Marine Corps Marathon

Each year in late October, more than 30,000 people pound along the pavements of Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia, up one bank of the Potomac and back down the other, for the Marine Corps Marathon. That number makes the event the fifth-largest marathon in the country and the tenth-largest in the world. Unlike the others, though, it offers no prize money and therefore attracts no or very few professional runners–so amateurs can and do win. In 2008, for example, the men’s and women’s titles were both taken by first-time marathoners.

If you want to run in the event, you need to plan for it early. Registration opens at the beginning of April and the race sells out in about two weeks. It’s much easier to join the 150,000 spectators: just station yourself anywhere along the way. The race starts at Route 110 in Arlington, then makes a four-mile circuit through neighboring Rosslyn before returning to the Potomac and crossing the Key Bridge into Georgetown. It follows the C&O Canal upriver, then loops back around the Georgetown Reservoir and descends with the river all the way to Hains Point in East Potomac Park. Then it’s back up to the Jefferson Memorial, around the Tidal Basin to the Lincoln Memorial, and around the National Mall, all the way to the Capitol and back as far as the Washington Monument. There the course turns south, recrosses the Potomac over the 14th Street Bridge, and finishes with a few turns through Crystal City.

All along the course you can see live music, mostly high school marching bands, with a few bluegrass and percussion acts mixed in. In the days before the race, visit the Marine Corps Marathon Health and Fitness Expo at the D.C. Armory to see over 200 vendors of running gear, food, and other merchandise—and to belly up to the Experts Bar, where sports medicine doctors and other running experts dispense advice in two-hour shifts.

Travel Tips

This year’s race will take place on Sunday, October 30th, 2011. The best places to watch the race are those where you’ll see runners coming and going. These include Georgetown University, near mile markers 5 and 8; the Lincoln Memorial, near mile markers 10 and 16; the Jefferson Memorial, near mile markers 15 and 20; and the finish line at the Iwo Jima Memorial, just shy of mile marker 1. For a complete course map and more recommended viewing locations, visit www.marinemarathon.com.

Additional Marine Corps Marathon Weekend Events

Health and Fitness Expo by GE
The 2011 Health and Fitness Expo by GE will be held at the DC Armory in Washington, DC, over three days:
Thursday, October 27 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friday, October 28 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 29 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Healthy Kids Fun Run
The annual Marine Corps Marathon Healthy Kids Fun Run will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2011 in the Pentagon North Parking Lot in Arlington, VA. Children ages 5-12 will participate in the one-mile just-for-fun event. All participants receive a t-shirt, medal and snacks at the finish line.