This was my first marathon and it was epic. The expo was a little too mobbed for my taste, but that's what happens when you get 25,000 people running a race. The Marines did an amazing job with the race day logistics - the bag drop, start line, and every water stop were perfectly organized. The course was wonderful, especially running past the monuments of DC. The crowds are incredible, especially the ones standing 4 and 5 deep on the National Mall. The finish of this race is something no other marathon since then (I've run 17 others) has come close to matching: you run uphill to the Marine Corps War Memorial (aka, the Iwo Jima Statue), the entire hill is lined with Marines cheering you on, a Marine officer places your medal around your neck, and then you get photos taken in front of the monument.