Other than the route, this race is mostly and unknown to me in terms of the logistics.
So my questions:
If the number gets mailed to me, is the expo worth visiting? They'll have things like a t-shirt and mug? (which would be about all I'd want)
I'll be near the Crystal City metro station. My main question is: do I go to Pentagon City or Pentagon station to walk to the race start?
I've seen articles mention that after the race go to Courthouse instead of Rosslyn station to avoid a huge line.
My wife will be back at the hotel and won't be able to get to the race finish, so is there much at the finish that I should hang around for, or just start working my way back?
And it sounds like one big corral, so get there early to be near the front of the corral.
What else should I know?
Expo is roughly on par with a Disney expo, imo. Brooks is the main sponsor and has plenty of event specific merch including shirts and mug. Other brands may have event merch as well ( I have a lululemon shirt I got in 2019 that I really like).
You mentioned Hilton garden Inn, if it’s the one of of Richmond highway, I would just walk up Eads to the start. If you absolutely wanted to metro, two stops up to Pentagon. It should be noted that runners village and start is about halfway up 110 from my memory, so a bit of a walk even if you take the metro.
Yeah, no to walking to courthouse stop imo unless you’re a masochist and want to walk uphill after running a marathon. Additionally, you’ll have to transfer trains at Rosslyn anyway to get back on blue line to head south to Crystal city. DC metro has some of the steepest and longest escalators in the world. Rosslyn is one of them. Stand on the right, hold onto the railing, and don’t look down haha.
Post race, there’s usually a band playing and a beer garden. I’d plan to hang out for at least a bit but wouldn’t count on making a big thing out of it.
Corrals are self-seeding essentially with signage indicating anticipated times. I would strongly suggest lining up along your anticipated time. In my experience, no need to get there early to get to the front of anything. Just show up in time to use the porta-potties a couple of times (pro tip: there are some along the sides of the corrals) and accurately self seed. Marathon maniacs does good pace groups for all paces, so could be a great option if you’re trying for a certain time.
Hmm, I would suggest respecting the hill from 110 to Rosslyn more than you think. Don’t burn away a match on it when you don’t have too. Same with rock creek park section, and 14th street bridge is a lot tougher at mile 20.
Overall it’s a really fun and organized race. If you’re used to rundisney events, you’ll be floored by the support, both marines and crowd.
