Have run several marathons in the past, but wanted to run the MCM this year in October. What is the recommended hotel for the marathon? Do any of them offer shuttles to the starting area on Sunday before the race? I have run the Chicago Marathon in the past, and several hotels there have offered shuttles to the starting area. Thanks!
I can't remember which one we stayed in last year (it was either a Marriott or a Holiday Inn) but it was close to the start and finish which was convenient. It seems like there were a fair number within walking distance. Wherever you stay, I think the publice transportation to and from the start/finish is pretty good.
The Rosslyn area is preferred by a lot of runners because it is near the finish and not far from the start. Take your coice of hotels.
We've come this far and it's still the same,
Runnin' out here in the rain.
Just one more mile, if only you could fly.
(Apologies to T. Rush and J. Tempchin, for the paraphrase)
Well, we stayed all the way in Springfield but had no problem getting to/from the starting line, the public transportation made it so easy to get around w/o a car.
Screw Jane Fonda!!!
We stayed in a downtown JW Marriott, great hotel, but not recommended for the marathon, going out you're ok but coming back, you stand in line in Rosslyn forever with a thousand other runners. We stood there for about 1 hour surrounded and pushed by people in the subway station, and that's the last thing you want to do after a race. Stay as close to the finish as you can.
I've stayed in downtown DC for all of my area races, including MCM and Army Ten Miler (which starts in the same area). That's largely because I like the extra excitement of a city and being within walking distance of all the fun touristy stuff. If you don't care too much about that, then yeah, try to stay close to the start. The metro will certainly be crowded, but it didn't really bother me and I'm claustrophobic. Getting to baggage after MCM was a whole hell of a lot worse than the metro station! At the closest station, I think I got through in 20-30 minutes, not tragic. It's also not a bad idea to walk to one of the alternate stations; post-marathon walking is crucial and it's less crowded. Note that I ran MCM two years ago, not last year like most here, so things could've varied some.
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