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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 |
| 12/6 | 14 | Festivus Run | GPS & PDF |
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| 12/13 | 10 | Christmas Tree Run | GPS & PDF | |
| 12/20 | 15 | Holiday Card Lane | GPS & PDF | |
| 12/27 | 14 | Capital Crescent Trail OaB | GPS & PDF | |
| 1/3 | 14 | Southeast DC | GPS & PDF | |
| 1/10 | 16 | Battery Kemble Loops | GPS & PDF | |
| 1/17 | 12 | Cathedral Clintons | GPS & PDF | |
| 1/24 | 12 | Pentagon Army Navy | GPS & PDF | |
| 1/31 | 14 | Ross Drive | GPS & PDF |
SLR: 14 Miles Southeast DC
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Happy New Year! Kick off your 2026 with a long run tomorrow morning for a nice tour of one of my favorite parts of DC. Bundle up, though, it's going to be brisk out there in the morning. 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 (named for the inventor of the Sousaphone), before heading to the Capitol via Pennsylvania and back to North Meade Park via the Mall. The easiest way to make sure you take the right bridge is to look for the Pirate Ship Playground. That's your cue to turn and head over the bridge immediately after it!
Want Something Shorter? Coming back across the 11th Street Bridge (a severely underrated DC bridge in my humble opinion) 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 ($2.50 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? As far as drinks along the route go, the freeze proof fountains on the Mall have shown some promise, but if you depend on them they will certainly be turned off. 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 and Lincoln Memorial. 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 Capitol Hill Books in the law section (they moved the foreign language section out of the restroom).
The next club race is the ever-popular Al Lewis 10 Mile and 5 Mile on Hains Point next Sunday 1/11. If you hate running loops of Hains (and let's be honest, who doesn't?) we need a lot of volunteers to make sure this race goes smoothly, help out today!
Happy Running!
Anna
14 Miles Capital Crescent OaB
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Let this e-mail be an excellent reminder of what day of the week it is, as time has now ceased to exist between Christmas and New Years. To the five of you who are still in DC, come out tomorrow morning for a nice run along the CCT, for everyone else, enjoy your last SLR of the year, no matter where it takes you! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be doing a classic out and back on the Capital Crescent Trail (strava, pdf), which if you read the cue sheets closely you'll notice has been part of our repertoire since back when the Capital Crescent wasn't even fully paved. If you've been paying attention to the route choices here at SLR HQ, I'm not really a big out-and-back person, but this is always my exception (because it's all uphill on the way out and mentally that makes this a loop). The recommended mileage for the week is 14, which puts our turnaround at the bridge at River Road or really just when your watch says 7 miles (whichever comes first).
Want Something Shorter? Out and backs are perfect for that! The half mile marks on the trail roughly correspond to mile marks, so for 12 miles turn at 5.5MM, 10 turn at 6.5 MM, and so on.
Need a Longer Route? Take these old train tracks up to Bethesda for any number of extra miles. Like shortening the route, for longer just go a mile marker further for every two miles you'd like to add (so 2.5MM for 18 and so on). The Big Loop is also a great option if you're looking for something over 20 and are also not a huge fan of Out and Backs!
Thirsty? There is a water fountain at Fletcher's Boathouse at mile 3.5 and another couple along the CCT depending on how far you go out, my favorite is the one right before (on the way out) the big railroad tunnel, which is a great point to regroup after the worst of the hill.
Need a Bathroom? Fletcher's is your best bet for bathrooms around mile 3.5. Otherwise there are some gas stations just off the CCT that may work out, but not a lot of other public options.
The next club race is the Predicitons and Resolutions 5K at noon on New Years Day! We need some more volunteers, so if your New Years resolution doesn't involve a 5K, make it involve volunteering more with the club!
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 14.5 Miles Holiday Card Lane
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
I think it's supposed to be 20 degrees colder tomorrow morning than it is today, so enjoy the sunshine and warmth while it lasts! Get prepared to bundle up once again tomorrow, winter is here for a while. Now let's get into it:
The Route: A new addition to our repertoire two years ago that no one has complained too much about yet is Holiday Card Lane (strava, gps, pdf). Which takes us down to Del Rey's famous Holiday Card Lane, a neighborhood tradition where people paint giant holiday cards and put them in their front lawns along East Luray and East Alexandria. We’ll head down to Del Rey via Commonwealth Ave. (which may look familiar if you’ve run the Turkey Trot) and then back up to North Meade Park via the Mount Vernon Trail. Rumor has it Miss Cindy Lou Hoo (occasional SLR host Nate's) adorable new dog will be making an appearance, which is absolutely worth the mileage. Head's up, this route is honestly pretty smack in the middle of 14 and 15 miles (14.6 if you follow the strava route exactly), so if you're an even-mileage fiend be prepared for either a little walk back or a couple loops around Iwo Jima.
Want Something Shorter? To see the cards, but avoid all the miles you can hop over to Potomac Ave Metro for about 9.5-10 miles. Crystal City (11 miles) is another great option for the metro as well. Otherwise for a 12 miler, follow Pentagon Army Navy like normal (and miss the cards), or switch to a shorter out and back for even less mileage.
Need a Longer Route? Continuing down Commonwealth will take you into Alexandria, where you can hop back on the Mount Vernon trail to add on some mileage without doing an out and back. Otherwise add on along the Four Mile Run or the Mount Vernon trail for any number of extra miles!
Thirsty? It's winter, which means most fountains are turned off, but this should be the last year of that, as FotMVT hit their fundraising goal and are bringing new fountains to the Mount Vernon Trail! Bring some water (and hope it doesn't freeze)! In a pinch I believe the fountains at Highlands Park in Crystal City are turned on all year, but that's not a gamble I'd take.
Need a Bathroom? The bathrooms at Gravelly Point aren’t the best option, but are always an option in a pinch. Otherwise Virginia Highlands Park also has bathrooms that should be open. There are a host of restaurants and rec centers in Del Rey that also may take pity on you. Nate's apartment is a little of the beaten path, but I'm sure he'd let you in if you want more dog pets.Â
The next club race is the Predicitons and Resolutions 5K at noon on January 1st! Start your year off right with a race on Custis, so that every 5K for the rest of the year you can say "at least I didn't have to run on Custis". Better yet, volunteer to help out, we need at least 7 more for this race. Happy Holidays and I hope everyone has a wonderful SLR wherever they are!
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. |