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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 until next summer! 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 |
| 12/6 | 14 | Festivus Run | GPS & PDF |
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| 12/13 | 10 | Christmas Tree Run | GPS & PDF | |
| 12/20 | 15 | Holiday Card Lane | GPS & PDF | |
| 12/27 | 14 | Capital Crescent Trail OaB | GPS & PDF | |
| 1/3 | 14 | Southeast DC | GPS & PDF | |
| 1/10 | 16 | Battery Kemble Loops | GPS & PDF | |
| 1/17 | 12 | Cathedral Clintons | GPS & PDF | |
| 1/24 | 12 | Pentagon Army Navy | GPS & PDF | |
| 1/31 | 14 | Ross Drive | GPS & PDF |
SLR: 12 Miles Pentagon Army-Navy
Happy Friday, SLR crew:
I'm sure we all know by now of the impending winter storm. We will avoid the snow, but the forecast in the morning is the low teens with windchill near and below zero.
Put briefly:
This weather is dangerous. There is a clear risk of frostbite.
I am still going to be there tomorrow, because both the historical bar for canceling SLR is very high, and because I know some of you sickos are going to be out there regardless.
The route is Pentagon Army-Navy (strava, gps, pdf).
So, here are my main tips for surviving:
- Cover everything. And I mean everything. If you are running longer than 45-60 minutes, any exposed skin is at risk of frostbite and let me tell you it sucks.
- I strongly recommend carrying your phone and a metro card in case you need to bail out. Pentagon City, Crystal City, and Potomac Yard are all along the route. I would take a mental note of where they are.
- There is going to be a hard freeze overnight. If it looks like ice, it's ice. If you can't avoid it, penguin walk over it.
- Bridges are more likely to be frozen. Take particular care on the overpasses of the exit ramps to National.
- There is no shame in running on the treadmill and enjoying your soccer game of choice.
Stay safe.
-Nate
SLR: 12 Miles Cathedral Clintons
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Well, it'll be warmer tomorrow morning than it was today, which I suppose is a win all things considered. Bundle up, though, because it looks like tomorrow's near-freezing temperatures will actually be some of the warmest we'll have for morning runs over the next week. Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be heading up Rock Creek Park and up (and up and up) Calvert and Cleveland to Cathedral Clintons (strava, gps, pdf). After trudging uphill for seemingly the entire run, we'll be treated to the best downhill in DC (as voted by me, this morning while writing this) along Massachusetts Avenue along Embassy Row and past the White House back to the park. If you've been coming to SLR for a while, this is a slightly different route than we used to take for Cathedral Clintons and cuts out the trail that everyone used to get lost on (and how the Clintons portion of the route got its name).
Want Something Shorter? Take a right on 22nd Street and then another right on M Street to cut this down from a 12 miler to a 10 miler and skip a bit of the stop-and-go of running through the city. Otherwise a shorter out and back in Rock Creek Park is the way to go!
Need a Longer Route? Heading down the Mall towards Capitol Hill might get you pushed by the wind this weekend, but will also get you a few more miles. Running along the Mount Vernon Trail to get back to the park instead of the Cemetery will also tack on an extra mile.
Thirsty? Water is few and far between on this route, so be sure to bring your own. I've been diligently checking the "freeze proof" fountains on the Mall and all have been turned off for the season unfortunately.
Need a Bathroom? Those are also limited. There are usually some portopotties in people's yards for construction along Cleveland. There are also the reliable-yet-disgusting bathrooms at the Washington Monument, which are great options in a pinch! The Lincoln Memorial's construction project may be a bit of an eye sore, but it does come with nice standalone bathrooms across the street towards Ohio Drive which are wonderful!
Our Spring Training Programs, targeting the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and Rock n' Roll Half Marathon, kick off this Saturday! We've been working on some awesome seminars for the programs this winter and the entire program is only $35 for members (which basically evens out to the cost of the sweet merch you'll get as part of the program).
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 15 Miles Battery Kemble Park Loops
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
I thought about switching out this route due to the forecasted rain tomorrow, but realized everyone was just going to run an out and back on the CCT anyways. If you'd like to brave the trails in the rain I've outlined that below, but please be careful as it will likely be slick. Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be treated to some trails and hills as we head up to Battery Kemble Park (strava, gps, pdf). To get there, we'll cross the Key Bridge and head up the Capital Crescent Trail and over to Potomac Ave past the Washington Aqueduct and up the very steep Chain Bridge Road Hill into the park. Historically, there have been some issues with off-leash dogs along the trail here, so please be careful and watch out for dogs that are "so friendly" and "just want to play". Note the cue sheet for this route says 16 miles, which assumes two loops of the park. We're calling it 15 here at SLR HQ for only one loop (because let's be honest, after one time up the Chain Bridge Road Hill you probably won't want another). This is also a great route for everyone who wants to "just do an out and back on the CCT" every week. Just stay straight instead of turning up the trail and take this old railroad line all the way to Bethesda!
Want Something Shorter? This is one of my favorite routes because there are so many ways to change the distance for it and still get to run in some really neat places! For about 14 miles, instead of taking the small out and back to the water fountain on the CCT, go straight up to the park and back. For even less (around 12.5 miles), take a left on Potomac Ave instead of a right when coming back down from Battery Kemble. There is a small trail at the end of the street (which I refer to as "Mark B's Trail", because he's the one who first introduced me to it). This takes you down to the bridge on the CCT and is a great way to get all the sights of the route without as much of the mileage. If 12.5 is still to much, take a left on McArthur Boulevard instead of a right and run straight down MacArthur back to the Key Bridge and cross for 11 miles. Both the 12.5 and 11 mile options skip the out and back on the CCT like the 14 mile option.
Need a Longer Route? We need more loops, Batman! Each additional loop of Battery Kemble Park will add an extra 1.3 miles to your run (and about 175 feet of climbing). If you want something flatter, an out and back on either the canal or the CCT is a great bet (though calling the CCT up in Maryland flat is a bit of a hard sell).
Thirsty? There are water fountains at mile 3.3 and 12.4 at Fletcher's Cove Boathouse that were turned off last time I ran through, but the bathrooms have running water. There is also a water fountain at the turnaround on the CCT at miles 5 and 10.7, which is actually turned on as of late December.
Need a Bathroom? The bathrooms at Fletcher's Cove at miles 3.3 and 12.4 are your best options along this route. There have also historically been some along Potomac Ave with random home improvement projects, but those aren't a guarantee.
The next club race is Sunday's Al Lewis 10 Miler and 5 Miler on Hains Point. We're not desperate for volunteers for this one anymore (thanks to everyone who signed up!) but we can always use more if youre in the mood to help out!
Happy Running!
Anna
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Upcoming Events
| DCRRC Valentine's 5K Sun, Feb 8th, 2026, @8:00am |
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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. |