Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Hope you like humidity because we’ll be serving it up on a warm, sticky platter for the remainder of the summer! The only thing to beat the summer heat is electrolytes, water, and some good old fashioned gels (or new, I guess, if you’re into those). As a reminder volunteering for post run drinks twice or mid run drinks once gets you Bunion Derby credit, the undying gratitude of all SLR attendees, and a shoutout in the world’s second-best Friday newsletter (Ali On The Run if you’re reading this hi! You win!). Now let’s get into it:
The Route: Ukraine! Finland! Belgium! Morocco! East Timor! Haiti! What do these all have in common? We’ll run by their embassies tomorrow morning in our new route: Around the World in 14 Miles (strava, gpx, pdf). All in all we’ll hit 62 (by my count) embassies in 14.7 (by Strava’s count) miles. Though I don’t recommend stopping at each of them, I do recommend playing my favorite game: what country flag is that? We’ll head out along the Mall and up 17th to Connecticut Ave. and get on Massachusetts Ave. to head up Embassy Row. At the Finnish Embassy we’ll turn right onto 34th street and head up to Van Ness via Reno Road. Take a right at the Malaysian Embassy and head around International Circle for a tour! After this we’ll head back down Connecticut Ave to the Klingle Trail and down RCP.
Want Something Shorter? There are countless red line stops available to hop on at and get your share of countries without all the dreaded downhills at the end of this run. Otherwise an out and back up Massachusetts Ave. will let you spot embassies on both sides of the street, something I often struggle with when doing this route.
Need a Longer Route? An out and back in RCP will get you some shade and some more miles. If you want more embassies, New Hampshire Ave. and Massachusetts Ave. have some more and will get you a few more miles. If there’s a particular country you’re looking for, this map is my go-to for all things embassies!
Thirsty? We will not be hitting Peirce Mill tomorrow, so there are minimal options for water after mile three when we hop off the Mall. Bring some in the morning! Or better yet, bring enough to share and volunteer for drinks!!
Need a Bathroom? These are also limited, and I can’t say I’d recommend asking any of the embassies nicely. There are some on the Mall at the Lincoln Memorial and a few more may be scattered throughout the route, but I don’t know of any that will definitely be open.
The next club race is the One Hour Track Run on Wednesday May 21st at St. Anges and St. Sebastian’s! Come out and test your counting abilities as a volunteer or an athlete. Prizes for anyone who can get over ten miles and permenant internet glory!
Happy Running!
Anna
