So the weekend started Saturday morning with the Expo. The expo is at the Conference Center which is easy to get to via metro. But in addition, the MCM site offered Parking Panda as an option. Since metro isn't always so reliable on weekends, I checked out Parking Panda and was able to find a spot half a mile away for $6. It was super easy to use and that's much cheaper than it would have been for 2 of us to take metro.

We got to the expo around 15 minutes after it opened. There were separate pick up areas for the 10k and the marathon and the lines were minimal. The 10k lines were split up by bib number and there was only one person in my line, so score! We picked up our bibs and then walked down to another section where we were able to pick up our clear plastic bag and shirts. The shirt lines were split by size and you could decide what size you wanted after looking at the shirts, which was nice. They seemed to run a bit big.

Though the lines weren't bad in that section, it was really crowded in the official merchandise area. So we hurried through there and out into the general vendor area. It was crowded but manageable.

Race morning I woke up at 4:45 and we left the house around 5:15. Definitely an earlier morning than I'm used to! But we didn't want to risk getting stuck in long lines later so we erred on the early side. We drove down to the city and were able to easily find parking since we got there at 6:10am (race start was at 7:55).

We walked through security and bag search easily as there wasn't much of a line that early. We checked our bags but thankfully kept our ponchos. Because about 5 minutes after we checked our bags, it began to rain! There were already port-a-potty lines by 6:30 but they moved really quickly.

So we hung out and chatted for about an hour, listened to the music and the announcer. It seemed surprisingly low key, maybe because of the rain? And then all of a sudden, it was time to go! The race starts out with a bit of a loop on the mall past the museums and government buildings. This is a beautiful, scenic area and I think comprises about the first mile of the course. But it seemed crowded in this whole section.

Then we turned left and headed on to the 14th street bridge. There are some inclines and declines here but it wasn't too bad since it was the beginning of the race for us. I'm sure it was a much different proposition for the marathoners. Though the bridge definitely seemed much longer on foot than when driving! The bridge was nice since it seemed to allow people to spread out a bit more. There was also a really upbeat band on this section that was great.

Next, we took an off ramp into Crystal City a little after the mile 3 marker. This was a fun area and there were a couple spectators cheering already which was nice. There seemed to be a lot of energy here but it got crowded again.

After Crystal City, we were on the highway and headed toward the Pentagon. I think this was somewhere around mile 4. We passed the Pentagon and kept on running along the Highway. This stretch was nice because it opened up again and it wasn't too hilly at all. And there was a band near the start of the highway.

Once we hit mile 5, there was more music with DJ's and also lots of Marines lining the sides of the road giving high 5's. That was awesome!

And finally, I saw the mile 6 marker. And right after that, I saw that the course turned left and there was a giant uphill. This hill was no joke and it was a little disheartening at first to see that. But I just put my head down, concentrated on form, and managed to run up the hill. It had gotten really congested again in this section as well. I loved all the excitement in the last .2 mile.

But the crowds made the finish area really congested again. There were points where we were just at a stand still in the finish area trying to figure out what was going on. But as we got closer, we realized the hold up was because of the handing out of the medals. It was slow because a Marine personally shook your hand, put the medal around your neck, and then posed for a photo if you wanted. So while this slowed things down, it was also one of the cool parts of the race .

I love the way they did the post-race food. It was so organized! They handed you a clear plastic bag first, which made it so much easier to carry things. Then full bottles of gatorade and water. There was a box of food so that was also nice and compact. There was a banana as well. I ate the banana since that was easy to do while walking and threw everything else in the bag. They also gave us actual hooded jackets to wear instead of the mylar blankets, and that was much appreciated. The rain had stopped at this point but we were still wet and cold.

After that we went to bag check. Everything was really well marked so we just followed the signs. There was no line at all for bag check so that process was super quick.

So the only real downside of this race was the number of people as the 10k was sold out. I think that was around 10,000 people. That made the logistics complicated (having to go early) and the course congested. There were pace signs to help you line up in the right place but it quickly became clear that many people didn't pay attention to them. We were passing a ton of people and a ton of people were passing us at the beginning. I'm not sure why so many faster people lined up in the back. Maybe it was crowded enough that they couldn't get to the right area if they arrived late? But it made the race feel congested for the first 2 miles or so and then again while we were in Crystal City and again at the finish. But it's an awesome race, and a great way to participate in the energy of MCM weekend if you don't want to do the full marathon, so I can see why there were so many people. My friend and I both felt that we would definitely do this one again!

Cons - logistics and congestion, rain (though that's not in anyone's control)
Pros - Course, excitement, energy, marines, motivation

This was a really small race but I wanted to go ahead and review it anyway since I had a hard time finding any information on this race before hand.

The race is one of MCRRC's low key races so there is no sign up in advance. If you are a member, you just show up with your bib and shoe tag and you're ready to go. If you aren't a member, there was a registration table set up under a tent where you could pay the $10 fee and get a bib and shoe tag for the race. The registration looked like it went smoothly and there was never much of a line.

The parking also seemed to be ok. I got there about 45 minutes early (I had lost my bib and shoe tag) and was able to park fairly close. There were alot of parking lots and my friend who came later was able to park in one of the further lots. She said the only downside was that it was unclear of where to go for parking, but once she parked it wasn't a far walk at all. All the logistics seemed really smooth and I'm sure that is helped by the fact that there were less than 200 participants.

The race was at a local park in Silver Spring and it was beautiful. There was a lake in the middle that we ran past a couple times. We ran on the street for the beginning of the race, and then on paved paths for the middle and end of the race, and there was a portion on side walks. It never felt that crowded because of the small field. But there were moments on the paths that were a bit tight because they were out and backs so people were going both ways.

The course was a little weird. As mentioned, there were lots of out and back sections. And at approximately mile 3.5, you ran right past the finish line. I always hate that and it always seems confusing. Plus, the runners that had already finished were milling about right on the race course so it made it a bit tough to get through.

The other thing I didn't like about the course is that there was a lot of uphill action toward the end of the race. It felt really tough at the end, both because of the uphills and because the sun had come out. The shaded portions were all early in the race.

After we finished our cool down, we went back toward the finish line and there was still food! I was prepared for everyone to have packed up since we were toward the back of the pack and since we had chosen to run a bit extra after the race. It was awesome that people were still there. In addition to the usual oranges and bananas, there was watermelon. The watermelon was amazing in the heat! There were also some bagels, donuts, juice, coffee, water, etc. But to be honest, I didn't look at anything other than the watermelon.

So pros for the race ... small field made logistics easy, the location was beautiful, there were great volunteers, the cost was low, and the post race food was great. Cons... the elevation increases at the end of the race, there were weird out and backs, and having to run past the finish line when you have more than a mile to go.

Packet pick up was offered at a local running store in the couple days leading up to the race and it was very well organized and super easy. We were in and out of there in a couple minutes with my bib and shirt. I was able to pick up my friend's stuff too with no problems.

The race starts and ends in the Rockville Town Center area. This is fun because it makes logistics pretty easy. There is plenty of parking in the nearby garages. There are real bathrooms in the public library that can be used before the race. There is also a fun celebratory area set up for the start and finish of the race. This is especially important since it's a night race :) The race is run by the Montgomery County Road Runners so it is very well organized, just like all of their races.

The course starts behind the town center and runs through neighborhoods, as well as past a local college. I really enjoy the course. It's kind of shaped like a capital "B" so not a straight out and back or even a loop. The neighbors sit out and cheer you on so it felt like a nice amount of support, especially given that this is an 8k. There were lots of little kids offering high 5's :) It was a little hilly, just enough to make it fun and keep it from being too boring.

This is a July race, so hot and humid. Last year we got lucky with really mild weather but not so much this year. The good news is that the race is well prepared for this. There were plenty of water/gatorade stops. There were also multiple spots on the race where a sprinkler system was set up so that you could run under the cool water and this really helped with cooling us down. Some of the neighbors also had their hoses out and running to spray runners, which was much appreciated.

After the neighborhood portion, the last mile or so is on Rockville Pike, a major road, which was shut down for runners. Last year, I felt like they were trying to open the road back up early but this year was much better from that perspective. The road closures were still in place even though I was slower than last year.

The finish area feels like a big party and everyone was happy to be done with running in the heat! I love finishing near the town center because there are so many bars and restaurants around to get into the air condition and celebrate inside.

Overall, I love this race and will probably do it again. It's really well run, it's fun to do a night race, I like the course and the support from the neighborhood as well as the water sprinklers set up to cool us down, and the overall fun atmosphere. The only downside is the heat but there's nothing that anyone can do about that in a July race. Also, free photos just like with all MCRRC races.

The race is in Georgetown so one of the logistical difficulties can be parking. The race worked out an arrangement with several parking garages so you can get discounted parking in those garages, which is a nice touch. You just have to remember to print out the parking coupon to bring with you. We just chose to go early and there was plenty of street parking. We got there at 6:30am for a 7:30 race start.

And there was already a crowd when we walked to the race start area. But there were a lot of port a potties and no line at that point, so that was a definite plus. A friend of mine tried them 7 minutes before the race start and while there was a line at that point, she still managed to make it back by the time we went off so the line couldn't have been too long.

There are no official corrals but there are signs posted to mark paces and where runners should place themselves. There was a 5k and 10k and one of the new things this year was that they started at the same time so we were all mixed in together. There was also a fun walk and they just started behind the runners, no separate start time for them either.

The other big difference is that they changed the course this year. Last year, the course was a simple out and back in Georgetown. This year, the race started and ended in Georgetown but went toward downtown for the running. I didn't like it as much because of all the turns and switchbacks. One good thing is that there was more shade toward the end of the course than there was last year.

My favorite thing about this race is that it ends at the waterfront and they arrange for a couple restaurants to be open early for brunch.

So would I do this one again? I think so. It was really well organized and the proceeds go toward the American Heart Association. In addition, I'm not in Georgetown much so it's a new area for me to run in. And the risk of heat is going to be there for any race in June. Plus, I enjoy all the legal puns on the various race shirts from the large law firms that participate :) We'll see what the course looks like next year but my distaste for this year's course is probably mostly due to the heat.

I loved this course in spite of all the rain. It starts out downtown at some of the scenic areas but then goes through some of the more residential parts of the city that wouldn't be familiar to most tourists. I really liked that mix. We started out on the national mall, ran past the Washington Monument, crossed the memorial bridge toward Arlington Cemetery and then came back across the other side of the bridge. The first band was at the start of the bridge so we saw them twice. There were also some cheerleaders on the other side of the bridge.

We then ran on the Rock Creek Parkway, which was beautiful, even in the rain. I really enjoyed this portion as it was a bit quieter but filled with natural beauty. Also, at a certain point there were photos of fallen service members and individuals with US flags lining the road. They were very encouraging and this was a very moving section.

Then there was the dreaded Calvert Hill. I walked up the whole thing. After the hill, we were in Adam's Morgan and this began the residential portion of the race. I am sure the rain kept a lot of spectators away but I was surprised at the number of people that did come out in the rain. There were people who had music playing off their porches, people dancing in the rain, people grilling and giving away meat, and of course people giving away beer.

I looked up at one point and all of a sudden, the Capital was in front of me! It's always amazing to look up, see that, and remember where you are. And I loved being able to run toward it on the streets surrounded by other runners.

Good - Logistics and organization, course, volunteers and spectators
Meh - entertainment (it just didn't matter to me either way, the bands were find but it's not like you stuck around long enough to really listen), shoe tag (I didn't think many big races still did this)
Bad - rain, elevation
Ugly - metro

I didn't check a bag or park anywhere so I don't know if those things went smoothly or not. But I think the biggest thing to show my opinion of this race is that I signed up for 2016 the day after the race!