Forums >Racing>2022 Marine Corps Marathon
Greetings,
I'm new to this forum. I'm running in the 2022 Marine Corp Marathon. This will be my 11th or 12th marathon (3:54 PR), but this will be my first time running this race and also my first time visiting Washington, D.C. I'm coming off an ankle fracture from 2020 and will be running with some titanium on my fibula. The plan isn't to be setting a PR but just to have a nice race. I was wondering if anyone that is familiar with this race can give any insight on things a first timer should know about the race. I'll be staying in Georgetown near the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro stop and plan on taking the Metro everywhere.
Expo...
Any freebies that I need to be sure to get (i.e. race poster, 26.2 sticker, etc.)? Any must buy jacket for the race comparable to the Boston jacket? Any unique race branded items to purchase/pre-order similar to the Chicago Marathon Ventra card?
Athlete's Village...
How early should I plan on getting there? I usually bring my own TP just in case the porto-potties run out.
Race...
Any info on the course? It seems that there isn't a course map posted yet. Not sure if they tweak the course a bit year-to-year. Course profile shows a big hill early and then relatively flat with some hills around 21-23. Any race photographers that take some scenic photos I need to be aware of? I did see in some race photos that had the Capitol Building in the background that looked worthy of purchasing. Is the course one massive wave or is in multi-waves? What time does the race start? Anything I should be sure to see on the course? I know about the blue mile and obviously the different monuments.
Post-Race...
I know of the photo op at the Marine Corps Memorial. Anything else I should be aware of post-race? Are the race results posted on Monday in any of the big D.C. newspapers (similar to what is done in the NY Times and Chicago Tribune)?
D.C....
Aside from the usual sites to see in D.C., is there anything else unique to race weekend that I should look into seeing?
Thanks for any insight people can give. From everything I've read, this is a well organized and great race to run.
I've only done the race once but live in the Washington, DC. area (Edited because this matters - I'm in Arlington, VA.) For the past few years, I've been cheering at the sneaky little hill that comes up in Mile 24 that no one ever warns you about.
I don't recall anything special about the expo. I think they tend to have good speakers if you're in to that sort of thing, though. The race is known for it's mock-neck long-sleeve shirt, though. I never wear mine but consider it a keepsake and store it with other sports clothing items that I'm not ready to part with yet.
I got to the athlete's area early the year I ran but I think that was only because I was meeting friends. There are no corrals at MCM, so it is important to make your way up front if you don't want to get stuck behind joggers/walkers. (Since runners have to "beat the bridge", slower runners will often line up front. It makes that first mile very congested.)
They have tweaked the course over the years based on various construction projects. I can't think of anything that would impact the course, though. The Yellow Line for the Metro is going to be shut down this fall, but if you're staying in Georgetown, that won't matter to you.
As far as the course, I think the worst hill is in the beginning when you go up Lee Highway during Mile 1 and 2. Psychologically, I think a lot of people struggle in Hains Point during Miles 12-14 because there is little crowd support and nothing really to see. But, I think the hardest part is going back over the 14th Street Bridge because not only is it a hill but it comes at Mile 20. Crystal City - I mean "National Landing" or whatever our Amazon Overlords are asking us to call it - used to be soul-sucking because there wasn't much crowd support (which is why I started cheering there) but now people actually live there.
I can't think of other things you will want to make sure you see. As a local, I think it's the only time a race runs on Spout Run Parkway, so that's a bit of a treat. But, yeah, you'll see all the major monuments.
The iconic photo will be you climbing the final hill leading to the Marine Corp Memorial at Iwo Jima.
I remember post-race being a bit anti-climatic. It's not like Boston or New York where everyone takes pride in the race and it's an all-day celebration. Washingtonians tend to be event weary (which may make us seem rude) so race organizers usually have to re-open the streets pretty quickly.
As far as things to see while you're here, I'll leave that for the tourist guides. But for your shake-out runs, I would recommend running up the Capital Cresent Trail. The view of the Potomac River is very pretty. Or, run through Georgetown toward the Kennedy Center and the Mall.
Edited to add: You didn't ask about this but the weather can be very unpredictable. I would plan on anything from 50 degrees and sunny skies to remnants of a hurricane.
Okay, gotta run to the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler expo - another iconic Washington DC race!
My blog is JT Running DC. It's awesome. Guide to Washington DC Area Running Routes. Guide to the New York City Marathon. Guide to the Boston Marathon. Guide to Running Gear. Guide to Running Clothes.
Thanks Julia for all of this great information!
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