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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 |
| 4/5 | 14 | Marymount Chain Bridge | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 4/12 | 12 | Pentagon Army Navy | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 4/19 | 13 | Cathedral Clintons | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 4/26 | 18 | National Arboretum | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/3 | 12 | Potomac Overlook Loops | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/10 | 13 | Southeast DC | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/17 | 16 | Around the World in Fourteen Miles | Cue Sheet & GPS | 62 Embassies! New Route! |
| 5/24 | 14 | Ross Drive | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/31 | 15 | Long Bridge Park | Cue Sheet & GPS |
SLR: 12 Miles Bluemont L Loop
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Good luck to everyone racing Philly (or any other races, it's that time of year after all) this weekend! And congrats to everyone who ran Richmond (which I somehow missed last weekend). No snow in the forecast tomorrow and the rain should end overnight. Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be avoiding downtown and any bridges with a classic Bluemont L Loop ( strava, gps, pdf). We'll start by heading up to Ballston via Wilson Boulevard then heading down the Bluemont Trail to the W&OD. From here we'll head west until making a right onto the Custis trail, which we'll follow down to the Mount Vernon Trail, under the Memorial Bridge, and back to the park via the 110 Trail, making a bubble letter L if you squint your head the right way.
Want Something Shorter?Instead of heading onto the Bluemont Trail, take a right on Glebe Road and follow Custis back to the park for about 9 miles instead of 12. Another way to cut off some distance and miss some of the hills is to turn at Lynn Street back into Rosslyn instead of going on the Mount Vernon Trail. This will also net you a little over 9 miles.
Need a Longer Route?An out and back along the W&OD or Mount Vernon Trail makes it easy to get some more mileage. You can also make this a modified Arlington Loop, swapping Bluemont for Custis, which will get you some good mileage (though be careful along the bridges on the W&OD tomorrow morning, they get slick in the rain and slicker in the cold).
Thirsty?The water fountains along the W&OD and Custis generally stay on all winter and they're a dependable source for the morning. Check them out at the corner of the W&OD and Custis and along Custis right after Ballston!
Need a Bathroom? The ones along the W&OD should be closing momentarily (if anyone knows the date off the top of their head let me know! Usually it's mid-November to mid-March). Sometimes you can get lucky with a portopotty, but otherwise there are plenty of Starbucks along Wilson that I've used many times in a pinch.
The next club race is the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! This one of my favorite races in the region and could be one of yours too! We also need a tremendous amount of volunteers to keep this race running smoothly, so please consider helping out either race morning or the week before with packet pickup if you're in the area for the holiday! DCRR Memberships expire on November 30th! Renew yours today, tell your friends to renew theirs, and have them tell their friends to renew theirs! The Book Club meets on December 8th and we're reading one of my favorite books of all time, Bravey by Alexi Pappas! Start turning those pages now and come out for good conversation and better desserts.
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 14 Miles Southeast DC
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
We've seamlessly slipped from fall into the start of winter, but the weather tomorrow should be great! Come out to SLR before heading to watch your favorite women's soccer team (heck, we've got a route that goes right by the stadium for a pit stop at Solace). Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be treated to a nice tour of the Wharf and the southern portion of the Anacostia Riverwalk as we take on Southeast DC (strava, gps, pdf). We'll head into the city via the Memorial Bridge, head down L'Enfant Plaza and through the Wharf to get to the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge (new and improved as of a few years ago), make our way up the Anacostia Riverwalk and across the Sousa Bridge (named for the inventor of the Sousaphone), before heading to the Capitol via Pennsylvania and back to North Meade Park via the Mall. The easiest way to make sure you take the right bridge is to look for the Pirate Ship Playground. That's your cue to turn and head over the bridge immediately after it.
Want Something Shorter? Coming back across the 11th Street Bridge and heading back via M Street will get you around 12.5 miles instead of the normal 14. There's also the option to take the metro back ($2 on weekends!) from a number of stations including Potomac Ave, Eastern Market, Capitol South, and Smithsonian!
Need a Longer Route? The Anacostia Riverwalk is great for adding additional mileage (and is super flat too if you need a workout)! For 18 miles, consider doing the fullAnacostia Riverwalk Loop. Another option for around 16 miles is to take the East Capitol Street Bridge back across the river and continue down East Capitol Street all the way to the Capitol to head back.
Thirsty? Thanks to Erik Price for post-run drinks tomorrow! As far as drinks along the route go, the water fountains along the Mall are (somehow!) still turned on as of this week, but if you depend on them they will certainly be turned off. Other than that there is a fairly dependable fountain near the pirate ship playground at mile 7.7 that is a good bet.
Need a Bathroom? Along the Mall you'll find the usual selection at the Washington Monument. There are also some very well-positioned ones also at 7.7 near the playground. Otherwise along Pennsylvania Ave. there are a lot of restaurants and shops that generally will let you use their restrooms if you ask nicely. My personal favorite restrooms are the ones in Capitol Hill Books in the foreign language section.
The next club race is the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! This one of my favorite races in the region and could be one of yours too! We also need a tremendous amount of volunteers to keep this race running smoothly, so please consider helping out either race morning or the week before with packet pickup if you're in the area for the holiday! DCRR Memberships expire on November 30th! Renew yours today, tell your friends to renew theirs, and have them tell their friends to renew theirs! The Book Club meets on December 8th and we're reading one of my favorite books of all time, Bravey by Alexi Pappas! Start turning those pages now and come out for good conversation and better desserts.
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 12 Miles Piney Branch
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Looks like another perfect fall day tomorrow, with temperatures in the high 40s to start. We'll be hitting up Rock Creek Park to soak in the last few days of fall. Come out, catch some leaves, and for everyone tapering we've only got 12 miles on the docket! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be exploring the somewhat newly renovated Piney Branch (strava, pdf, gps). I like to think of Piney Branch as the cooler younger sister of Ross Ridge: she goes out in Dupont Circle, runs through the gorgeous Meridian Hill Park, and then comes back down Rock Creek just like her big sister. We'll get a nice taste of fall with plenty of opportunities for extra mileage if you're still in the thick of marathon training.
Want Something Shorter? Aside from the usual out and back option, another way to shorten this route to around 8 miles is to take a left onto Connecticut Ave at Dupont Circle and follow it to Calvert Street. Take a left on Calvert and an immediate left on Shorham Drive to go into Rock Creek Park and continue along the RCP Trail as the original route states.
Need a Longer Route? My personal favorite way to add onto this that isn't "out and back on the canal" is to take a right instead of a left when you get into Rock Creek Park and add on a Ross-Ridge loop to make this route 17 miles. Otherwise, just adding on to get to Pierce Mill is another option for a few more miles!
Thirsty? Unfortunately the only option for water on this route is the fountain at the Lincoln Memorial around mile 1.7. This route does not go all the way to Pierce Mill, so unless you want to add on some miles there is no water in Rock Creek Park. The fountains at Meridian Hill Park are also not turned on (and neither is the cascading fountain for that matter). This is all to say: please bring water tomorrow!
Need a Bathroom? Those are also a bit few and far between tomorrow. There are some portopotties that may be available at the Lincoln Memorial depending on the construction. The Dupont Circle CVS is also a good bet in a pinch at mile 3.5. Otherwise there are plenty of businesses on 16th street that may be available, but your mileage may very.
Have Questions About Your Heart? Thanks to SLR regular Mark Bourgeois, DCRR is hosting a Q&A session with Dr. Ankit Shah, a nationally recognized sports cardiologist who has completed a dedicated fellowship in sports cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University. Wondering why your doctor always looks concerned at your low heart rate until you explain "well I'm a runner..."? Curious what all those HR measures on your watch really mean and should you actually pay attention to them? Well you'll be able to ask all that and more this Tuesday November 12th from 6-7 PM virtually on zoom here.
The next club race is the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! This one of my favorite races in the region and could be one of yours too! We also need a tremendous amount of volunteers to keep this race running smoothly, so please consider helping out either race morning or the week before with packet pickup if you're in the area for the holiday! DCRR Memberships expire on November 30th! Renew yours today, tell your friends to renew theirs, and have them tell their friends to renew theirs!
Happy Running!
Anna
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Upcoming Events
| Lancer 5K Sat, Apr 26th, 2025, @8:00am |
| Kenmore PTSA 5K Sat, May 10th, 2025, @8:00am |
| Jamestown 5K Sat, May 17th, 2025, @8:00am |
| Hero Dogs 5K9 Sat, May 17th, 2025, @8:00am |
| Women's Distance Festival and Run After The Women Sun, Jun 8th, 2025, @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. |