Expo- The expo was impressive. I've ran six different marathons and this expo by far was the best. It was well organize and full of relevant vendors. Bart Yasso was there earlier in the day but we missed him.

Swag- The swag bags were ok but not great. I didn't care for the shirt which is a military style turtle neck.

Start Line- Getting to the start was an adventure of it's own. We stayed in Rosslyn so we were able to walk to the security check in within minutes. Walking past Arlington National Cemetery in the still dark morning is breathtaking. We arrived at the metal detectors early and were still met with longs lines. It began to rain and they began to malfunction. By the time we went through they were no longer working and we hand to be wanded instead.There were about a dozen metal detectors for thousand of people trying to enter at that location creating a horrible bottleneck. We later learned that the start line was left open for an extra hour due to issues with the metal detectors and an issue with the subway.

The metal detector fiasco was quickly forgotten as the opening ceremonies got underway. Huge American flags were parachuted in and helicopters flew by overhead. The excitement in the air was electric.

Course- The course starts out on a downhill (at least in 2015 it did) then you head out to Georgetown before turning around and coming back into DC.

Mile 12-13 is know as the Blue Mile. You're running along with plenty of crown support then all of a sudden things get quiet. The single lane road is lines with pictures of fallen soldiers. I knew of the Blue Mile and was prepare for it but what I wasn't prepared for was the photos. They weren't just of serviceman in uniform, a lot of them were in civilian clothes. High school graduation photos, soldiers holding their babies I was crying before long. In fact many people were. It was a completely silent mile expect for sounds of people overcome by their emotions.

At mile 15 the monuments start. First the Jefferson Memorial, then the Lincoln Memorial. You also see the National World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Capital and the Smithsonian. The year I ran MCM I had ran Wineglass three weeks before. For MCM I took my time and plenty of pictures.

Mile 20 you get to "beat the bridge" which has a time cut off. You then head into Crystal City, which is by far the loudest part of the course.

One of the final sights is the Pentagon then you run up a slight hill (yes a hill!) to the finish at the base of the Ema Jima Monument.

At the finish a Marine issues you your medal, mission accomplished!

The medals are a beautiful rendition of the Marine compass symbol.

The water and aide stations were great. Many of them were manned by actual Marines.

There was a bit of confusion for the runners at the finish. You first had to wait in line for your medal before waiting in line for a poncho of sorts that was meant to be a heat blanket. By the time I got to them I was shivering severely having waited so long. You then had to go to another line to wait to get a food box and Gatorade.

Parking- Again our hotel was in Rosslyn so we only had a few blocks walk from the finish back to the hotel.

I would recommend this marathon to anyone. I've never been so energized or humble in a marathon. The sights alone make it a must due.

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