Marine Corps Marathon #1, Marathon #101

This was my first time running the Marine Corps Marathon. Last year, I had to cancel due to knee tenderness after running Chicago and Hartford back-to-back, and I didn’t want to risk injury. This year, we were on the fence about going because Kim’s back wasn’t fully healed, but we were hopeful things would work out.
We flew non-stop to Washington D.C. and arrived at 6:15 AM. We took the Crystal Gateway hotel’s free shuttle, but after waiting for about 30 minutes, I called to confirm the shuttle schedule. To my surprise, they said it ran every 30 minutes, not every 3 minutes as originally told. They also informed me we were at the wrong terminal. After a short walk to the correct terminal and another call, we were told we were actually in the right place, and the shuttle would arrive in 10 minutes. So, we turned around and headed back. Kim, struggling with back pain, wasn’t thrilled about all the extra walking. Finally, the shuttle arrived, and we made our way to the hotel, starving. After looking at the hotel’s overpriced breakfast, we decided to venture out and ended up at Tatte’s Bakery, where we had the best egg sandwich.
The expo was easy to get to once we figured out the metro directions (thanks to Kim’s phone map). A helpful person working there initially pointed us to the wrong train, but we quickly realized our mistake when Kim noticed we were headed back toward the hotel. We switched trains and eventually arrived at the Edison station, where we picked up the free race shuttle. The expo wasn’t crowded, and there were plenty of free samples and goodies. My favorite was the free BMW gloves. There was also a section we called “adult trick-or-treats” — a long table full of nutrition bars, snacks, heat shields, and even Chipotle rice! We bumped into friends Ron and Liv, who we’d met on the ferry after the San Francisco marathon. Ron was running his first marathon and seemed a bit nervous about the logistics (I think my Chicago race recap made him anxious). We later met up for dinner, and I shared some running tips with him.

Race Day:
On race morning, we met Ron in the lobby and took the metro to Pentagon station, which was a smooth trip. The athlete’s village was well-organized, with plenty of port-o-lets and clear signs for bag drop. We headed to the start line, where we met up with some Fleet Feet friends for a classic Karthik photo doing the Usain Bolt pose.
I was planning to pace Dave, who was aiming for a 4:15 marathon. I had paced a similar time the weekend before, so I agreed to help. Fernanda was battling a cold, and Kim was planning to run at an easy pace and walk if necessary. The first 4 miles were rolling hills, as others had warned. Parts of the course reminded me of the Richmond marathon, running by the river — beautiful. We crossed a bridge, and I almost took out Dave because I didn’t signal properly!
On the out-and-back section, we looked for Fernanda and Kim. Eventually, we spotted Kim, who said, “I’m done.” My heart sank. He was in too much pain to continue running or even walking fast enough to make the cutoff. It was hard to see the disappointment on his face, but I knew it was the right call for his recovery.
Dave and I kept going, and the course began to thin out. We reached the Blue Mile, a moving tribute where photos of fallen soldiers were displayed, showing their age and the year they died. Some were very young, and many had pictures of the soldiers with their children. After that, the families of the fallen lined both sides of the course, holding American flags and cheering us on. It was incredibly emotional. This is where I lost Dave — I thought he was right behind me, but I kept going, mile after mile. I passed monuments, and marines cheered along the course. I really loved the route. It felt forgiving and had plenty of distractions to keep my mind off running another marathon so soon after my last one.
The course also offered some unique nutrition, like Vermont maple syrup (I had the cocoa flavor), which gave me a nice burst of energy. The only downside was the syrup packaging — it leaked everywhere, making quite a sticky mess.

The Final Stretch:
The last 0.2 miles were up a steep hill. Marines lined the hill, cheering loudly to help push me to the top. At the finish line, we were handed medals by marines, which was a nice touch. I crossed the line in 4:03, which felt great given how forgiving the course was.
After finishing, Kim texted me to meet him at the gate. I found him with Ron, who had met his goal of 3:50. The finish area was chaotic and disorganized. I desperately needed to find a bathroom, but there were no port-o-lets around, and I was freezing. They didn’t hand out heat shields, which I thought was strange. Later we texted Dave who ran an impressive 4:18!
After retrieving my checked gear and putting on my jacket, we found a shopping mall, and I finally got to use the bathroom. Then we headed to the metro, where the line to board was about a 30-minute wait. When we finally got to the escalator, it suddenly stopped abruptly about three-quarters of the way down. It was scary, and I started to get anxious, but we eventually made it down to the metro level and caught the train to Crystal Gateway.

Post-Race Meal and Wrap-Up:
Our post-race meal was at Morton’s The Steakhouse, and the food was fantastic. The next morning, we took a quick 45-minute flight back to Connecticut, and I was back at work as soon as I walked in the door.

Would I Run This Again?
Well, since I’ve already registered for next year, I’ll say “yes”! The expo, logistics, and overall experience were good enough for me to come back for the 50th anniversary of the Marine Corps Marathon. Who’s signing up?