On the one hand, crowds make the miles fly by. Having said that, I realize why I don’t like big races. Plus I actually heard the howitzer which I wasn’t expecting at all!
I’m not sure who performed but it was a group of women with the most incredible voices. It was a fantastic way to spend an hour before the actual race began. The announcer was keeping the crowd upbeat and energetic. There was party music pumping through huge speakers.
It was one of the more chilled out starting atmospheres I’ve experienced in a long time and I really liked it. It was surprisingly calm at the starting line. When we approached, marines directed us to lines for “bags” or “no bags.” Luckily no one in my party was checking a bag so we got in line, the marines and police officers checked our water bottles, we were wanded, and then we continued on our walk to the starting line. There were also lots of photo opportunities throughout the expo, which was nice because you know - if there’s no picture, it didn’t happen!Īfter hearing the horror stories from last year about security and the lines, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly and efficiently we moved through security. There were tons of vendors and they were spread out well enough that you didn’t miss any.
I didn’t buy anything but my friend did and we were in and out fairly quickly. I pre-shopped for my MCM gear before the expo. It’s one of my favorite colors (green!) and it fits well. Picking up our shirts was also easy as pie - and though I’ve heard complaints about the shirts in years past, I love my MCM race shirt. We walked right up to pick up our bibs, patches, and the race guide. The marines know how to make a runner feel special - it was fantastic. Right away runners were greeted by marines before entering the expo. I had never been to National Harbor before and although it was quite a hike from where I was staying in Columbia Heights, it was quite beautiful. The hotel/convention center itself was beautiful. This was the first year the expo was at the Gaylord National Convention Center. If you’ve never done Marine Corps Marathon (or 10K), I highly recommend it. Having said that, everything at MCM was top notch - from the expo to the post-race atmosphere. I prefer much smaller races - few crowds, small expos (if any), and not a lot of pomp and circumstance - so my experience with big races is limited. The Marine Corps Marathon is like no other race I’ve ever run. This post will be a marathon review of the race itself, and tomorrow I’ll recap my own race experience. Those factors combined, I’ve decided to split my review and recap of the 41st Marine Corps Marathon into two separate posts. I’m also sleep deprived and very ready for #allthesleep. How to condense it, make it readable and fun, but not to lose any of the story. I spent a good portion of my five hour drive home from DC thinking of ways to recap such an epic weekend.
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