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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 781 to 791]
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T. C. from Kentucky
(10/28/2003)
"Pretty disappointing race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The cost of travel, lodging, and the entry fee considerably outweighed the actual event. The expo seemed crammed into a pretty small space. When we left the expo (Sat. appox. 11:00 a.m.) people were lined up outside the building for two blocks waiting to get in. I can't imagine having to rely on the metro to get me to the race, as crowded as that system can be in off-peak times. The start was mass confusion, ended up in the 2:30 pace group while looking for the 3:40 group. Finally found them at mile 6 and ran 7:45's trying to stay with them for the next 3 miles. Too much looping back and forth. My feet and ankles killed me from running on all the concrete. Water stations were too far apart in the last half of the race (not a good thing with temps around 71 degrees). Limited crowd support from mile 22 through 25. The fruit was good in the finisher's tent, but I could have really used some junk food! It was nice to visit D.C. but I probably won't run this one again. | |
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J. S. from Orlando, Florida
(10/28/2003)
"Could be much better" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 My second Marine Corps Marathon. Much less organized at start and finish than last year. Too many spectators allowed around to crowd into a tiny area. The start was very disorganized and you could not tell where to go in order to be in the right time group. After the race and receiving your medal it was pure chaos. You could not move and basically just wanted to find a way out while trying to negotiate around spectators camped out in the grass, while the marathoners were trying to find a place to rest. The race itself is great up to about mile 19-20. There is a lot of fan support up to this point as well, and the Marines were fantastic along the course. The miles after this point are all highway and very desolate (not inspiring at all). They also need to change the medal from year to year. The D.C area is wonderful, but in order to get repeat marathoners they need to improve the organization at the race site. | |
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Fred Woolman from Rochester, Minnesota
(10/28/2003)
"Spectators = 5 stars++; Marines = 5 stars+++++++++" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great marathon experience (this was about my 15th marathon)! The logistics at the finish line needs to be tuned up -- too much chaos; better defined areas need to be set aside so people can find people!! Also... more advice, suggestions, warnings, etc should be given about getting transportation back to hotels from the finish line. For example the Metro was totally gridlocked by the time the 4:30 hr people hit it... Seems like they should have extra trains or something extra to deal with the overload.... | |
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Mark Krone from Boston, Mass USA
(10/28/2003)
"Thank you to Marines" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I just wanted to thank all of those who worked to bring this race about. It was a great experience and I appreciate all that you did. | |
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J. D. from Brookhaven, PA, USA
(10/28/2003)
"Yo! A great race!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this race on Sunday, my first marathon. After reading the comments from PB of Philadelphia and others, I had to add some comments: 1. Metro: what did you expect? Yes, it was crowded, but so what? Everyone in the stations were friendly and helpful. Washington has a great system. Lesson: get your Metro ticket early and keep it dry. And go early. 2. Start: It was crowded but the pace signs were there on large white poles. Lesson: get their early, find the sign so that you'll know your spot, then do the bag check and bathroom thing. 3. Bag check: I found my bag easily. They were under the table in groups by bib #'s, no problem. Lesson: Put a big paper in your bag with name, number on it (the bag is clear). Made it easy to find. On other comments: 26.2 miles in a city and expect to find trails? Guess what, cities have asphalt and concrete. I do agree the expo was crowded and the space was limited. I ended up going through 2x to see everything, as I felt corraled out after a while. Need a larger hotel space. This marathon was all I was expecting, from the 'hype' I read and more. The feeling I got from the crowds and especially the monuments was overwhelming. I have run 1/2 marathons in Philadelphia for years and this was 100x better. Nothing can beat the empowerment you feel, coming up that hill, around the Iwo Jima Memorial, through the crowd that is cheering and then coming across that finish line. It made all the training work worth it. This was a great marathon! Thanks to all the Marines and volunteers! JLD | |
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J. F. from Washington, DC
(10/28/2003)
"Very good, but some room for improvement." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The changes in the course from last year (though necessary due to construction) were unfortunate. Running through what amounted to a deserted industrial park for the last few miles until the finish was less than inspiring. Having said that, the course is very beautiful with all the monuments and such. The crowd support is very good except for a few desolate stretches. The start was a little chaotic. It didn't seem like there was enough room for 18,000 people to move around. Also some runners disregarded the corral system (based on expected finishing time) which made it difficult to get off to a fast start. The Marines are fastastic. Case in point: Two or three came up to me after the race to make sure that I was okay because I wasn't looking so great. This is a very good race that can be even better. | |
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A. F. from Baltimore, Maryland
(10/28/2003)
"A Few Suggestions" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I am a walker and this was my first marathon. Nothing to compare it to but I have a few suggestions. I was working hard and barely noticed the scenery. Liked the hills and the breeze off the water. Being at the back of the pack, I never saw a orange being offered. Everything was cleaned up by the time I came by. But, I was able to slip-slop over orange peels on the road, and water cups. Very slippery and dangerous. A few well placed trash cans might really help everyone. No ULTIMA. I agree on a vote. I fortunately had my own drink that I had to carry with me. Spirit and camaraderie of contestants and spectators was wonderful! | |
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Paul Mollica from Chicago, IL
(10/28/2003)
"A good race, but a bit off-course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 In commenting, I must separate my individual experience (a personal worst, 3:36:35, owing to the wilting heat and humidity) from my impressions of the race itself. If you value crowd support, this race is just about on par with Chicago (although like Chicago, it sort of thins out in the back half). While the organization never failed me personally, there were some petty annoyances. For instance, I'm not an expo person, so I resented having to troop through the entire hall to retrieve my complementry t-shirt (not handed out with the packets upstairs, a deliberate ploy to increase attendance it seemed). Also, the honor-system corrals seemed a failure (you are hemmed in at the beginning for a good 3-4 miles by walkers and joggers). Sanitation was, in contrast to some other races I've seen, well-handled. The newly-tweaked course featured three out-and-backs, one on a shaded parkway that was pretty decent and two others that were simply monotonous mile-killers. This may be an improvement over running around the Pentagon parking lot, but the planners ought to keep trying, perhaps moving some of the course slightly north. The miles around the Mall were ideal. The killer, which did in the early front runner (and me, too), is the exposed slab of the 14th St. Bridge between miles 21 and 22. On a hot, Washington-humid day, it plays horrible tricks on your mind. (And I'm sure it's no better in cold weather). Worse than Heartbreak Hill in Boston, certainly worse than the Dolly's in Dallas, the organizers must do something about it. Moving in crowd support would help, but that would be unfair to the spectators. Putting entertainment and an aid station midway here would certainly help. Post-race support was well-handled. I met my family easily. Providing benches for the weary to remove their shoe chips was a good choice. I raced DC so I could see family, visit what I consider to be my hometown and show my sons the sights. I think the race was a good one that could be made better. (Incidentally, I was rather surprised in a news town like DC that there didn't appear to be much media support). | |
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K. W. from Boston, MA
(10/28/2003)
"Great first marathon!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was the first marathon I have ever run, so I was not sure exactly what to expect. The course was fairly flat (except for the brutal uphill at the very end!) and pretty scenic. My friends and family loved it, too, because the way the route is set up, they were able to see me at the start, the finish, and two mile markers inbetween. A few suggestions: 1) have more water and orange stations toward the end, 2) encourage more spectators to be on the 14th St. bridge, 3) change the route to run more through city streets as opposed to the highway and off-ramps of the highway. Other than that, a great marathon! Thank you Marines and volunteers! | |
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C. L. from Victoria, TX
(10/27/2003)
"This was okay, but Houston was better" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my second marathon, and I was somewhat disappointed after all of the hype. Seeing all of the monuments was great, but I totally lost motivation from miles 20-26. Most of the end was on a highway with no scenery whatsoever, and spectators were nowhere to be found. I expected more entertainment along the route (bands, radio stations, etc.). I would have expected more than fruit and bagels for finishing 26 miles!! We had a feast in Houston. I am glad that this was not my first marathon!! |
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