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Welcome! This is the home of the world-famous (well, maybe locally well-known) SLR.
Our start time is at 8:00 AM for the rest of the year. Every Saturday we meet at North Meade Street Park, a small park northwest of the USMC War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) in Rosslyn. The closest address for mapping purposes is 1300 Arlington Blvd, and street parking is available in the neighborhoods adjacent to N. Meade Street. Be mindful of parking signs, since Arlington County enforces them enthusiastically, and please do not park on Marine Memorial Circle (inside Iwo Jima), because this parking area is for memorial use only. At least one porta-john is available year-round near the Iwo Jima Memorial, and the memorial's water fountain is usually on during the summer.
We run rain or shine! In cases of extreme weather (snow, ice, thunderstorms, heat waves) we do occasionally either change our meeting time or cancel the run for safety, but the run will be held as planned unless otherwise posted via email/twitter/facebook and here on the SLR web page.
All are welcome! We're an informal group, and there are no requirements for speed, racing experience, or what distance means "long" for you, other than the suggested route that most of our group will be running each week. If you don't want to run the same distance or course as the main group, you can go out for half of your own target distance and re-trace your steps back to Iwo Jima. More specific route info and mileage options will be given in the email/post preceding each Saturday's run. SLR always features a run from our extensive Route Catalog, which gives us a wide range of options to keep things fresh for you each week. We have routes that are flat, hilly, looped, out & back, roads, sidewalks, trails, and more, reaching all around the local area of DC, VA, and MD!
For more details about Saturday Long Runs please read our Frequently Asked Questions to get a sense for what it's like to run with us, or send an email to Anna if you have any other questions that are not covered.
To receive weekly SLR updates via email, please log in and check your email subscriptions.
Schedule:
| Date | Miles | Route Map | Navigation Downloads | Post/Mid-Run Beverages |
| 4/20 | 18 | Arboretum - Azaleas!! | Cue Sheet & GPS | Hope Seck |
| 4/27 | 12 | Piney Branch | Cue Sheet & GPS | Kristine Gift |
| 5/4 | 14 | MBT - Catholic | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/11 | 14 | Capital Crescent OaB | Cue Sheet & GPS | Kate Scott |
| 5/18 | 16 | Arlington Loop | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/25 | 14 | Battery Garesche | Cue Sheet & GPS | Kate Scott |
SLR: 16 Miles Arlington Loop
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Looks like we've got rain in the forecast again this weekend and some cooler temperatures that will keep our start time at 8 AM. We'll likely switch over to 7 AM next week, but I'll send an email on Wednesday with a final decision. Get out your favorite rain jacket and enjoy the trails of Arlington this weekend! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week, we're doing an absolute classic and one of my personal favorites, the Arlington Loop (strava, gps, pdf). We'll head down the Mount Vernon Trail, take a right down to the Four Mile Run trail, continue onto the W&OD (which celebrates its 50th birthday this year!), and then take a right onto the Custis Trail. We'll run about 16 miles and all of them except the initial miles to get to the Arlington Loop will be on paved two lane bike paths!
Want Something Shorter? For around 14.5 miles, instead of coming back along Custis take the Bluemont Connector trail (which is a different bike trail about a mile before the turn for Custis). This will take you to Wilson Boulevard, which you can take into Court House and hop down to the park from there! Otherwise there are some options for more complex loops, but the least mentally taxing will definitely be an out and back. Turning around at the turn onto the Four Mile run will get you 10 miles and getting to the W&OD will run you 14.
Need a Longer Route? My personal favorite way to add onto the loop is to add an extra out and back along the W&OD before turning onto Custis, which allows you to get any number of extra miles. If you're in the mood to make it "real" Arlington Loop you can continue down the Rosslyn Hill past Roosevelt Island and return by coming up the same way you go out by the cemetery for an 18 miler.
Thirsty? There are plenty of water fountains around the loop, including some under the metro near the airport at mile 4.5, at the start of the W&OD at 7.2, at the corner of Custis at 11.2, and just past W&L at 13.3. We also may have post run drinks tomorrow (your SLR leader may have missed an email until this morning)!
Need a Bathroom? Like water fountains, there are some good options! There are plenty of portopotties at Gravelly Point at mile 3, though their cleanliness is always questionable. There are also some great ones at mile 10.6 near Bluemont park (both in the park and at the corner by the Caboose).
The next club race is the Women's Distance Festival and Run After the Women 5K on Sunday June 9th at Bon Air Park! We need plenty of volunteers for this and all our Bunion Derby races, so sign up today! The next club Happy Hour is this Thursday, May 23rd at 5:30 at Four Courts and we'll be giving out Snowball Series awards there!
Anna
SLR 14 Miles: Capital Crescent Out and Back
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Summer's grip eludes us for another week, so we'll be meeting at 8 AM tomorrow! With low 50s in the forecast and an absolutely gorgeous run on the schedule, there's no excuse not to show up (unless you're running a marathon in Belgium or something). Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be doing a classic out and back on the Capital Crescent trail (strava, gps, pdf), which if you read the cue sheets closely you'll notice has been part of our repertoire since back when the Capital Crescent wasn't even fully paved. If you've been paying attention to the route choices here at SLR HQ, I'm not really a big out-and-back person, but this is absolutely my exception (and I promise to try and put a few more in the schedule). The CCT is one of the best places to run in DC in the spring and my personal favorite part is the Dalecarlia Railroad Tunnel we'll hit around mile 5.3 (look out for the little shrine on the right side of the trail in the tunnel when you're going out)! The 14 mile route will turn around at River Road around the 4.5 MM on the trail, or whenever your watch beeps at 7 miles, whichever comes first ;).
Want Something Shorter? Out and backs are perfect for that! The half mile marks on the trail roughly correspond to mile marks, so for 12 miles turn at 5.5MM, 10 turn at 6.5 MM, and so on.
Need a Longer Route? Take these old train tracks up to Bethesda for any number of extra miles. Like shortening the route, for longer just go a mile marker further for every two miles you'd like to add (so 3.5MM for 16 and so on).
Thirsty? Great Scott! Thanks to Kate Scott for post-run drinks this week! We're still looking for a few more volunteers over the next few weeks for drinks, and of course all summer! There is also a water fountain at Fletcher's Boathouse at mile 3.5 and another couple along the CCT depending on how far you go out.
Need a Bathroom? Fletcher's is your best bet for bathrooms around mile 3.5. Otherwise there are some gas stations just off the CCT that may work out, but not a lot of other public options.
The next club race is the Women's Distance Festival and Run After the Women 5K on Sunday June 9th at Bon Air Park! We need plenty of volunteers for this and all our Bunion Derby races, so sign up today! The next club Happy Hour is May 23rd at 5:30 at Four Courts and we'll be giving out Snowball Series awards there.
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR - 14 Miles MBT Catholic
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
The heat is here, but we'll get a break for tomorrow so we'll keep our start time at 8 AM (and, again, you'll get a longer notice than the day before when we do switch). If you trust the Weather Channel, it'll be a bit of a washout, but if you're an Apple Weather person then there's very little chance of rain in the morning. So grab your rain jacket or at least be prepared for some puddles! Now let's get into it:
The Route: Do you like the MBT and Rock Creek Park and everything in between in? Well Catholic MBT (strava, gps, pdf) is the route for you! We'll head east along the Mall to the Capitol where we'll take a trek up the MBT before crossing the city and heading down Rock Creek Park to make a nice big loop. Check out the largest Catholic Church in North America while you're up there!
Want Something Shorter? The MBT makes for an easy out and back from 10 to 12 miles depending on where you turn around. Alternatively, looping the Capitol instead of going towards Union Station will give you a nice 9 mile route.
Need a Longer Route? For some extra hills and another big church, combine this route with Cathedral Clintons for a nearly exactly 18 miler (continue straight on Calvert Street and pick up Cathedral Clintons from there). I like to call that one Catholic Cathedral Clintons which is also a fun tongue twister. If you've had enough hills for one day, going north on the Rock Creek Trail instead of south gives you an easy way to add any number of miles.
Thirsty? The water fountains on the Mall are fully functional and lifesavers! The MBT also has water fountains at Eckington Dog Park at mile 5.8 and at mile 6.5 near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station. After the MBT there are limited water opportunities, so bring your own for the second half of the run! The one saving grace, however, is the water fountain at the start of the C&O canal near the canal boat is back on after being off since 2020!
Need a Bathroom? There are bathrooms at the Washington Monument and Union Station, as well as a few Starbucks and CVSs across the city that make for good options in a pinch.
The next club race is the Women's Distance Festival and Run After the Women 5K on Sunday June 9th at Bon Air Park! We need plenty of volunteers for this and all our Bunion Derby races, so sign up today! The next club Happy Hour is May 23rd at 5:30 at Four Courts and we'll be giving out Snowball Series awards there.
Happy Running!
Anna
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Upcoming Events
| May Happy Hour/Snowball Series Awards Ceremony Thu, May 23rd, 2024, @6:00pm |
| DCRRC Women's Distance Festival 5K and Run After the Women 5K Sun, Jun 9th, 2024, @8:00am |
| Book Club Sun, Jun 16th, 2024, @4:00pm |
| DCRRC Hugh Jascourt 4-Miler Fri, Jun 21st, 2024, @7:00pm |
| DCRRC Age Handicapped 4-Miler Thu, Jul 4th, 2024, @8:00am |
| DCRRC Bastille Day 4-Miler Sun, Jul 14th, 2024, @7:00pm |
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The DC Road Runners Club is a member of the Road Runners Club of America and is also affiliated with USA Track & Field. We provide a year-round schedule of running events that offer everyone a chance to participate regardless of age, gender, or athletic ability. |