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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 |
| 12/7 | 14 | Festivus Route | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 12/14 | 10 | Christmas Tree Run | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 12/21 | 15 | Holiday Card Lane | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 12/28 | 14 | Capital Crescent | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 1/4 | 12 | Pentagon Army Navy | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 1/11 | 14 | Ross Drive | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 1/18 | 16 | Arlington Loop | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 1/25 | 16 | Battery Kemble Loops | Cue Sheet & GPS |
SLR: 14 Miles Marymount Chain Bridge
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful Turkey Trot! Thank you to everyone who volunteered or raced at the Alexandria Turkey Trot. It was our largest event ever and a huge success for the club! It looks like tomorrow may be our first SLR of the season below freezing, so bundle up and get ready for some hills! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be going o'er hill and dale (emphasis on the hill) along Marymount Chain Bridge (strava, pdf, gpx). We'll start by heading up the Rosslyn Hill then up Military Road before making a left into Zachary Taylor Park (named for the president who may have died of cherry overdose). After this we'll continue the long climb to Marymount University, where we'll be treated to a fabulous downhill all the way to the canal. To hit 14, continue through Georgetown and return via the Memorial Bridge back to the park.
Want Something Shorter? For 12 miles, return over the Key Bridge instead of the Memorial Bridge. If you want even less mileage, continue straight on Military Road instead of going into Zachary Taylor Park continue up Military and make a right onto Old Glebe Road to head straight to the canal and follow the Chain Bridge Loop Route. This will get you 10 miles instead of 14 and a little less elevation gain!
Need a Longer Route? Continuing down to the 14th street bridge will get you an extra two miles for 16 if you come up via the cemetery. Continuing up through Rosslyn will get you an additional extra mile to make it 17. For more mileage than that, add an out and back going north on the canal for any number of miles.Â
Thirsty? There's a water fountain at the entrance of Zachary Taylor Park at mile 3.6 and another at the top of the hill at mile 4.6. Fort Ethan Allen Park (mile 6.6) also has a water fountain, though it's sometimes turned off and a bit off the beaten path. Last time I ran by, the Fletcher's Cove fountain was turned off, so don't bet on that one tomorrow morning. The Mall water fountains around Lincoln, however, were still functional, but no guarantees!
Need a Bathroom? There are almost always portopotties along Glebe Road in random yards, but in the winter those are less dependable. The bathrooms at Fletcher's Cove have been very dependable lately, however, so those are a good bet for tomorrow morning!
The next club race is the Gar William Half Marathon on December 3rd! Sign up here for the lowest-price half marathon in America and please consider volunteering if you're available! The Book Club will have its next meeting on December 17th and we're reading 26 Marathons by Meb Keflezighi, which is one of my absolute favorites!
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 16 Miles Battery Kemble
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
DC's never-ending autumn is, well, never-ending and it looks like we'll still have some beautiful fall colors this weekend. If you're traveling up the Northeast Corridor to Philadelphia for the races this weekend, it also looks like you'll be having excellent marathon conditions as well. Good luck to everyone racing! For those of us staying local, the weather looks great for mid-November, with temperatures in the low-40s and a little bit of sun. Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week in honor of Division I Cross Country Nationals, 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".
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 us 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.
Thirsty? There are water fountains at mile 3.3 and 12.4 at Fletcher's Cove Boathouse near the snack shack. There is also a water fountain at the turnaround on the CCT at miles 5 and 10.7. Steve Klug's "Two Weeks off After a Helluva Run in NYC Tour" will also be making a stop at the bottom of Battery Kemble park at miles 7 and 8.5 with mid-run drinks! Thanks Steve! We don't have any official volunteers for post-run drinks this week, but I believe Eunja is brining some leftovers. We also don't have any drink volunteers for any of the coming weeks, please volunteer! Or else!
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 the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! We're currently on pace to have the largest event in history, and you don't want to miss it! 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! Membership dues help pay for long run drinks, so sign up today then volunteer for those!
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 14 Miles Southeast DC
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Fall hasn't quite left us yet and we're looking at a nice morning tomorrow for a long run! Good luck to everyone racing Richmond (or anywhere else) this weekend! It's also that time of year where I start planning the next few months worth of long runs for the schedule, have a route you really want to see? Absolutely hate every time we run on that one part of the Mount Vernon trail near Roosevelt Island with the shakey bridges and want to avoid it at all cost? Want some more hills on our runs because gosh we just never do enough? Shoot me an email, find me before or after SLR, stalk me home to my apartment and nail a sign to my door with your 96 theses, and let me know what you want to run! 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, before heading to the Capitol via Pennsylvania and back to North Meade Park via the Mall. Pennsylvania Ave is also along the southern corner of Eastern Market, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this weekend!
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 full Anacostia 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 Steven Wido for post run drinks this week! We don't have any volunteers coming up (insert Bernie Sanders "I am once again asking" meme here). As far as drinks along the route go, the water fountains along the Mall are still turned on as of this week, but no guarantees that'll stay through the weekend. 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 Captiol 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 not just because they let me in the elite field)! 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! Your contributions pay for things like happy hours, low-key low-cost races, SLR drinks, and so much more to keep the club running smoothly.
Happy Running!
Anna
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Upcoming Events
| DCRRC Belle Haven 8K Sun, Jan 26th, 2025, @7:00am |
| Book Club Sun, Mar 16th, 2025, @4:00pm |
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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. |