The 2024 John F. Kennedy (JFK) 20K and Martin Luther King (MLK) 5K races will be held January 13th. This year, the races will start and finish in Carderock and will be out-and-back courses on the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath. The 20K will count as the fourth DC Road Runners Snowball Series race.

Race Directors: Robert and Ida Draim

Distance and course: This races will feature both a 20K and a 5K on the C&O Towpath.  The 20K course will be an out-and-back from Carderock to just past Chain Bridge.  The 5K course will be an out-and-back from Carderock to just past the I-495 Beltway overpass.  Certified courses, click here for map.

Event Schedule:

8:00am -- Onsite check-in begins
9:00am -- 5K Start
9:45am -- Awards for 5K
10:00am -- 20K Start
11:45am -- Awards Presentation begins for 20K Overall Winners 

Registration and Fees:

Please Register online before the race. There will be no race day registrations. Online registration will close at 7:00 P.M. on January 12th. You may register for either race or for both in a single transaction.

Online advance registration through 7 PM the day before the race:

$0 for club members

$10 for non-members

List of participants: check this list to see if you are registered.  Our email confirmations sometimes end up in your spam folder.  This list serves as alternate confirmation of your registration.

If you signed up for the race and can no longer run please email races@dcroadrunners.org to inform us of your cancelation.  There will be no refund for canceling but you will open up a spot for a fellow runner.

Refund Policy:  We have a strict no refund, no transfer and no deferral policy on all of our low key races.  However, in the event we are forced to cancel this race due to weather or other unforeseen events we will make every attempt to reschedule this race on another date.  In this event, your registration would automatically carry over to the new date.  If you are unable to run this new date or we are unable to find a new date for the race we will grant you free entry into another of our low key races in which room is available.

Volunteers: We always need additional help in putting on these races. Please sign up here, if you (or a family member who is accompanying you to the race) can assist.

Directions: Take the Capital Beltway (I-495), to the Clara Barton Parkway headed west, outside the beltway.  Make a right on the first exit which is for both Carderock and the Naval Surface Warfare Center (Carderock Division). Turn left at the stop sign at the top of the ramp to cross the parkway. After passing under the canal, turn left for parking in the lot closest to DC.  If the lot is full, please turn right and use one of the other parking lots.  Or follow this link for Google map and directions.

Timing: This race is timed using the Chronotrack timing system.

Awards:  Prizes will be given out to the top 3 overall men and women.  Also, 1st place Masters man and woman.

Stroller and Dog Policy:  This race is held on a fairly narrow public trail.  In addition to the many race participants this trail also remains open to the public for use by walkers, runners and bicyclers.  As such, dogs and strollers are prohibited on this particular course.

Headphone Policy:  The use of headphones is strongly discouraged at all DCRR Club races.

NPS Race Rules:  These races take place in the National Park Service's jurisdiction.  Please familiarize yourself and comply with our NPS Race Rules.