July 18, 2005
Living in a Runner's Paradise
Any D.C. resident who has put on a pair of running shoes and ventured out his or her front door knows that Washington is one of the best cities for runners. The editors of Runner's World magazine agree. In a recent article on MSN, Washington is ranked the fifth best city for running.
According to the editors:
Yes, the capital leads our 25 cities in percentage of park area, but local runners get pumped by variety, not acreage. You want historical? Do the Mall run. Need hill work? Head to Rock Creek Park. Crave rustic and residential? There's the three-mile Glover Archibald Park, with woods, gardens, creeks -- and a finish in swanky Georgetown.
Variety is right. Running routes crisscross the city and suburbs. Each weekend, multiple road races take place on area streets and trails. And numerous running clubs and stores give runners a place to train and socialize.
Many D.C. runners are currently training for some of the area's popular late summer and fall races (all of which filled up their available slots in a matter of days), such as the Annapolis 10-Miler, the Army 10-Miler, and the Marine Corps Marathon. This year's Marine Corps Marathon nearly doubled the size of its field to 30,000 runners, in honor of the race's 30th anniversary, and still filled up in fewer than three days. But there are also some smaller-scale races that we here at DCist are partial to, including the DC Road Runners Club National Capital 20 Miler, the Capitol Hill Classic 10K, the St. Patrick's Day 10K, the always-inspiring National Race for the Cure, and the D.C. Road Runner's Club Turkey Trot 5 mile race.
Where do you get your run on, readers?
|
The annual (April) GW Parkway Classic is a great 10-mile run from Mt. Vernon to Old Town Alexandria. It's not widely publicized and is always far less crowded than the Cherry Blossom or Army ten milers.
The Alexandria Run vs. Row 8K is usually a fun race to do in the early spring - the weather is still pretty cool and great for running. This year's Scope It Out 5K for Colon Cancer was a fun race around Haines Point . . . the highlight was the after race munchies supplied by Whole Foods . . . I've never seen such a tasty spread for a race!
For training, my husband usually runs along the Potomac, starting in Rosslyn and going along the Parkway to the Airport and back. I usually do a couple of circuits around one of the Rec Centers near our house, or accompany my husband on his runs. We are both training for the Army Ten Miler this year, and he is also signed up this year's Marine Corps Marathon.
My wife and I live in Mt. Rainier, Md. We cross train on the Northwest/Northeast bike trail. It's one of the best-kept secrets in the Washington area. Three miles up to Lake Artemesia, along scenic Anacostia Tributary, and such communities as Hamilton Park, Fletcher's Field Park, Riverdale Community Park, and others. Most of the route is shaded. In the opposite direction, towards Montgomery County, are seven miles of bike/run trails. All of this inside the Beltway.
Thanks for covering DC running and passing on so much info. Not sure I like the style of repeatedly hotlinking consecutive words in a sentence to various sites though. At least in this reader's opinion, it's distracting and a bit overused. But again, thanks for writing! And my own personal tip is for runners looking to do more hill workouts, try some of the secondary roads farther up in Rock Creek Park, like Ross Drive, or head out to North Arlington between North Glebe and the Potomac, around Chain Bridge.
One of the toughest things about writing the post (and yet another wonderful thing about running in DC) is that there are so many choices and so much information out there! Thanks for your comment about the links; it's something to keep in mind for the future.
The Lorcom Lane/Military Road/Chain Bridge loop through North Arlington is one of my favorite runs, despite the killer hills. I'm also a big fan of the four-mile bridge loop lunchtime run, crossing the Key Bridge and Memorial Bridge.
Meridian Hill Park has always been my favorite run. It's small, and requires multiple laps (or you can just use it as your midway point), but it's gorgeous and good for cross-training: it has stairs, slopes, and a flat soccer pitch.
I dig running through the zoo in the evening. "hey there Mr. Elephant, hello there Giraffe," as I run by them all.