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Welcome! This is the home of the world-famous (well, maybe locally well-known) SLR.
Our start time is at 7:00 AM for the remainder of the 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 |
| 5/31 | 15 | Long Bridge Park | Cue Sheet & GPS | Post: Eric Price |
| 6/7 | 13 | Iron Triangle | Cue Sheet & GPS | Post: Chris Walsh |
| 6/14 | 12 | Custis - W&OD | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 6/21 | 14 | Capital Crescent OaB | Cue Sheet & GPS | Post: Kate Scott Mid: Alan Dixon |
| 6/28 | 13 | Marymount Chain Bridge | Cue Sheet & GPS | Post: Kate Scott |
| 7/5 | 14 | MBT - Catholic | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 7/12 | 12 | RFK | Cue Sheet & GPS | Mid: Ben Richter |
| 7/19 | 14 | Ross Drive | Cue Sheet & GPS | Post: Kate Scott |
| 7/26 | 14 | Capital Crescent OaB | Cue Sheet & GPS | Post: Kate Scott |
SLR: 12 Miles Custis-W&OD
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Sorry about the last minute route change, after reviewing the Army's 250th Road Closure Route, I believe Custis-W&OD is (quite literally) our only option for tomorrow morning. I'll still be standing on the rock at 7 AM, but please note that traffic into and out of and all around DC this weekend will be a nightmare, so plan your long runs accordingly (if you're staying home tomorrow, enjoy the morning!). If you need route recommendations for where you're at, feel free to drop me an e-mail (though I'm sure you know your neighborhood better than I do). Now let's get into it:
The Route: We're heading out to Falls Church and back again for a classic Custis - W&OD (strava, gpx, pdf) run! We'll head down Lynn and up Custis (which thus far seems like it should be okay for closures, if not we'll go up Wilson and cut over to Custis in Courthouse). We'll hit the Custis hills before heading down the W&OD just into Falls Church before turning around and doing the whole thing over again.
Want Something Shorter or Longer? Well you're in luck, out and backs make that super easy. Just head out however long you'd like, make a U-Turn, and come straight back. For a little bit of novelty on the way back, make a bird loop out of Bluemont, which will get you roughly the same amount of miles, but will spare you from a pure out and back route.
Thirsty? This route is plentiful for water, including fountains along Custis, at the corner of Custis and the W&OD, and just past the five mile mark of the W&OD.
Need a Bathroom? Similarly, there are plenty along the way. The W&L ones at the track should be open for the summer in the morning, but those are the only ones I'd call a bit of a gamble tomorrow, otherwise the portopotty at the soccer fields just past mile 5 of the W&OD will definitely be there!
The next club Happy Hour is June 19th at 6 PM at Four Courts! We'll be handing out snowball series awards, come out and congratulate our winners! Back by popular demand: the New Balance store is once again open for business! Look fast all fall and contact Steve Klug with questions!
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 15 Miles Iron Triangle
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Sorry for the route change, it's due to a combination of WorldPride weekend + we just did Southeast DC May 9th (time flies!) + getting us a little more shade on one of the first warmer SLRs of the year. On that note it's going to be hot and muggy tomorrow (or potentially nice and rainy, who knows!). Bring water, take it easy on the hills, and enjoy the run! Now let's get into it:
The Route: Bum bum bummmmm *insert menacing piano music here* it's Iron Triangle (strava, gps, pdf), a personal favorite of a mine and a personal horror of anyone who believes the mound in front of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing constitutes a hill. We'll head up Custis to Lorcom Lane and Military Road until we hit some more hills climbing Glebe and Williamsburg. After this we're treated to a lovely mile downhill into Falls Church before returning down Custis (yes! it's downhill coming east!). People tend to get a little lost on this route (source: me, circa 2020 crying somewhere around the East Falls Church Metro 20 miles into a 15 miler) so make sure to review the cue sheets ahead of time!
Want Something Shorter? For a few less hills and a few less miles, the Chain Bridge Loop 10 miler is one of my all-time favorite loops. It'll allow you to be with the group for almost five miles before heading back in a much flatter way than how you came out. There are also excellent metro stops at mile 9 (East Falls Church) and 12 (Ballston-MU) where for a mere $2.25 you can be back to Rosslyn in a jiffy!
Need a Longer Route? The W&OD is a fabulous trail to add anywhere from 1 to 80 miles to your weekend long run! Running east on the W&OD can also lend itself to what I've dubbed the Iron Arlington Triangle if anyone needs 20 this weekend and wants a challenge!
Thirsty? We don't have any volunteers for post-run drinks this week and still have some gaps the rest of the summer! Help out if you can! Water fountains can be found at mile 3.5 in Zachary Taylor Park just off Military, at Fort Ethan Allen Park around mile 5, the Custis and W&OD interchange at mile 10, and along Custis at mile 12!
Need a Bathroom? Ethan Allen Park also has bathrooms around mile 5 and there are some others if you keep going down the W&OD after Custis for an extra mile and some indoor plumbing. The portopotty at the soccer fields near W&OD MM5 is also back for the season! Otherwise there is always a house or two along this route that has some contruction going on and a portopotty in the yard, so keep your eyes peeled!
The first Bunion Derby race of the year is this Sunday's Women's Distance Festival and Run After the Women 5K! Thanks to everyone who volunteered, we're good on this weekend's race but still need more throughout the rest of the summer. The next Happy Hour will be June 19th at Four Court's in Courthouse and we'll be presenting Snowball Series Prizes.
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: **7 AM** 15 Miles Long Bridge Park
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
It’s Anna, masquerading as Nate, your faithful ersatz SLR leader who used working in office today as an excuse to not send this e-mail (newsflash Nate, some of us are always in office and manage to write these little quips). They’re bringing professional track to Franklin Field where it always belongs, so Anna’s up in Philly for the weekend watching people run to take her mind off not being able to do it herself. Tomorrow’s forecast continues our miracle of good weather this May (low 60s, hopefully no rain) and kicks off our first 7 AM SLR of the Summer (if you think you’re disappointed, imagine how I feel learning that after agreeing to lead this thing).
Where are we going this time? This week we’re doing Long Bridge Park (strava, gps, pdf), a route near and dear to my heart (and home! I live right off of it!). We’ll head by the Pentagon, which fun fact has a DC address after some interesting disputes on where the river actually ends in the 1930s, then head through Long Bridge Park. We’ll run down Crystal Drive to Potomac Ave. through Del Rey, the most underrated area in Northern Virginia. After appreciating the fact that they didn’t move the Capital One Arena here, we’ll cross over to the Mount Vernon Trail via Slater’s Lane and back up to the park.
Want Less? Hop on the Mount Vernon Trail at Crystal City for around 8 miles, jump down to the Four Mile Run Trail (not literally, please) for around 11, or make a classic out and back for your choice of mileage!
Want More? Head south on the Mount Vernon Trail instead of north to add on some mileage through Alexandria and beyond.
Parched? Bring some water! Or better yet bring enough for everyone and volunteer for mid- or post- run drinks this summer! There are some great fountains slightly off the route in Crystal City at Hayes Park and some less-great ones along the Mount Vernon Trail. Don’t depend on the ones near the Pentagon, they’re unreliable and taste weird.
Swimming Eyeballs? If you’re running with me and even a little bit nice about it I’d let you use my place (editor’s note: Nate has not actually agreed to this, but I’m sure he would). The Gravelly Point bathrooms are still standing, which is the nicest thing I can say about them. Hayes Park also has some nice facilities, but again are a bit off the beaten path.
If SLR is too long for ya, come check out our free mile time trials on Global Running Day (June 4th) at 7 PM at W&L High School with our friends at Wednesday Night Track. We’ll have pacers for all levels and great vibes!
Happy Running!
Nate (and Anna, who wrote this from the train)
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Upcoming Events
| June Happy Hour and 2024-2025 Snowball Series Award Thu, Jun 19th, 2025, @6:00pm |
| Fletchers Cove 4-Miler Sun, Jun 22nd, 2025, @8:00am |
| Age-Handicapped 4-Miler Fri, Jul 4th, 2025, @7:00am |
| Bastille Day 5K Mon, Jul 14th, 2025, @6:00pm |
| Bluemont 5K Wed, Aug 13th, 2025, @6:00pm |
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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. |