Marine Corps Marathon

Marine Corps Marathon

Marine Corps Marathon

( 91 reviews )
98% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Washington ,
    District of Columbia,
    United States
  • October
  • 6 miles/10K, 26.2 miles/Marathon, Virtual Race
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Brooke

Lynchburg, Virginia, United States
1 6
2017
"The People's Marathon Needs to Corral the People"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Brooke 's thoughts:

Overall I loved this race. I have come here the past few years as race support and this was my first time running it.

The expo was okay. I think there should have been more outside races represented there. Getting there was chaotic. It is not located near the star, finish, or any part of the race. It took us pretty much all day to get there, pick up my race packet, and then make the trek back to our hotel.

My number one issue with the race was the "corral" at the start. MCM for some reason trusts thousands of runners to corral themselves. They have large signs of what paces should start where, but runners are not officially assigned to a time corral. This works in smaller races but MCM is too big for this to work and they need to do better.

I started with the 3:15 pacer and when we went over the start, we were still walking, barely even running. I had to weave through at least 200 people who should have been in the 5-6 hour pace group. There is absolutely no reason this should happen in a race this big. If I was late and had missed my corral, it is my fault. I was on time, I placed myself where I knew I could finish and was stuck behind people who had no place at the front. It may sound harsh, but it is running etiquette 101. Know where you should start, because you could be in the way and ruin someone else's race. If MCM had corralled runners based on submitted entry times like most big races, this problem could have been avoided.

Once I was able to settle into a comfortable spot (mile 4) the race went as well as could be expected. The weather was a bit warmer than I would have liked, but they had water and Gatorade stops at almost every mile. I do wish they had water on the overpass coming into Crystal City because that is the section that was the most exposed to the sun and it was the longest between water stops.

Running around the monuments was incredible. The spectators were everywhere and very encouraging. My fiance, his mother, brother, and my mother were easily able to pop in a run with me for a bit. Something I really needed towards the end of the race.

Just a heads up if you plan to run this marathon, you finish on a hill. I mean it is the Marine Corps Marathon. The post race festival was one of the best I have been to. Brooks was giving away free bacon !! even fake bacon for vegans and Ultra rewarded marathoners with two post race beers.

The medal is one of the coolest I have added to my collection.

Overall I would recommend this marathon. Just be aware of the frantic start, allow yourself a day to go to the expo, and don't forget the last .2 is uphill :)

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