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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 |
| 4/5 | 14 | Marymount Chain Bridge | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 4/12 | 12 | Pentagon Army Navy | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 4/19 | 13 | Cathedral Clintons | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 4/26 | 18 | National Arboretum | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/3 | 12 | Potomac Overlook Loops | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/10 | 13 | Southeast DC | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/17 | 16 | Around the World in Fourteen Miles | Cue Sheet & GPS | 62 Embassies! New Route! |
| 5/24 | 14 | Ross Drive | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/31 | 15 | Long Bridge Park | Cue Sheet & GPS |
SLR: **7AM Start** 14 Miles Battery Garesché
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Summer is finally here and we'll be starting SLR at 7 AM from now until sometime in October when we switch back. It's basically daylight savings time (SLR edition), so set those alarms one hour earlier and kick off your Memorial Day weekend right! The weather tomorrow looks muggy with low 70s and high humidity, get in those extra miles before the run and enjoy all of the drinks we have in store! Now let's get into it:
The Route: Del Rey's own Nate Rathjen brought us this route last year and we're running it back for round two this week! Battery Garesché (strava, gps, pdf) runs through Alexandria and by Battery Garesché, an old Civil War artillary battery named for Lieutenant Colonel Julius Peter Garesche. We'l head down Army Navy Drive to the 4 Mile run before a little lolipop loop in Fairlington (with a very big hill in the middle) and back up to North Meade Park.
Want Something Shorter? For an 11 or 12 mile option, the Pentagon Army Navy route is a good way to cut off a few miles while still running on Army Navy Drive. There are also metro stations at Potomac Yard, Crystal City, and Pentagon City that can make for shorter routes as well. For less than 10, I'd recommend an out and back on Army Navy down to the 4 Mile Run.
Need a Longer Route? To add two miles, take the 4 Mile Run to the Mount Vernon Trail and follow it back to the Memorial Bridge for about 16 miles. If you want even more, coming through Rosslyn instead of the Memorial Bridge will give you around 17 miles total! With tomorrows forecast, however, it's probably best to get those extra miles in before SLR instead of during it.
Thirsty? We've got mid-run drinks tomorrow down at the bottom of Army-Navy Drive near 25th street thanks to Gary Morgans and Donna Lekang! We'll pass them twice around miles 4.8 and 9! Thank you also to Kate Scott for providing post run drinks this week (and many, many weeks). Kate has been one of SLR's best supporters for drinks over the past years and we really cannot thank her enough! Water fountains are limited on this route, but there is possibly one in Utah Park and by the Fairlington community center around 7.7 miles.
Need a Bathroom? Bathrooms are also a bit limited on this route, but keep an eye out throughout the neighborhood, there's generally a portopotty in someone's yard. The Target at the corner of Army Navy Drive also has public restrooms and the Fairlington Community Center would likely let you use theirs in a pinch.
The next club race is the Women's Distance Festival and Run After the Women 5K on Sunday June 9th at Bon Air Park! We need plenty of volunteers for this and all our Bunion Derby races, so sign up today!
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 7 AM Start Time May 25th
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Looks like the weather has finally moved from "pleasant spring" to "kinda swampy". As such, going forward, SLR will start at 7 AM instead of 8 AM for the remainder of the summer.
See everyone bright and early on Saturday!
Anna
SLR: 16 Miles Arlington Loop
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Looks like we've got rain in the forecast again this weekend and some cooler temperatures that will keep our start time at 8 AM. We'll likely switch over to 7 AM next week, but I'll send an email on Wednesday with a final decision. Get out your favorite rain jacket and enjoy the trails of Arlington this weekend! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week, we're doing an absolute classic and one of my personal favorites, the Arlington Loop (strava, gps, pdf). We'll head down the Mount Vernon Trail, take a right down to the Four Mile Run trail, continue onto the W&OD (which celebrates its 50th birthday this year!), and then take a right onto the Custis Trail. We'll run about 16 miles and all of them except the initial miles to get to the Arlington Loop will be on paved two lane bike paths!
Want Something Shorter? For around 14.5 miles, instead of coming back along Custis take the Bluemont Connector trail (which is a different bike trail about a mile before the turn for Custis). This will take you to Wilson Boulevard, which you can take into Court House and hop down to the park from there! Otherwise there are some options for more complex loops, but the least mentally taxing will definitely be an out and back. Turning around at the turn onto the Four Mile run will get you 10 miles and getting to the W&OD will run you 14.
Need a Longer Route? My personal favorite way to add onto the loop is to add an extra out and back along the W&OD before turning onto Custis, which allows you to get any number of extra miles. If you're in the mood to make it "real" Arlington Loop you can continue down the Rosslyn Hill past Roosevelt Island and return by coming up the same way you go out by the cemetery for an 18 miler.
Thirsty? There are plenty of water fountains around the loop, including some under the metro near the airport at mile 4.5, at the start of the W&OD at 7.2, at the corner of Custis at 11.2, and just past W&L at 13.3. We also may have post run drinks tomorrow (your SLR leader may have missed an email until this morning)!
Need a Bathroom? Like water fountains, there are some good options! There are plenty of portopotties at Gravelly Point at mile 3, though their cleanliness is always questionable. There are also some great ones at mile 10.6 near Bluemont park (both in the park and at the corner by the Caboose).
The next club race is the Women's Distance Festival and Run After the Women 5K on Sunday June 9th at Bon Air Park! We need plenty of volunteers for this and all our Bunion Derby races, so sign up today! The next club Happy Hour is this Thursday, May 23rd at 5:30 at Four Courts and we'll be giving out Snowball Series awards there!
Anna
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Upcoming Events
| Kenmore PTSA 5K Sat, May 10th, 2025, @8:00am |
| Hero Dogs 5K9 Sat, May 17th, 2025, @8:00am |
| Jamestown 5K Sat, May 17th, 2025, @9:00am |
| DCRRC One Hour Track Run Wed, May 21st, 2025, @6:45pm |
| Women's Distance Festival and Run After The Women Sun, Jun 8th, 2025, @8:00am |
| Rock Creek 5K Sun, Jun 22nd, 2025, @8:00am |
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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. |