I love Pacers! Their races are awesome for everyone - when I do them on my own, I can PR. But I can also do them with my husband (who is not as "committed" as a runner as I am) and we have a lot of fun together. There are elite runners, families, people with their dogs, and people who just want to go for a nice walk at the end of the week. Pacers also does a "shoe lab" at the races. I tried Hokas and Brooks this year and will probably have to switch soon.

I love having them on Friday evenings - it's a great way to end the week. They are great about starting more or less on time, although they are sensitive to when people are waiting in line for their bib numbers (they postponed some of the races this year by 5-10 minutes to make sure people could start on time). They keep everyone informed in situations like this.

The course is fun and they tend to vary it year by year. The local police and volunteers are awesome and keep the roads clear and safe. There's one water stop on the course and water at the end.

There are a lot of restaurants nearby if you want to hang out and have dinner afterwards. The start/finish is close to the metro. The t-shirt is also nice :)

I really wish that these were all year and not just in April!

This was my very first race in 2008 and I've done it at least 5 times since. It's a beautiful race - some years the blossoms are out, some years they've already peaked, but no matter what it's a beautiful course going all through downtown DC.

The only drawback of this race is that it is CROWDED. You will have to weave no matter what, unless you are starting with the elites. They do not enforce the corrals and there are people who will literally walk from the start, even if they are in a corral that is supposed to be 8 min miles. Parts of the course are incredibly narrow and it can be really difficult to find a spot where you can keep your pace.

The start/finish is beautiful, right by the Washington Monument, but it's not particularly convenient (close to a few metros that get very crowded).

At the finish, you have to walk quite a ways to get water, just a heads up. And the bananas (I mean, why do we do races?) are nowhere near the finish line.

In general, it's well organized, beautiful, and fun. But be prepared for major crowds and not the most amazing logistics in the race world.

I have been doing the Rock n Roll marathon since it started in DC - and I did the DC Marathon before it switched to Rock n Roll. I think that Rock n Roll marathons seem to have somewhat of a mixed reputation, but I love this race!

The expo is fun and big (kind of out of the way at RFK, but accessible by metro and the hours are good). They have good vendors, but this year they didn't have anyone who had the socks that I wear (hence the 3 stars).

I like that it's on a Saturday, so that I have Sunday to relax and recover before the work week starts again. They recently moved the race start to downtown DC, which is more convenient and a prettier start. The course for the marathon is fun, although it does go through some kind of not so nice neighborhoods in SE DC (including a junkyard). However, they now have bands in those parts and I think that has really improved the race.

There are some hills on the course, including a particularly large hill pretty early in the course. But in general, it's a great course and there are some awesome crowds along the way.

The aid stations are good and this year they gave out jackets to the marathon finishers at the end!

Be warned, at the end of the race, the line to the metro is pretty long. If you can walk for a while after, it's usually better/easier to just walk a few blocks and catch a cab.

This was my first marathon in 2008 and if I had to pick one race to do for the rest of my life, it would be this one. It is exceptionally well organized (thank you Marines!), the course is beautiful, the crowds are awesome, and the medal is great. The expo and the finish line festival are great - great vendors at the expo, great energy. The finish line festival has so much going on.

They started having shuttles at the finish, which is really helpful, especially for people who stay/live in Crystal City. I definitely recommend staying in Crystal City if you come from out of town. You can walk to the start by going through the Pentagon parking lot. Give yourself extra time to get to the start - they have extra security now and just give yourself extra time.

For your friends and family who are coming to support you, the course makes it easy for them to see you 3-4 times before the finish. The expo has lots of details on how to get to different mile markers efficiently to see your runner. The runner tracking system also works well. I always find my family when I run this one!

There are some hills on the course, including a brutal one right at the end (which really took me by surprise the first time). But in general the course is beautiful and scenic, except for the parts on the highway (beat the bridge!!!). Those parts are pretty painful but you feel very hard core when you finish! The course can be crowded at times, but again, it is just so, so, so well organized.

The registration is now a lottery, but my personal goal is to complete 5 (only 1 more to go!) and join the Club. This way you can register whenever you want!!

Thank you Marines for an amazing, perfect race!

It took me 10 marathons to qualify for Boston. It was worth every mile.

It was particularly emotional to run in 2014. The energy was incredible and everyone's emotions were on hyperdrive. It's an expensive race to run, but again, it was absolutely worth it.

Expo and logistics are great, especially considered how huge this race is. It was one of the easiest packet pick-ups I've ever had. They are so organized and the volunteers were really nice. The expo was SO crowded, but they had amazing booths and fantastic. It's hard not to spend a ton of money!

There will be crowds everywhere the entire time that you're there. Runners are treated like celebrities :)

I skipped the pasta dinner - the line wrapped all the way around the building where it was being held.

On the morning of the race, the logistics were again amazing. Getting to the bus was easy, getting onto the bus was easy (no waiting!), the bus got to the holding area quickly. It was a different experience for me to have a to go to the start and wait for a few hours. I found some new friends through a facebook group - I definitely recommend doing that. It makes waiting more fun! They have enough port-a-potties at the start and snacks, water, and sunscreen. It's incredibly well-organized, considering all of the logistics involved.

When you start, there is nothing like it.

Getting to the start, you pass through all the houses in Hopkinton. The people in these houses are awesome! Someone has a "last hurrah" station, complete with beer, cigarettes, chocolate, etc. The whole city is so swept up in the race!

I wore a t-shirt with my name on it and honestly, I didn't stop smiling the whole race. There was literally not a part of the race that didn't have spectators. My face hurt by the end! The crowds are beyond anything I've ever experienced.

The course isn't exactly easy but I will be totally honest - I really couldn't tell which one was Heartbreak Hill (I better do it again so that I can figure it out!). The crowds carry you through the tough parts. And I would have gone back and run it again if I could have.

The finish line is crowded, but the heat capes are fun (I still have mine as a souvenir, ha). It was a little hard for me to find my family at the end, just because it's so massive. I found them eventually and we got some great pictures.

This was an incredible, once in a lifetime race...but I hope I get to do it again!