridge looking for each other, and it was also crowded just past the fence line for runners leaving. Roslyn metro station was backed up one hour with people trying to leave, and Metro personnel poorly managing. The UPS clothing trucks were past the bridge, so people had to go back and forth to get clothes and then meet people. The post-race area needs to be bigger and more spread out if they are going to have 30K+ people compete. | |
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Liza Morich from Chicago, IL
(11/1/2006)
"Fantastic course - POOR management" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 Washington DC has a brand new, state-of-the-art convention center, but the expo was held in the OLD DC armory. We had to wait in a LONG line just to get in. CRAZY!! At the end of the marathon the finish "festival" was horrible. Family meeting spot was PACKED. Crowd control was non-existent. There was NO signage to the UPS trucks to get our gear. The worst race management I have EVER seen. PLEASE work on this for next year as I want to run it again, but will not invite family members to meet me and put them through the MESS that we all experienced. | |
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A. P. from Northern VA
(10/31/2006)
"NEVER AGAIN!" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The race finally got too big. Spectators have always been as inconsiderate (crowding in on the course, cutting across, joining their buddies and cutting off other runners) as they have been supportive. It was not fun to try to get onto the 14th Street Bridge with everyone blocking the runners in an effort to look for their particular runner. The lady in the long red coat and purse "running" in with her friend at the finish? Marathon finishers don't need to be blocked by cutesy stunts like this. This year's finish area was a disaster. We came to a dead halt just past the finish arch, then funneled into corrals to get our medals. A 15-minute process that gave us little ability to walk around after a marathon finish was probably the worst thing we could have done. They even eliminated the need to remove timing chips, yet the quagmire was beyond anything I've seen at any race. The marines were trying to guide runners, but I certainly never saw a food tent. And why on earth put the bag-drop trucks so far from the finish line? What if it had been cold and/or raining? Family link-up not only was impossible, it blocked the shortest route to transportation in Rosslyn. Marathon coin? Forget it; apparently it was embedded in the link up area. And after years of hard and fast NO strollers, why allow them this year? What a disservice and a danger to the stroller passenger(s), the pusher, and the other runners on an over-crowded course. Good points: always the marines, the other volunteers, and the runners themselves. Definitely appreciated not having to try to get to the Metro - the coach buses were a great addition. |
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