Marine Corps 17.75K

Marine Corps 17.75K

Marine Corps 17.75K

( 6 reviews )
100% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Prince William Forest Park,
    Virginia,
    United States
  • April
  • Other
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Linda Juretschke

Chicago, Illinois, United States
21 15
2017
"Access Granted! The Marine Corps 17.75K"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Linda Juretschke's thoughts:

A couple of years ago, I made it my goal to run the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM), but I didn’t want to rely on the lottery to get a spot. I found out that running the Marine Corps Marathon 17.75K race in March gives finishers guaranteed entry into the MCM, so I used this race to get a guaranteed spot in the marathon.

Race Registration: Race registration is online and opens in mid-February. I sat at my computer about 10 minutes before registration opened, and started madly clicking the minute it open. It took a few minutes, and I was lucky enough to get a spot (I heard the race sold out within 10 minutes). The race sells out very quickly because so many people use it to gain guaranteed entry to the MCM.

Pre-Race Notifications: E-mail confirmation and continuing communication for this race is good. The race was held just a little over a month after registration, and there were several e-mails during that time notifying participants of important information including packet pick-up options, etc.

Parking/Hotels: Several reasonably-priced hotels were available near the race venue. I stayed at a Springhill Suites for under $100. Parking at the race site was not an option, but the MCM provided three locations for parking, each within 2 to 3 miles of the venue. I planned to park at the local high school, but as I passed one of the smaller parking sites, I noticed there were still a few spaces available, so I parked there instead. An added surprise was the nice luxury tour buses lined up and ready to drive us to our destination.

Race Expo: There was a very (very) small pick-up area for the race. Packet pick-up was located in a small building in Quantico, VA. There were several signs around the property designating this as the MCM headquarters. The people working the packet pick-up were very nice, many of which seemed to be military vets.

Race Swag: Tables of shirts were set up at packet pick-up and registrants were able to try on and choose the appropriate size right there…nice! The shirt itself wasn’t exactly gorgeous, but it was themed for the military, which was a very nice touch.

Race Morning: As often is the case with early race starts, it was rather cool at dark o’clock in the morning, so I welcomed the surprise of a church building located at the site that was open for runners to keep warm before the start of the race. Inside of the church there was a comedy show playing on a big screen to keep us entertained as we waited to start lining up for the race. About 20 minute before start time, I headed out to find a place in line. This was the first race I’ve run where there were no obvious pacers or no designated areas for runners to line up according to pace. Being a middle-of-the-pack finisher, I made my way up to the middle of the crowd, excited for this great race to begin. At 6:55 a.m. the singing of the National Anthem signaled the runners to start moving forward, and in true military fashion, the race started at o-seven-hundred hours sharp.

The Race: I was so glad to have read a preview of the race the night before, and knew to anticipate a gravel terrain for the first few miles. I would describe it more as rocky than gravel, and in fact we came across a number of boulders on the course. The trail wasn’t very wide for the first few miles, allowing only 6 or 7 runners across. Lots of runners were veering off the trail to pass the slower runners. I myself was happy to just plug along and try not to slip on the rocks and fall. The first 3 or so miles of the race were also very hilly. Did I mention I hate hills? I did no hill training for this race, and in fact I avoid hills like the plague, so the first few miles were particularly challenging for me. Then at around 3.5 miles in, the ground turned to pavement. I think this was the MCM’s way of buttering us up before we hit the 4.5 mile mark, where there was quite the butt-burning incline. An exaggeration of course, but it seriously felt like a 45 degree incline! The next 5 or so miles were relatively benign, although they were still a little hilly. Then at around mile 9, we were back to the hilly gravel terrain as we looped our way back to the starting point.

Porta-potties/Aid Stations/Security: There are plenty of water/aid stations along the course, all manned by Marines. There were enough porta-potties along the route for such a short course. There didn’t seem to be much security personal, besides, of course, the Marines along the course.

Spectators/Fan Support: Given the nature of the venue, there weren’t many spectators to this course at all. Runners were greeted at the finish line by uniformed Marines awarding finisher’s medals and a congratulatory handshake. I got a little choked up when a Marine placed my medal around my neck, and I shook his hand and thanked him for his service.

Post-Race: Once past the finish line, we were given the Golden Ticket, in other words; the Access Granted card, with an individual code for guaranteed entry to the MCM in the fall. The actual post-race festivities were rather small, but there was entertainment and food, which is more than enough for those completing the race.

Race Management: The race was very well-managed, in true military fashion. I experienced no bumps in the road and would definitely recommend this race to others—especially as a guaranteed way to run the MCM in the fall.

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