Iwo Jima Memorial

Welcome! This is the home of the world-famous (well, maybe locally well-known) SLR.

Our start time is at 8:00 AM for the rest of the year. 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
3/23 12 Water Route - Cherry Blossoms!! Cue Sheet & GPS  Jerry M. 
3/30 14 Southeast DC Cue Sheet & GPS  Jerry M.
4/6 15 Iron Triangle Cue Sheet & GPS Mid: Brian Y.
Post: Erik P.
4/13 14 Long Bridge Park Cue Sheet & GPS  
4/20 12 Piney Branch Cue Sheet & GPS  
4/27 18 Arboretum - Azaleas!! Cue Sheet & GPS  

SLR: 12 Miles Bluemont L Loop

Written by Anna Staats

Friday, 01 December 2023 10:46

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

Good luck to everyone racing Valencia and CIM this weekend! I always think of this as the last weekend of fall marathons and want to congratulate everyone for a fantastic, inspiring, and all-around wonderful training cycle. December comes with lots of DCRR Holiday celebrations and SLR is no exception, so keep on the lookout for those in the coming weeks! We'll break our cold spell tomorrow with temperatures in the mid-40s and high humidity, so don't forget to bring water! Now let's get into it:

The Route: This week we'll be embarking on what might be the most popular loop (at least parts of it) in the Northern Virginia Area: the Bluemont L Loop (strava, gps, pdf). From unicylists to people going on their singular training run of the year before the turkey trot they forgot they signed up for to folks training for the Olympic Trials to that one guy who rucks in shorts and a t-shirt no matter the temperature, a million lives play out along the Custis-W&OD-Bluemont corridor every year. We'll head up Wilson Boulevard to the Bluemont Trail and take that down to the W&OD. From there we will make a right onto the Custis trail and enjoy the rolling downhills all the way to the Memorial Bridge before heading back up to the park.

Want Something Shorter? One of my personal favorite aspects of this loop is the fact that you can make it so many different distances! For 10 miles, take a right on North Lynn Street when you reach Rosslyn and avoid the dreaded cemetery hill. For 7 miles, continue straight at the corner of Fairfax and onto the Ballston Connector trail, then take a right on Custis and follow that down to North Lynn Street.

Need a Longer Route? The easiest way to add mileage is an out and back on the W&OD, either going South or North (or both if you want to really spice up your morning)! Otherwise crossing the Key Bridge into DC and taking Memorial back will give you a little more scenic views for a little over a mile extra. You can also add a loop of Roosevelt Island for around a mile and a half extra!

Thirsty? The freeze proof fountains have done their jobs this week and we've got a few great options for water along the route. There is a great fountain at mile 5 at the corner of the W&OD and Custis trails, another good option just after that if you miss it along the Custis connector, and another at mile 7 along Custis. Last I checked the Roosevelt Island fountain was still functioning at mile 9.8, but no guarantees on that one. Thanks to Jack for post run drinks, and good luck to him in his third marathon (or ultra) in the past six weeks on Sunday!

Need a Bathroom? I checked this morning and although the ones at Bluemont Park are locked, the ones at mile 4.5 near the tennis courts are open! There are also portopotties at Roosevelt Island at 9.8, but those are generally unmaintained and get pretty gross.

The next club race is the Gar Williams Half Marathon on Sunday December 3rd! We've got enough volunteers, but still need plenty for the Bread Run next weekend on December 10th. The Bread Run is my favorite race of the year and what I have many times referred to as the perfect club race. Don't forget to grab your recipe ingredients when you grocery shop this week! The book club will also be meeting on December 17th and this quarter we're reading 26 Marathons by Meb Keflezighi, who once autographed a piece of notebook paper for me before the USATF Half Marathon Championships, among his other achievements like winning both New York and Boston. Memberships also expired yesterday! Renew yours today!

Happy Running!

Anna

 

SLR: 14 Miles Marymount Chain Bridge

Written by Anna Staats

Friday, 24 November 2023 10:29

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

Written by Anna Staats

Friday, 17 November 2023 10:44

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

 

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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.