This race has been on my bucket list and I decided to do it this year as I had the weekend off and found a race in Maryland the day … MORE
This race has been on my bucket list and I decided to do it this year as I had the weekend off and found a race in Maryland the day before. I was particularly intrigued when it was voted the best half in VA over Richmond and Shamrock which are two of my all time favorite half marathons. Fredericksburg is about an hour outside DC depending on traffic and was about 2.5 hours from St Michael’s, MD. I flew in and out of Baltimore as that was more convenient for St. Michael’s but DC would be the best place to fly into for the race. There is good pre race communication though I don’t find the Marine Corps race website the most user friendly as some information is in the race specific section and other information (such as time limit which is a 17:30 pace) is in the generic FAQs for all races though I was eventually able to find all the info I needed. There is packet pick-up at the convention center in Fredericksburg Friday or Saturday before the race or you can pay extra for race day. I had plenty of time after St. Michael’s so I picked it up Saturday. Expo was pretty good. Kind of a medium sized expo. Packet pick-up was pretty efficient and I got bib and shirt. The shirt is fine and a nice quality tech shirt though I don’t love the design. For the race I stayed at the Holiday Inn which was about a 5 minute drive from the start. I think there may be some hotels within walking distance but parking was really easy. The race starts at 6am near a huge shopping center and you just park in any of the parking lots since the stores don’t open until after the race. This probably had the easiest parking of any race I have done that is this large. It is a large but not huge race with a few thousand runners. Race organization was outstanding. The start area was quite organized. Porta-potty lines were not very long for the size of the race. The race starts with announcements and anthem. You line up by pace and runners left in waves. The slowest pacer was 3:10. My finish goal was 3:15 and I knew looking at the elevation profile of the race the best strategy to get my goal was to stick with the 3:10 pacer until mile 11 with the big hills so I lined up with the 3:10 pacer. Race started on time and the waves left pretty efficiently. Weather was overall very nice today but it was a bit humid for me. The roads were all closed off so there was space to spread out. The course is pretty nice and varied through different neighborhoods and areas in Fredericksburg. I can’t say it was the most exciting or iconic course I have run but it was overall a very nice course. There was good spectator support and lots of areas with marines cheering us on. The beginning is a bit quiet since it starts at 6am but there is a ton of support by the end. There were frequent aid stations with water and electrolyte drink. There was also a donut stop and a food station with apple sauce and sports bean jelly beans. Organization was pretty much flawless. It was well marked. Had several timing mats on the course for runner tracking and accurate mile markers. The elevation profile is not ideal though. The first few miles are mostly downhill and the pacer did these a bit faster to bank time for the uphill (she clearly explained this was her strategy), the middle is flat and we were perfectly on pace and I was able to easily keep up with the 3:10 pacer the first 11 or so miles. Then around mile 11 you get to Hospital Hill. While the hill is brutal there is a ton of support at this area. After Hospital Hill it is still mostly uphill and there is another mean hill around mile 12. It’s a brutal ending. While I do think if I used all my energy I could have stayed with the pacer until the end, I have a lot of races left and purposefully decided to walk most of the race starting with Hospital Hill. I still managed to get an excellent finish time and was well under 3:15. This was my third fastest half this year and this was probably my third hardest. Race was also very back of the pack friendly with lots of people finishing behind me. At the finish you are given you medal by a marine. The medal is really nice. There are snacks and water immediately after you finish and a finish festival. The finish festival seemed nice but I didn’t stay long as I had plans in DC in the afternoon. Overall I thought this was an excellent race with some of the best organization I have seen. Was it better than Richmond or Shamrock? I am not sure as those are such fun races with such a party environment but this was definitely a great race. I would highly recommend all 3 of these Virginia races and I’m not sure I can pick a favorite so you should just come to Virginia a few times and do all 3. I really enjoy visiting the DC area so I am sure I will return and do this race again.
Please login to reply to this review.
Best Race Ever until Hospital Hill
This race has been on my bucket list and I decided to do it this year as I had the weekend off and found a race in Maryland the day … MORE
This race has been on my bucket list and I decided to do it this year as I had the weekend off and found a race in Maryland the day before. I was particularly intrigued when it was voted the best half in VA over Richmond and Shamrock which are two of my all time favorite half marathons. Fredericksburg is about an hour outside DC depending on traffic and was about 2.5 hours from St Michael’s, MD. I flew in and out of Baltimore as that was more convenient for St. Michael’s but DC would be the best place to fly into for the race. There is good pre race communication though I don’t find the Marine Corps race website the most user friendly as some information is in the race specific section and other information (such as time limit which is a 17:30 pace) is in the generic FAQs for all races though I was eventually able to find all the info I needed. There is packet pick-up at the convention center in Fredericksburg Friday or Saturday before the race or you can pay extra for race day. I had plenty of time after St. Michael’s so I picked it up Saturday. Expo was pretty good. Kind of a medium sized expo. Packet pick-up was pretty efficient and I got bib and shirt. The shirt is fine and a nice quality tech shirt though I don’t love the design. For the race I stayed at the Holiday Inn which was about a 5 minute drive from the start. I think there may be some hotels within walking distance but parking was really easy. The race starts at 6am near a huge shopping center and you just park in any of the parking lots since the stores don’t open until after the race. This probably had the easiest parking of any race I have done that is this large. It is a large but not huge race with a few thousand runners. Race organization was outstanding. The start area was quite organized. Porta-potty lines were not very long for the size of the race. The race starts with announcements and anthem. You line up by pace and runners left in waves. The slowest pacer was 3:10. My finish goal was 3:15 and I knew looking at the elevation profile of the race the best strategy to get my goal was to stick with the 3:10 pacer until mile 11 with the big hills so I lined up with the 3:10 pacer. Race started on time and the waves left pretty efficiently. Weather was overall very nice today but it was a bit humid for me. The roads were all closed off so there was space to spread out. The course is pretty nice and varied through different neighborhoods and areas in Fredericksburg. I can’t say it was the most exciting or iconic course I have run but it was overall a very nice course. There was good spectator support and lots of areas with marines cheering us on. The beginning is a bit quiet since it starts at 6am but there is a ton of support by the end. There were frequent aid stations with water and electrolyte drink. There was also a donut stop and a food station with apple sauce and sports bean jelly beans. Organization was pretty much flawless. It was well marked. Had several timing mats on the course for runner tracking and accurate mile markers. The elevation profile is not ideal though. The first few miles are mostly downhill and the pacer did these a bit faster to bank time for the uphill (she clearly explained this was her strategy), the middle is flat and we were perfectly on pace and I was able to easily keep up with the 3:10 pacer the first 11 or so miles. Then around mile 11 you get to Hospital Hill. While the hill is brutal there is a ton of support at this area. After Hospital Hill it is still mostly uphill and there is another mean hill around mile 12. It’s a brutal ending. While I do think if I used all my energy I could have stayed with the pacer until the end, I have a lot of races left and purposefully decided to walk most of the race starting with Hospital Hill. I still managed to get an excellent finish time and was well under 3:15. This was my third fastest half this year and this was probably my third hardest. Race was also very back of the pack friendly with lots of people finishing behind me. At the finish you are given you medal by a marine. The medal is really nice. There are snacks and water immediately after you finish and a finish festival. The finish festival seemed nice but I didn’t stay long as I had plans in DC in the afternoon. Overall I thought this was an excellent race with some of the best organization I have seen. Was it better than Richmond or Shamrock? I am not sure as those are such fun races with such a party environment but this was definitely a great race. I would highly recommend all 3 of these Virginia races and I’m not sure I can pick a favorite so you should just come to Virginia a few times and do all 3. I really enjoy visiting the DC area so I am sure I will return and do this race again.
Run with the Marines!
This was my first race through the Marine Corps Marathon organization! I was blown away by the number of people that came out to see us in Fredericksburg since we … MORE
This was my first race through the Marine Corps Marathon organization! I was blown away by the number of people that came out to see us in Fredericksburg since we started at 6. I felt like there were no dead spots, so I felt the strength and love from spectators. I had alcohol, cupcakes, donuts, and some coffee along the course, so I had fun!
The course itself is rolling hills, but the last 2 miles do have 2 major hills. The first one is by the hospital and the second one is along Cowan Blvd. I walked up both since the heat got to me, but I finished!
I definitely want to come back and run another Marine Corp Marathon event!
Favorite Race, Every Year!
Always a great experience to #runwiththemarines. Excellent race production & swag. Hospital Hill is the toughest one but there's about three hills that kill on this course. The community really … MORE
Always a great experience to #runwiththemarines. Excellent race production & swag. Hospital Hill is the toughest one but there’s about three hills that kill on this course. The community really comes out for it and the vibes are on point.
Celebrating Women in Service
This was a great race. I love to support my brothers and sisters in arms. It was great to run this patriotic race and running with The Marines. This was … MORE
This was a great race. I love to support my brothers and sisters in arms. It was great to run this patriotic race and running with The Marines. This was a well organized race. Some talk about the hills, particularly Hospital Hill, but it wasn’t that bad; however, if hills are not your strength, train on them, so that you will be successful running this race.
Lovely course through charming town
The neighborhoods were a delight to go through. Great community spectator support. May not be a PR unless you like running hills. Not bad though. Very well organized. Find a … MORE
The neighborhoods were a delight to go through. Great community spectator support. May not be a PR unless you like running hills. Not bad though. Very well organized. Find a hotel near the expo, because the start and finish line is right there.
My most favourite race ever
There was amazing views of the rivers. The medal is super amazing. I would highly recommend this race. The support from the community was super amazing. Got to high five … MORE
There was amazing views of the rivers. The medal is super amazing. I would highly recommend this race. The support from the community was super amazing. Got to high five several marines
Hot & Cloudy
The Marine Corps always puts on first rate races, I highly recommend any of their races. I did not attend packet pickup, they say you have to attend, but I … MORE
The Marine Corps always puts on first rate races, I highly recommend any of their races. I did not attend packet pickup, they say you have to attend, but I was able to pick it up at the starting line. Virginia is can be very hot at this time of year, luckily is was cloudy, but still hot. Course was decent, a huge hill at the hospital. Fredericksburg is a cool city. Good finish line and snacks at the end. A good race to add to the list.
They don't have their act together
I ran the "Devil Dog Double", which is a half marathon followed up by a 5 mile and finished in 2nd place. There were no water stops at the finish … MORE
I ran the “Devil Dog Double”, which is a half marathon followed up by a 5 mile and finished in 2nd place. There were no water stops at the finish line of the half marathon before starting the 5 mile, so you had to go about 4 miles without water. That’s kind of silly on a 90 degree day. I decided to cross over the median and grab some water from the side of course running the other way because I didn’t for that. Not the end of the world, but pretty bad planning.
The bigger error was at the awards ceremony. As I said earlier, I finished in 2nd place (12 minutes ahead of 3rd!) but was skipped at the awards ceremony. No worries, it’s just a trophy. I talked to the race officials and they told me to email so and so later, which I did. They corrected the official results and said they’d send me an award in the next few weeks. I replied that I’d rather have a free entry to next year’s race. That email went ignored and an award never showed up.
I’ve done a few hundred races over the years and this is down near the bottom, sorry to say.
You do get 3 medals for finishing, which isn’t my thing, but maybe it’s yours!
Paced the Half, but ran the Devil Dog
Hospital hill is not that scary, paced out a little fast for the first few miles as i wanted to be able to walk a little due to the humidity. … MORE
Hospital hill is not that scary, paced out a little fast for the first few miles as i wanted to be able to walk a little due to the humidity. Very good community support. Very nice crowd, loved seeing people run back down the hospital hill to run up it again, may do that next year. Great time, would repeat, met a lot of great people!
Definitely a favorite
Let's talk about the swag. The expo was nice. Runners snagged 3 pairs of socks in their bag. Two were super comfortable by Brooks and had the RunWiththeMarines logo on … MORE
Let’s talk about the swag. The expo was nice. Runners snagged 3 pairs of socks in their bag. Two were super comfortable by Brooks and had the RunWiththeMarines logo on them. The other pair was a thin, white crew sock with 13.1 logo on the side. There were a couple of snack/energy bars, and packs of flower seeds were offered. KT was on hand to tape knees, ankles, shoulders, etc. for race participants. Very thankful to the young lady that taped my knees for this race. My goal was to finish pain-free in under 3 hrs. Thanks to KT tape, I achieved this goal. Multiple apparel and shoe kiosks. You know, the drill.
Outside the expo was a Kodiak food truck. Also, the City of Fredericksburg offered free shuttle rides to the historic downtown area for shopping/dining/sightseeing.
This was a well-organized race from start to finish. The organizers were prepared for the high temps for race day. There were several water stops along the route. The locals along the route showed up and showed out by providing coolers filled with ice, fresh fruit (watermelon, oranges, pineapples, bananas), freeze pops, donuts, and more. Several neighbors had the sprinklers and water hoses going full blast to keep runners cool. It was amazing! Lots of encouragement and support along the way. I saw multiple EMS points along the route as well.
In addition, the Marine soldiers were on hand throughout the route and especially between miles 11-13, with the greatest show of support through the hospital hill portion of the race. Marines lined the street for what seemed like two blocks and offered cheers and encouragement. Some were manning the water station. Fantastic opportunities for pictures.
Post-race nourishment bags were given at the finish line and contained 2 bottles of water, a Gatorade, 2 bananas, a fruit cup, and 2 energy bars. This in addition to the bottle of water and banana handed to you when you after you received your super nice Finishers medal. The Marine Corp Band was on hand for an outdoor concert at the baseball stadium.
Honor and respect to the Marines for their commitment to service and protecting our country. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this awesome run. Great job!! Oorah!!
Well organized and great crowd support!
Challenging hills (Hospital Hill and Cowan Blvd), fun downtown areas, organized very well by Marine Corps Marathon organization. Great expo with lots of vendors. Historic Fredericksburg provides visitors with a … MORE
Challenging hills (Hospital Hill and Cowan Blvd), fun downtown areas, organized very well by Marine Corps Marathon organization. Great expo with lots of vendors. Historic Fredericksburg provides visitors with a fun experience for the weekend.
Take advantage of the down hills as you will need the momentum for the up hill. So many flags and marines.
Thanks to the couple who had the ice pops on Hospital Hill it was so hot🥵
Prettiest overall course
I've done a lot of half marathons. Most go through either an industrial section or two, or along/on poorly repaired roads or on concrete. Not this one! Smooth as freshly … MORE
I’ve done a lot of half marathons. Most go through either an industrial section or two, or along/on poorly repaired roads or on concrete. Not this one! Smooth as freshly laid asphalt all the way, and nice and broad. Along the Rappahanock, through the old town, through the neighborhoods – not a mis-step on the scenery.
There are elevation changes on this one – my tracker recorded the equivalent of 110 flights of steps 😉 Be warned, but not afraid.
It would probably have been tougher in full sun, but fortunately the clouds were overhead and there was a breeze for the first 2.5-3 hours.
The neighborhoods were pretty, the crowd support was really extensive (On!On!), the music was uniformly good all the way along (though some on Hospital Hill would have been nice, but I get it, a hospital ;-).
The aid stations were plentiful and plentifully stocked. The finish line food was pretty good, the medal is awesome. My favorite course.
A hometown favorite
I did the 5-miler this year so that I could run the race with my mother and recover from a marathon but I have run the half marathon distance in … MORE
I did the 5-miler this year so that I could run the race with my mother and recover from a marathon but I have run the half marathon distance in the past. I really enjoy this race but I may be biased as Fredericksburg is my hometown. The marines being there always adds an extra element of encouragement. They are so great and enthusiastic. The course is nice because it is mostly flat/downhill with the exception of the infamous hospital hill + Cowan Blvd hill, but I like the challenge that it gives, knowing that the hills are all within a concentrated 1.5 miles. If anything, I always find the weather to be more challenging than the hills. Race day can often be hot and, even worse, humid! The medals are always pretty sweet and presented to you by the marines. Overall, I try to run this race whenever I can. It gives a great hometown feel and is a nice tour of a historic city!
Well-run half, pretty challenging!
This one is tough because the course is flat/downhill overall until Mile 10.5 and then the next 1.5 miles have a big elevation increase, last mile is flat. Be prepared … MORE
This one is tough because the course is flat/downhill overall until Mile 10.5 and then the next 1.5 miles have a big elevation increase, last mile is flat. Be prepared energy-wise, I hit a “wall.” It was also humid.
I thought it was really well organized and the city seemed to really be invested in it, and I felt very welcomed.
The only downside I had was that I had to pick up my bib/packet the day before (or two days before) as well. I didn’t realize this until about a week before. I live in DC, so it meant an additional trip.
Local, fun atmosphere, easy parking
Challenging hills (Hospital Hill and Cowan Blvd), fun downtown areas, organized very well by Marine Corps Marathon organization. Great expo with lots of vendors. Historic Fredericksburg provides visitors with a … MORE
Challenging hills (Hospital Hill and Cowan Blvd), fun downtown areas, organized very well by Marine Corps Marathon organization. Great expo with lots of vendors. Historic Fredericksburg provides visitors with a fun experience for the weekend.
So glad this was my first half
I just started running 5k's last year and came across the Marine Corps events, so I decided I would do them this year and try for the distinguished participant medal. … MORE
I just started running 5k’s last year and came across the Marine Corps events, so I decided I would do them this year and try for the distinguished participant medal. This is the first event that you have to run of 4 to get the medal. I loved this race! I was in it to finish and was running on a bad knee, so I was no speed demon, but did keep the 14 min per mile required (4 hr completion). The event is very well organized and the expo was nice. They do a security check to get in, so that can slow things a bit if you go during a busy time. Parking at the expo and the run were pretty easy and there was plenty of it.
The course was interesting and I took photos along the way. Yes, there is much talk about Hospital Hill and another hill after it, but I rated this a 3 difficulty because it really was not as bad as I thought, maybe because I hyped it up in my head, but with my knee, I did not find it too bad. They say it’s like climbing 10 stories. I loved the apps that they promote with the run, one is within the Historic Half app where it will tell you interesting information at various points of interest along the way and the other allows you and your supporters to record motivating messages that will play at designated points along the run. It was pretty close given the not always accurate gps on the phone. I am so glad that I picked up a battery case for my phone so that I had plenty of battery time for the apps, my interval app, and pictures. The support along the route was amazing! You go through an area with beautiful newer homes and then a more historic looking residential area and downtown area. It’s awesome and the people are out either with lawn chairs watching or offering clapping, cheers, signs, even speakers out pumping music. One person had the Rocky them playing on one of the hills. The race itself had a few bands along the way. They had plenty of water stations and porta -potties. There was even one point where they gave out energy beans, which was great, and another with gummy bears, which wasn’t so great to me. I don’t eat gummy bears anyway, but I found that I had to dodge dropped candy so as not to make a sticky mess of my shoes.
At the end, Marines put your medal on your neck and congratulate you. There is beer, fruit cups, water, bananas, stretching and massages at the end. I will give my beer ticket away next time because I realized that no amount of running and heat (one of our only hot days this spring so far) makes me like beer…lol! I loved that as I was returning to my car and some of the last runners were coming in, the Marines went to meet them and encourage them on to the finish. I would definitely do this race again and hope that I would be in better shape physically because otherwise everything was pretty perfect.
Best race in NOVA area!
Great race put on by a great organization! Pros: ample amount of support staff/volunteers at the expo/start line/finish line, the spectator shuttle that took families out to Mile 7, the … MORE
Great race put on by a great organization!
Pros: ample amount of support staff/volunteers at the expo/start line/finish line, the spectator shuttle that took families out to Mile 7, the beautiful scenery, the great amount of parking on Race Day made it easy to get where you needed to go, beautiful medal
Cons: not enough water stops along the course
Overall, this was a great experience! I would recommend more water tables next year, especially considering how hot it can get in late May. I know a lot of us were struggling with the lack of water on the course. Definitely train for hills for this race.
Run with the Marines
Fredericksburg, VA was my adopted home, so this race will always be meaningful to me! It incorporated portions of my daily running route, but heighten the experience with great meaning … MORE
Fredericksburg, VA was my adopted home, so this race will always be meaningful to me! It incorporated portions of my daily running route, but heighten the experience with great meaning by representing those who protect our country throughout the course. You run along portions of the local canal trial and are swept through the street of downtown Freddy. You’ll forget how difficult it just was to ascend hospital hill, and instead are filled with an overwhelming feeling of pride for your country when you run under the massive American flag just before the finish line. I’d highly recommend this race!
One of the best
This is a home town race for me, so I am thrilled to run it every year! Great course, scenic and tough, great people on course, lots of fun! MORE
This is a home town race for me, so I am thrilled to run it every year! Great course, scenic and tough, great people on course, lots of fun!
Hills and Humid
The Marine Corps Historic Half is held in May in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The course starts and finishes near the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center, which is at the end of … MORE
The Marine Corps Historic Half is held in May in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The course starts and finishes near the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center, which is at the end of a large shopping area (think about a 2 mile drive past several retail complexes) so there is more then ample parking, but expect backups and delays getting there and leaving, so give yourself plenty of time to get to the race site. Many people delay their departure by going for lunch at one of the 20+ nearby restaurants. There are also shuttles provided from several nearby hotels for both participants and spectators.
The course takes you by several historic landmarks and local sites such as Mary Washington College, Sunken Road (a famous Confederate stronghold during the Civil War), Kenmore Plantation, and downtown Fredericksburg. Almost all roads are closed to traffic, and there is ample police support (and the Marines) to help participants through intersections. The race has a large number of spectators throughout the course.
Preparing for hills is an absolute must on this course. There are several areas with rolling hills or long uphill or downhill stretches, especially the infamous Hospital Hill. That hill runs between mile 10 and 11 and is a long, steep, uphill climb that challenges all participants. Also, expect anything for the temperature- you can have heat and humidity, or cool rain- it changes year to year.
The race has a self-seeded corral start, and a generous walker-friendly time limit. The Marines wait for the last person to finish, and will march in with that person- an awesome site to watch if you are still in the area.