My first Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) was 2017. I had a big goal that year, that I would improve my time from my last race, and maybe even would run fast enough qualify for the Boston Marathon. Little did I know how hard that would be. To this day, BQ is still some distance dream. MCM reminds me of my once foolish attempt.
My focus since has slowly shifted away from running fast to running long. Some of my ultra friends have made it to Boston. So it is not totally impossible for me to try. Maybe one day. But whenever I run the MCM, there is a nagging thought, I must make the Boston. My friend Charlie ran a BQ time at the MCM this year!
I don’t run the MCM every year. My last time I ran was in 2023 (report). I generally prefer a longer distance, like a 50k. This year 50k was not an option due to the record number of runners signing up for its 50th anniversary, and they need all the resources for the normal event. I was not going to sign up but a few friends hyped me up for a chance to run with them. In the end due to the big crowd, I did not get a chance to see any of them either.
I was slower and still was recovering from a lot of hard races I did, the Eastern States from August, Grindstone 100 in mid September, and most recent the Virginia 100 a few weeks back during October. My legs were still stiff. The pain was gone unlike when I ran the Bluff in Connecticut. So I knew I was healing. Yet legs were still a bit sore. I was not expecting to run a fast time. Why am I even running you ask me? I’m dead. Fomo maybe.
MCM is Caroline’s special race. She has done it 100 times, she claimed it was her 25th, but she has couple of those she did that she did not count. 25th or 26th all the same to me. I used her time of last year to base off my pace chart for this year. I ran a 5 hour in 2017 and 2023 would still put me at around 5 hours. My feeling was I likely would get 6 hours.
Coming off from an ultra, where I generally set my pace at 16-17 min mile pace, checking the time required for the marathon was a shocker. It says minimal pace is 14 min. That is a 6 hour finishing time. A sub 24 in a Hundo. A very fast time. Wait, this is a marathon. I was thinking if could I pull that off.
My previous marathon race pace chart was made for a 4:30 finishing time. I am not going use that. So at the very last minute, in early morning hours before it was time to get up (we set our alarm at 4 am) and there I was at 3 am in bed furiously remaking my race pace chart on my phone to a 5:30:00 finishing time. Caroline ran a 5:30 last year, so it was good to base the time off that. They still had her splits on their webpage. It helped a lot. I felt better once that was done. Alarmed went off and up we went getting dress and to the race. I kind of hinted how much sleep I was getting. Near none because I was always too hyper before a race. Generally, I don’t sleep well.
We were fortunate to be able to park close to the start near Pentagon City Mall. I read later on the news that Metro was packed. More than packed, they called it crush load. I have seen photos and videos. Nowhere would I want to be near the crowd.
We walked to the Pentagon with thousands other people. Note, we knew we had to get there two hours before the start. Even then there were a ton of people already. We did wait around at a Starbucks earlier when it was not crowded. Caroline had to use the rest room. Yes, best advice is to hang out in a Starbucks, have breakfast before joining the crowd.
The walk to the Pentagon was not too far. I did not know the way, but Caroline was familiar with area. So she led the way. I don’t remember which way we went. Maybe went down the Army Navy Drive. Somehow eventually Pentagon came into view. It was still dark. None of us brought headlamps. Once we in the Pentagon’s parking lot, it was just a big wave people all going to the same direction. We joined those who were exiting from the Metro. We arrived at the race entrance for security check to enter the runner village. Security check was brief. I had a hydration vest on and thought it might cause delay like at the Philly marathon. Nope, a soldier took a look at it and my drop bag and waved us through.
So glad to get through that and we were off to UPS trucks location to stove away my drop bag. The trucks were numbered 1-40. My truck was 35, which was the first two digits of the bib number. I did not know it at the time and went to the nearnest truck to me, thinking truck 14 was an easy number to remember. Glad I did not have remember my truck number. I would have forgotten it by end of the race. There I was redirected to end of the field where the truck 35 was parked.
After that it was a walk to the start. In total I believed we walked 2 miles already. I suspect from our wave to the start line was another mile. Not that it matter to me but be warn, that is a lot of walking before we even started running if anyone is planning to run the MCM in the future.
People were everywhere. Many were sitting and stretching in the parking lot. Of course long lines at the potty.
I was glad I did not need to use the potty. Caroline did and she held it until we were about to start, thinking she was going to duck under a tree or bush to do her business. Oh there were a lot of people going to the brushes in the dark. Gross, yes. There were enough toilets I think for everyone, but still some people prefer the tree of scrubs for their business. Unfortunately or fortunately, a female soldier caught her as she was stepping away from the crowd and pointed her to use the real potty not too far ahead. She agreed. So I waited for her, since we were not moving too fast, since the crowd was just too big, to get to the real start line (arch). We were still in our corral at the time.
I was told the race in time past started officially at 8 am. This year the time was moved up to 7:20. I hope no one was late. Some will always be late.
We lined up in our corral. There were three waves, one for the red bibs, the yellow bibs and the green bibs. I had the green bib. Caroline has some grayish olive gold color different from mine since she was going the challenge run, that is the series of doing the half marathon plus the full marathon (not on the same weekend), and I was not sure what corral she was to be in. She said blue or something. There was no blue wave. I think she has the privilege to be in any corral. We lined up with the 5:00-5:30 group.
At 7:20, the howitzer fired, signaling the start. The race was officially underway. Note, there are roads or walkways on either side for people to get to their corrals. So we saw runners running on either side to rush up to the front either to get to their corral or to look friends, while we stood with the mass in the middle waiting for our turn to get to move up. There were no movement or very slowly were we moving. A few runners decided not to wait and left the crowd to go out onto the road to move ahead. I waited along with many others. No point to start early. It was like 40 minutes later, at 8:03 when I officially crossed the start line.
Not writing out of frustration, but for those who wanted to start earlier, they could move to the either side of the road.
There was no rush for me, since I knew it would be chip timed anyway, there would be no rush to get to the front. From experience of my first MCM, I knew I would run into a walk of people even if I rush. The best strategy was to trust that the race organizer would space out different wave groups so as not bunch together too much. Indeed, this year experience was much better than my former years. Maybe my pace is slower and there were not that many of us in the back since many have rushed on ahead.
I joined the 5:30 pace group. They were doing walk-run, 1 min walk and 2 min run. Their run was like 10 min pace and the walk was brisk fast walk. Still the first few miles, they were slightly behind pace, according to my pace chart. We should be doing around a 13 min pace, but we were moving at a 14 min pace. I was a bit impatient. Caroline already ran off by herself. I could hear her somewhere over the noise of the crowd, hoohoo-ing as she ran.
Slowly but surely I got ahead of the 5:30 group as we crossed on the Key Bridge into Georgetown. The sun was beautiful over the Potomac. I remember during the 50k, the instructions were 50k goes left and marathon course goes to the right. Today, everyone would be turning right into Georgetown. The crowd was cheering as we reached Georgetown.
I carried my hydration pack so I did not need to stop for water. From Georgetown to Rock Creek. Seeing the 5k marker and then 10k. I did a bit of course study the night before so I knew the course, at least the important junctions, though I wish I knew every mile of it. The turn around at Rock Creek was at mile 7.5. That was a long way. My feet started get tired by mile 8. We saw the slack wagons (buses) that marked the tail end of the marathon, and they would pick up runners who decided to drop or who could not make the pace. We cheered runners who were at the very back.
I was happy once we got to the Kennedy Center and on our way to Haynes Point. Soon we reached the Blue mile where the halfway point is. Caroline just so happened to pop right up from behind. I passed her somewhere and did realize. It reminded me I caught up to her there in 2023 when I was running the 50k.
Another thing I looked toward at Haynes Point was someone set a table with adult beverages. I was hoping they would be there this year. And they were. Oh so lovely. They had OJ, Whiskey shot, and Miller Lite. I chose the W. That got me going and off I went.
We reached mile 15 and arrived at the DC gauntlet. A runner was struggling so hard. This was where people started bonking, aka, hitting the walk in marathon speak. I reassured him he will beat the Bridge, the checkpoint at mile 20 we need cross by 1:33. He has two hours and half, plenty of time. People around started asking how many more miles and such. I felt like an experienced runner on this course, and started giving out this and that stats.
At couple miles later an ultra friend called out. Wow who could find me in this sea of faces? It was Keith! Then David at mile 19, and Mike at mile 20. My wheel came off at mile 20. I was out of water and I finished all my gummies. I have beat the Bridge, the 14 street bridge crossing over the Potomac into Crystal City. I have plenty of time to beat the Crystal City Gaunlet. But I was not running any more.
I had to start walking. Just like in ultras, when you can’t run any more, you fall back to trusty walking pace. There were sea of people. It was a joy to see so many runners. On the other bridge, I395, was bumper to bumper traffic, some cars would toot their horns at us and we waved back at them. What a long bridge! A mile! Good thing it was not very hot this year.
Once arrived on the other side, we ran around a big parking lot and entered into Crystal City. The crowd and the energy their was off the chart. People were crowding into the running lanes. Whole street was filled with people shouting and all. Note, we were not fast any more. I could hardly keep a foot in front of another as we stumbled down Crystal City Drive. It was a mile out and turn around. We had a few miles left.
I reached 40k at 5 hours. Less than 2 miles to go. My legs failed me the second time at mile 25. I knew the last mile is always the longest. We just had to walk it out. Many were walking and some were pushing hard to finish it. It was humbling, as fast as I wanted to go, I had to walk it. Highway 110, there were no crowd here. Just a long road. We knew a hill at the end waiting for us. And soon enough the hill came into sight. Mustering all I had, we ran up and into the finishing chute. Time of 5:19.
It was a great finish. The time was way better than I had hoped for. This was a similar time as the Virginia Marathon I did in spring, but that one had way more hills. I felt I ran fast and I ran hard.
We slowly made our way out the finisher village. People were everywhere. I gathered my drop bag, changed my clothes, and had my meal. For those not from the area, there are plenty reataurants right in Rosslyn as runners exited out. I went to a Korean Carryout, Seoul Spice and had two bowls of bulgogi rice. Caroline finished 20 minutes after me. She met me up outside. All said and done it was 5 pm by the time we left. We went out for a real dinner to Yechong (in Annadale) to mark our successful run. I could always eat some more.
We did not use metro but had to walk couple miles back to Pentagon City. I later read Metro had serious issues that day. Many took a long time to get to where needed to get to and some couldn’t get to where needed since they closed Rosslyn station for couple hours due to crowding. The line for Metro was wrapping around the block. I was happy I did not have to rely on Metro like in did in other years.
Any take away from this race? It was a fun run to test truly what my recent speed is. I like it being short enough and hard enough, yes right at the tip between a hard ultra and a short run. Marathon is a good balance for me. I like hard long race, and a marathon just hits the spot. I know, a lot of friend would not consider a marathon as an easy run. I have done enough (on my personal tracking page, I reached 100 races of marathon or longer distances). Wohoo.
In awe 
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