No pre-race communication at all until the month of the race. The website was confusing and difficult to navigate. The app is great though.
Expo- it’s inconveniently located far from even the metro, requiring a shuttle. We went Saturday morning and waited an hour to get in. Crowd management and traffic around the expo was horrendous. Once inside, the selection of gear was pretty limited for women. Very few options in women’s size/styles and they ran out of small/extra small in most styles quickly. The free shirt is a hideous mock turtleneck, unisex of course.
Start line is easy to access from the metro, though you have to walk about 1.5 miles to get into runners village. Security screening was efficient and there were ample port a potties in the start area. Strangely no real corrals and just a mass start with the honor system for your predicted finish time. The wheelchair racers started just a few minutes before the runners and were forced to weave through the packed course the whole way.

Many people rave about this course but I thought it was just ok. There are several out and backs that are long and absent crowd support or on course entertainment. The Key Bridge and Georgetown were fun, but so early in the route. The loop around the island is flat but tedious, with primarily a golf course view. The mall stretch is awesome, but the last 6 miles, including the bridge of tears from mile 20-21.5 are kind of heartbreaking. There were not enough water stops given the heat and humidity. There was great on course medical and emergency support. I’ve never seen so many people collapse on a marathon course before! They ended up closing the course early due to heat/humidity, which was the right decision based on what I saw. The Marines did an awesome job cheering and organizing the race, as you would expect!
Finish area was congested and requires a slog uphill on tired legs. Not enough
Port a potties on course. Saw so many men peeing on the side of the road. Not exactly an option for everyone though! I’ve done several other big city marathons and I would say this one was only ok.