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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 701 to 711]
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d. C. from Normal, IL
(11/1/2004)
"great race" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The shuttle buses from the start and finish were well organized. We stayed in Crystal City which made the walk to and from the buses easy. The start is great with a Howitzer sending you off. The course was hot this year and I think maybe the water stops could have been a bit more frequent, esp. given the heat, everyone clamored for the first table... not knowing there were more to follow... The MARINES WERE AWESOME. I tried to thank as many as I could for serving our country... but I missed too many. So thanks all. The finish line needs a little more work, at the end there was a lot of congestion... but I think those bugs will be worked out as they were immediately when the Marines stepped in and helped the crowd control. I enjoyed the race and the experience, I love my shirt, my medal and my memory. | |
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R. L. from Seattle
(11/1/2004)
"Great destination race - if you like crowds" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was harder, a lot harder, than I thought it would be. The elevation chart on the website seems pretty accurate in retrospect, though I let people trick me into thinking the course would be flat. Nope. This is a dictionary example of a 'rolling' course. None of the hills are long, none are steep, there is just as much UP as there is DOWN... but it tuckered me out. Of course, the 70-degree heat and 250% humidity probably had something to do with it as well. BTW, Capitol Hill really is a hill. Duh (I say to myself now that I endured it between miles 11-14; I always just thought of it as a name). Very well organized race from expo to post-finish. All Marines were excellent with making things as efficient as possible. Some Marines were also excellent at making runners feel welcome and proud of running... though not all. Some were more interested in looking serious and ensuring we followed the rules, all the rules, to the letter. Given the times, this is understandable. Awesome expo, however it was very, very crowded. I went on friday morning to pick up my number and still had to wait in line for 45 minutes to get in. Bag search and metal detectors. I can't imagine how crowded Saturday must have been. Course start/finish is very convenient to the metro train... but the metro trains get CROWDED and the station itself was an exercise in extreme patience on race morning and afternoon. KEY TIP: after the race, walk to the Rosslyn metro station... don't try to go to the Arlington Cemetery station. The road leading down the hill to that station was packed with spectators watching the end of the race. No one was moving. Great course, but as with everything else, it was very crowded. Hard to get in a groove even though they tried to seed folks appropriately. Just too many folks. Also, the course got bottlenecked in a few places for those of us in the 4:00-4:30 range. Water stops were difficult to navigate, even if you made the commonsense judgment to bypass the first set of tables. And if you did bypass the tables in hopes of less crowded tables at the end of the station, ooops, you probably missed out on the Powerade. Related, spectators are out in force for this race. GO DC!!! This can be very helpful when you need some energy and reinforcement. On the other hand, the fans made a couple of the bottlenecks a bit like obstacle courses as folks crossed the street, weaving in between runners. For example, I almost got nailed by a woman and her stroller. NOT FUN. Several other less colorful near misses. But the hooting and hollering of everyone wishing us well certainly made up for it. Just be aware, especially in the sections by the Mall. Speaking of which, running by all these cool sites and landmarks was/is really something special. Miles 10-16 had a 'wow' around every corner. The miles before that were also neat. The miles after? Well, read my very first sentence over again. Recommended for 50-staters as a Virginia race, for 50+DCers as (go ahead, guess), and really for anyone that wants a good 'destination' race. I can't figure that anyone could PR this course unless a) you are faster than 3:30 anyway, b) you've done some good rolling hill work, c) the weather is nice to you. But come for the experience nonetheless. BTW - although it isn't a technical fabric shirt, the race shirt is one of the best I've ever received. The medal was great this year too. | |
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J. H. from Chicago, IL
(11/1/2004)
"Unique Marathon Experience" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The Marine Corps Marathon is one of those storied 'must do' destination marathons for almost any serious marathoner (along with Boston, Chicago, New York and London/Paris). Each race is different and Marine Corps has many aspects which make it a unique running experience. For MCM, these would be the crowd support, the military presence, the lack of prize money (this is something more marathons should consider) and the opportunity to run past some of our nation's icons during a marathon. This year, the near-record heat (upper 70s) made the challenge a bit greater and makes one wonder why the race doesn't start at 7:00 am rather than 8:30. There was great runner support (lots of aid stations, volunteers, water, etc) during the race. The crowd support was similar to New York or Chicago -- people lining the streets most of the way encouraging the runners. Areas that might be improved for next year would be a) the runner's packet pickup/expo -- with 17,000 runners, why is this held in the basement of a hotel with lines an hour long to get in just to pick up your packet? I understand that there are security issues, but a convention center or larger venue (with more than two metal detectors) might offer a better situation. b) Signage to the subway after the race. I had to ask numerous people to find the Rosslyn subway station. A few well-placed signs or arrows would greatly help. c) For those of us with lots of cotton race shirts already, I would love the opportunity to pay a premium to get one of the nice technical fabric MCM shirts at the expo in lieu of the cotton shirt -- something that I could actually run in and proudly display the MCM experience! Overall, the MCM was a great and memorable experience--with the heat adding an extra challenge in true Marine Corps spirit! | |
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anita leveaux from Raleigh, North Carolina
(11/1/2004)
"Excellent overall, mile markers lacking at points" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've participated in many races and this was one of the BEST!!! I use the mile markers as points of reference for eating, drinking, etc. These markers were lacking or if they were out there, I couldn't find them. I had to ask the crowd where I was. Thanks for a challenging course and an awesome time!!! | |
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L. T. from Sanford, Maine
(11/1/2004)
"A great experience!" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Marines are AWESOME - very organized, very helpful and encouraging. Spectators - fantastic, plenty of them along the ENTIRE route and they cheered for everyone. | |
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B. H. from Charlottesville, Virginia
(11/1/2004)
"A good 'dog', but a few fleas..." (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Well organized, some minor hills, good spectator and volunteer support, but 1) I had a problem with baggage pickup (took 30 min. for them to find my bag, post-race) 2) Shuttle bus driver got lost and had to drop us off almost 2 mi. from race start 3) Security scan at expo entrance, if necessary, was too time consuming--almost a 30 min. wait in a line extending 2 blocks out the hotel? 4) Mile markers around 22-24 not well announced/marked 5)Hotel HQ gave exit directions which did not work because roads were still blocked off. | |
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J. E. from Mo.
(11/1/2004)
"hotels" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a wonderful marathon. This was my 23rd, & one of my favorites. Be warned though, with the late start, at 8:30, it is difficult to get back to the hotel before checkout time, and the hotel where we were staying was charging half a day rate for a late check out. I'd advise against staying at the hotel "IWO JIMA QUALITY INN" for this reason. Actually, the late checkout rate was only given to a few who first inquired about it, & then even that option was not given. This is very unethical, if even legal. A member of our group, which somehow managed to acquire a 30-minute late check out, was threatened with another FULL DAY CHARGE if they were 15 minutes over their 30-minute late checkout, & that 'grace period' was to end at 12:30. It's a great race, but the IWO JIMA QUALITY INN does not deserve to be part of the Marine Marathon, in any shape or form. | |
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X. L. from Maryland
(11/1/2004)
"Great experience" (about: 2004)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 My first ever marathon, so no comparisons to other events. They could have put more toilets along the path, and also in the start line. The weather was great, and spectators were great. Some running groups were very annoying when they sang and yelled together, and their pacer were not as smart. Not far from the start line, I saw them walk on the flat surface, then run uphill. Powerade tastes good, and helps. | |
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Lois C Fleck from Delaware
(11/1/2004)
"2004 MCM - What a Disappointment!!" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I?ve run 3 full and 3 half marathons and a ten miler this past year. Of all these races, the MCM was the most disappointing ? actually the MCM was the only disappointing one. First let me say the weather was beautiful, the fans, marines and volunteers were wonderful and the actual course was decent ? not too hilly and fairly scenic. Maybe I am just spoiled. I did all four 2004 Rock-n-Roll events sponsored by Elite Racing. They were so unbelievably organized (even with more runners) that I wasn?t prepared for lack of organization we saw this weekend at the MCM. No safety pins for your bib, no ties for your chip, NO food or water at the start and not much at the finish!! There was plenty of water and Powerade on the course but I?m not a fast runner and I didn?t see any of the promised oranges at mile 6 or cookies at mile 23 - and believe me I was looking. They wouldn?t let my boyfriend (a spectator) go to the start with me, which ticked me off since lots of other spectators managed to get there. And the Metro was a nightmare with ?only? 22,000 runners this year; next year should be quite interesting if they manage to get 30,000 to register. I wish all the 2005 runners luck ? I won?t be back. My suggestion for a first-time runner: SKIP THE MCM AND DO THE ROCK-N-ROLL MARATHON IN ARIZONA. The course is flat and beautiful, the weather in January will be in the 60?s-70?s and dry - not humid. There are bands at every mile, plenty of FREE water, bagels, bananas and other stuff at the start AND the finish!! And you won?t be walking around wondering ?How do I get to ---?? or ?Where is---?? because Elite Racing believes in signs. Getting to the start and back from the finish is easy with the shuttles and they let spectators hang out with the runners at the start!! I?m glad I chose the Arizona Rock-N-Roll marathon as my first. If I had chosen the MCM, I probably would never have run a second one. | |
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Steven Bennett from Washington DC
(11/1/2004)
"Symbolic, Inspirational for The Few and The Proud" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Since I started training for the marathon six months ago, during the race I realized the training paid off. This race has allowed me to realize the inner strength that I have to endure and become a finisher. Thanks to Elizabeth Morrison who has been my team member, she has inspired me to take this challenge. So, I want to take this time to say a special thanks to her... WE FINISHED! A special thanks to the Marine Corp for there words of encouragement along the way and from the spectators. PS. To my man 'Black', you said it couldn't be done... I did it... IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING! |
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