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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 51 to 61]
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E. B. from Alexandria VA
(1/2/2015)
"World-class with minor issues" (about: 2014)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It's now been more than two months since this marathon, my first and at age 51. It was an awesome experience, because of the tens of thousands of spectators and their great signs and the hundreds of Marines. Wonderful course, decent fuel stations. Downsides: Far too crowded, never really thinned until after the half; Had to walk more than a mile from Metro station to start line; Had to walk more than a mile again to meet family at finish; Had to wait an hour in line to get to Metro at finish. These are solvable problems, and I hope to run this marathon again. | |
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S. S. from Seattle, WA
(11/19/2014)
"Enjoyable race" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course was mostly flat, with the only substantial hills early in the race, and presented an excellent tour of the different DC areas. For out-of-towners, I recommend staying in Rosslyn to be within easy walking distance of the start and finish lines. (Believe me, at the finish, you'll appreciate it.) Rosslyn also has a Metro rail and bus station for convenient access around DC and to/from airports. No need to rent a car unless you plan to go outside the metro area. Very nice to have soldiers along the course and to present medals at the end. Plenty of water and sports drink, plus food stations near the end. Compared to other races, the entry fee was a steal given the high quality of this race. | |
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C. C. from PA - Pennsylvania
(11/7/2014)
"Crowded, cheering great, scenery ok." (about: 2014)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Field was to crowded to move about and settle in for a mid-level runner. Enjoyed the scenery and spectators, baggage check/claim was excellently organized! | |
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p. k. from massachusetts
(11/1/2014)
"Great Event - A few suggestions" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 First time running the MCM, fifth marathon overall. Can't say enough about the crowd support and the Marines.Agree with other reviewers that it took quite some miles to thin out the crowd and never was it really ideal. The Disney marathon does a graduated start, every five minutes or something, this would add time on the end but would help even-out the hordes of runners a little. To compensate perhaps start 15-20 minutes earlier. Understanding the challenge of it there must be a better way to set up the finish area where runners are isolated from their family, etc. until they walk a half mile in to Rosslyn. And yes, not enough water after finishing. Lots of good stuff handed out by Marines but if you dont get extra water there you will be paying for it at the finish festival. Last thing: on packet pick-up, getting there Friday is the key if at all possible. I arrived there at noonish and had no problem getting bib/packet. | |
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K. W. from New Jersey, baby!
(10/31/2014)
"Bucket list" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Grateful to have run this year as MCM has been on my must run list. The Marines are what made it worth it, especially the one who puts the medal around your neck. I zipped in the expo Friday before noon and didn't wait at all. The race was very congested until about mile 8 or 9. Lots of walkers unfamiliar with race etiquette walking down the middle. Course was scenic and somewhat hilly. Parts were lonely and that stinking freaking bridge- although I knew it was coming- was a little sucky. There's a lot of out and back which can be a little discouraging when you see all the people ahead of you but encouraging when you see all the people behind you. The volunteers were amazing. Water stops were plentiful and the DD munchkins at 24 hit the spot. The MCM website was chock full of good and helpful info. I didn't hit my goal but the Marines made up for it! | |
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T. H. from South Carolina
(10/29/2014)
"Near Perfect Marathon... but not quite" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 People have encouraged me to run Marine Corps for years, telling me what a great event it is. And it is. The race is huge. Excited runners. Skydivers! Airplane fly-overs! Cheering crowds. Excellent course support from the Marines. It's really great. Except for a couple of things. 1) I honestly think the course is a bit over-sold in terms of landmarks. You run along the National Mall past the Smithsonian, the Capitol, and the Washington Monument, but you run _behind_ the Lincoln Memorial, and you don't get any closer to the Jefferson Memorial than you do driving along the Interstate passing through DC. You don't really see as many of the DC landmarks and you think you might. There is a lot of pretty scenery though, since a good portion of the race is run through Potomac Park. 2) The race is CROWDED! I've never run a marathon that simply refused to 'open up'. I didn't get any elbow room to speak of until somewhere around Mile 8, and even then it wasn't much. Assigning corrals and sending runners out in delayed waves might help ease the congestion. 3) The finish is visually impressive as you climb the hill to the Iwo Jima Memorial, but the post-race offers some problems. After receiving your medal, you're pretty much directed out of the park along a pathway where you'll get water and a box of odd snacks. (I would have preferred the donut holes that were handed out on the course, but there were none to be found.) Some runners found Gatorade, but I never saw any. Beware leaving, because once you're out of the park you're dumped into a street festival with huge crowds and long lines for anything and everything including any additional food or drink, which you'll have to pay for. And my biggest issue at the finish line was a tent set up selling not just MCM swag, but 'Finisher' items. Hey! I just ran 26.2 miles and finished! Don't ask me to stand in line for two hours after running a marathon and pay an additional $40 for a 'Finisher' shirt. That's just insulting. GIVE the runners who finished a 'Finisher' shirt or hat or whatever! Sell the other stuff as you will. Okay. All that aside, it is a wonderful race through a mostly scenic course and the crowd/course support is beyond anything I've ever experienced before. | |
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J. W. from Virginia
(10/29/2014)
"MCM truly is the People's Marathon" (about: 2014)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 6th MCM in 7 years and each year they seem to do things just a little better, learning from previous years. The course this year was the same as last year as near as I can remember but I tend to zone out by mile 8 or 9. Weather appeared to be fantastic but actually was a mitigating factor for many runner's individual performance. With the moderate temps, exceptionally low humidity for the area, and 10-15 MPH winds cooling everyone down, it was hard to identify that we were getting dehydrated. This was my slowest road race marathon and my slowest MCM. It was also the slowest of a half dozen friends who ran it. But at the end of the day, conditions were the same for everyone and the reason you train in all conditions is so you're prepared on race day. The start was a bit confusing with the left side of the roadway sort of closed to prevent a major bottleneck in the construction on Lynne St. Still, runners lined up there and ran it anyway because there was no clear direction not to certainly no signage or blockades. Course support was great as usual but some of the earlier tables in the water stops were running out of water-filled cups and runners had to resort to a splash-and-go from the jugs. MCM is one of my favorite marathons but I think it's growing too big for the logistics. Lines around the Armory for packet pickup and a metro system that can't handle the post-race crowds very well diminish the overall experience. Using the lower level of the Armory was the best improvement to packet pickup. Last year they lost generator power to the tents creating a long delay for packet pickup. Still, it's a 5-star race for me because of the Marines and the folks at the MCM office who work so hard to put on this race in what has to be the most challenging city you could run a marathon. Plus, now I have a new personal worst record to provide a little comfort the next time I'm behind in my pacing. Whew. I'll be back in 2015. | |
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A. D. from Pennsylvania
(10/28/2014)
"Great sights, poor set up at finish" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was the first time I ran this event. I liked the scenic course which allowed you to see a lot of the sights of DC. After mile 21 there is a long highway portion back to Arlington that is boring and can feel like an eternity to complete. My only complaint is after you finish they hand you water and this is the only place to get any water. Further on down the refreshment line and at the finish festival there is not another spot for water. Be sure to stock up right away. There was also quite a long walk from the finish to the festival and they made it difficult to get to the course to either watch or hook up with family after the race. | |
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Dave Trevino from Arlington, VA
(10/26/2014)
"Satisfied run except for......" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my 13th running of the MCM, and the MCM is still one of the best. For the 1st time at the MCM I suffered a small injury - it occurred at the end of the 14st street bridge where I either hit a grove in the pavement, or a strong rock pebble, and I was sent flying in the air and landed on my right side of my body. Either way enough damage was caused to my right knee, and right hand, that sent me to the medical tent for cleansing and bandaging, which as a result chipped away at the time that I was shooting for - around 4:00:00. But, even with this incident, I thoroughly enjoyed this year's MCM, as in past years, and would highly recommend this event to anyone who has not run the MCM - you will have a great time. I have to also mention the great medical attention I was given - the medical staff where kind and showed great concern for my injury, and did a great job in patching me up which allowed me finish the race. From the Expo, to all the Marines, the MCM staff, and the medical staff, the 2014 MCM was outstanding. | |
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D. P. from Ashburn, VA
(10/26/2014)
"Must do Marathon but Far for World Class" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I've run this race twice, once in 2005 and again in 2014. Oh my, how you have grown. It seems there were more runners and way more spectators which was great. But there were also a lot of new (since 05) major logistical issues. First, back in 2005 you could take Metro to Arlington Cemetery (closest to the start), that station is now closed on race day and the next two closest stations (Pentagon/Rosslyn) cannot handle the load. And then there is the security metal detector check to get to the athlete's village - what a disaster! I barely made the start and I'm almost certain some runners started late because of the bottleneck. Running through Washington is a wonderful experience but Washington and Arlington, VA have some of the most crowned (slanted) streets I've ever run on - murderous on the hips and knees. The Marines were fantastic as always and the medical support at the finish was as good as I've seen. I think the MCM is a must do but not without some reservations. |
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