The Marine Corps Marathon was my first marathon, and I'm so glad I chose MCM to get me past 26.2. The expo was well laid out and giant. The volunteers/staff were so helpful with check-in, I breezed through without any problems.

The race itself is set on an amazing course. Being from the DC area, t's rare to get to run down all those roads in DC, so being able to run a race on shut down roads with everyone cheering for you was really incredible. Seeing all the fallen Marines during the blue mile was really sobering but motivating. The 395 bridge around mile 19 is no joke. It's slightly uphill, it was hot that day, and absolutely empty. It was almost a death march, with people dropping off left and right for heat or exhaustion. The section in Crystal City was a little bit too loud and rowdy, very close, tight area with lots of little turns. I just wanted that section to be over with.

The elevation of the course is really only noticeable in the first couple of miles, after that it's moreorless flat the entire course. I thought the aid stations were well stocked in the beginning, but by the end of the race they were running out of cups at the final water stations so they were literally just pouring gallons of water into people's mouths. I would definitely take my own water bottle next time. The aid stations could have been more plentiful, as it was an unnaturally hot day in DC and I needed water a lot more frequently than they provided it.

Overall, I'd do the race again. It starts in my backyard, has a really great atmosphere and amazing sights, and it was a great beginner's marathon.