My brother ran this in the 1980s. It was my goal to run it in 2016. Scenery is epic running through VA and Washington DC. The crowds are awesome. The Blue Mile is humbling. Great for a first marathon even though it was my second and fourth. Medal and long sleeve lined shirt is great. Aide stations have everything you need. The expo was very large. Bring extra $$$ because you will want to buy everything in sight.