Marine Corps Marathon Race Report

Better late than never, right? Pictures to follow once I buy them.

Race weekend started for me when I left Doha at 8am on Friday. As much as I wanted to take advantage of the vintage champagne and 2000 Bordeaux being offered during the flight, I knew I had to behave myself. Somewhat. I did have a few glasses of champagne with breakfast, but I also downed four liters of water during the next 14 hours too. I think the flight attendants got a little tired of me asking for more bottles of water,  but after a week in the desert air, I didn't want to get any more dehydrated.

After watching several movies and reading a few magazines, I landed at Dulles a little before 4. Thanks to the wonders of the Global Entry System (well worth the $100 fee for the background check), I skipped the 500-600 person line at immigration and was out of the airport and on my way in 15 minutes. I grabbed my Dodge econobox rental car from National and went straight to the expo.

I was a little disappointed by the expo. Picking up my bib, shirt, and other goodies was really quick and easy, but once that was finished, there weren't as many vendors there as I was expecting. I appreciated the ones that were there (stocked up on more Kayanos at one), but compared to Disney and RnR expos, the MCM expo just didn't have the variety and number of booths as the others. I stocked up on Kayanos to bring to Doha but wasn't able to find a single vendor selling the Rider flip-flops that Heather wanted another few pairs of.

I spent most of Saturday relaxing in my room, watching the rain slowly change into heavy wet snow. The overnight low temperature forecast kept dropping throughout the day, so I shifted my race day outfit from short sleeves and shorts to long sleeves and tights. I remember thinking when I was packing my running bag before leaving for Doha that I doubted I'd need all the cold weather gear I was throwing in (hat, gloves, tights, etc.) but better to be safe than sorry. After a nice sushi dinner with Eva and Steve, I climbed into bed and hoped the remainder of my jet lag would be gone by the time the race started.

I awoke Sunday morning to clear skies and 32 degree temps, perfect weather for a marathon. I put on my race outfit, donned my throw-away clothes, grabbed my Clif bar, and headed off to the bag check area. Watching the Metro cars go by jammed with runners made me glad to only have a short 15-minute walk from the hotel.

The race started right at 8am, just after a really cool fly-over by a formation of V22 Osprey. Marine Corps doesn't use formal corrals like Rock n Roll or Disney. Instead, they set up ones by pace and ask people to voluntarily sort themselves. The theory is a good one, but in practice, it makes for a pretty chaotic first few miles as there are always far too many runners who line up much closer to the front than they should, causing everyone else to have to weave and dodge around them.

By the time we hit the top of the hills in Rosslyn (the first two miles are pretty much all uphill), the sun was out and I was warming up nicely. I tied my trusty jacket around my waist, tucked my hat and gloves into my belt, and settled into a nice comfortable pace for the trip back down to and across the Potomac. A mile later, the jacket rubbing against my legs really started to bother me, so I left it on the side of the road. It served me well for five years and any number of cold or rainy days, which made me sad to let it go, but I'm sure someone else came along to claim it and will get good use out of it too.

After crossing the river, we turned left to run a four-mile loop up to Rock Creek Park, around the reservoir, and back. Not many spectators along this part of the course, which was fine with me because they just would've interfered with the beautiful scenery. People say this race is so scenic due to all the monuments and buildings in DC, but the foliage and views along the Potomac from mile 4.5 to mile 15 are just gorgeous. Of course, it helps to be running under clear, sunny skies.

The Rock Creek loop finished, it was time for a quick trip through Georgetown and then back down to the river for the next five miles. I had been wondering in my head whether I would've been better off in shorts or tights since the trip around Rock Creek had warmed me up quite a bit, and I had my answer as soon as I was hit by the wind coming off the river. Tights were definitely a good choice. The shade and the breeze cooled me right off again.

We got our first monument sightings as we turned back from Hains Point and had the whole city and much of the Mall laid out in front of us. Starting with the new MLK memorial near mile 16, the next four miles were nothing but monuments, memorials, impressive buildings, and hundreds of thousands of cheering spectators. The spectacular views coupled with the energy from the crowd made this stretch one of the best of any race I've ever done. You couldn't possibly feel yourself hurting or struggling because without even trying, all your attention gravitated to everything around you. It really is as great a part of the course as everyone says it is.

The trip through DC reaches its end just past mile 20 where there is a huge contingent of drummers getting you amped and pumped to Beat the Bridge. If you're not across the 14th Street bridge by 115 in the afternoon, they make you stop running and bring you to the finish on a bus. I wasn't at all worried about this, but I can certainly see why the drummers are placed where they are on the course. The noise and rhythm naturally cause you to increase your pace and motivate you to get across that bridge no matter what.

Unfortunately, the high of the drummers is quickly matched by the low of the bridge. If you're one of those people that hits the wall at mile 20 and really struggles after that, you're going to hate this part of the race. For nearly two miles, I found myself trudging along what's normally I395, and yes, it was about as thrilling as it sounds. The scenery looking up and down the river was nice and the guys on the boat blasting music helped, but it's still a pretty big let down after the incredible wonders of the city.

After getting off the highway, the next few miles were a loop through Crystal City. Not a whole lot of interesting things to look at along this part of the course, but the spectator support was pretty good. Lots of people out cheering, passing out oranges, and even one small group of people handing cold beer. Unlike in Houston where the Hash goes through several kegs at our beer stop at mile 24, these guys seemed surprised that I actually drank what they were offering.

The last two miles of the race took us around the Pentagon and back along the river past the National Cemetery. I could hear the roar of the crowd getting louder as I approached mile 26 and the final turn to the finish. The finish in this race is one of the most difficult I've ever encountered. When you turn left off the main road, you run straight uphill for a tenth of a mile, followed by a right turn and a more gentle uphill to the finish line. I knew it was coming since I walked down it on my way to the start five hours earlier, so I just gritted my teeth, shortened my stride, and sprinted up as fast as I could. It felt good to pass a lot of people in those last few hundred yards, and I crossed the finish line with a huge smile on my face.

Unfortunately, the smile didn't last very long, about ten feet to be exact. That's when the downside of finishing in a park comes into play. The finish is on a narrow park road leading to the Iwo Jima Memorial, so there's no room for people to spread out as they wait to get their mylar blankets and medals. We just shuffled along in a big mass of runners, and it took quite a while to finally move forward enough to get to the Marines handing out the goodies. That was another highlight of the race. You've got all these Marines, mostly young officers, giving you a blanket, hanging a medal around your neck, and saying "Congratulations, sir," as they do. Pretty cool.

Overall, I can't say enough great things about this race. The organization was as stellar as you'd expect from the Marines, the course was gorgeous, and the support along the way was fantastic. It's definitely one to add to your bucket list.