Save the Capitol Hill Classic

Capitol Hill Classic 2011 Logo, Courtesy of the Capitol Hill Cluster Schools/CHC

Please welcome guest author Don Montouri.  Don has been the race director of the Capitol Hill Classic 10K for several years. –MHC

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On May 15, when the last runner crosses the finish line of the Capitol Hill Classic 10k, a 32-year-old Hill tradition could come to an end.  This could very well be the last year of the Classic, which benefits the Capitol Hill Cluster School, a DC public school that serves 1,100 students from Pre-K to 8th grade.

Why will this tradition end? Money.

This year, the Cluster School PTA, which sponsors the race, will pay nearly $40,000 to the District of Columbia government in race-related fees.  Most of that money will go to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) for ensuring safety and maintaining intersections; the rest goes to other city agencies to cover various fees.

In the past, the Cluster had been able to have those fees waived through the office of the Mayor.  And it wasn’t that long ago that the fees themselves were reasonable – it was less than $10,000 for the permits as recently as 2002.  But this year is different.  As I was told by a representative of MPD, “There’s a new sheriff in town.” Translation: there will be no waiver; there will be no refund. We’re paying.

And if we don’t pay, we won’t be getting the police permit that allows us to stage the race in the first place.

The Classic is the Cluster School’s largest annual fundraiser; in the past, it has generated up to $40,000 in revenue. Now, I suspect that most of the older Cluster students can tell you that if your past profit from an event is $40,000, but that you now have new expenses of $40,000, it’s not a particularly effective fundraiser.

A little history for those of you unfamiliar with the race: the Capitol Hill Classic began in 1980 to celebrate the centennial of the Peabody School, which now houses early education programs for the Cluster.  Back then, only maybe a few hundred runners ran it.  But over the years it has grown in popularity and reputation, attracting runners from all over the region, the country, and, indeed, the globe. Last year nearly 3,500 runners participated in the race’s events, including the 10K, 3K and kids’ fun run.  The Classic is the longest-running 10k in Washington, DC.

But beyond a good race, the Classic has become a signature community event. I’ve run in other 10Ks; none in the city generates the same neighborhood excitement or turnout.  Several years ago, a friend brought his young son down from upper Northwest for the fun run, and he remarked how he wished his area had something like this to generate neighborhood spirit.

Living on the Hill means living with the Classic: yes, there is the inconvenience of not being able to easily cross the Hill that morning, but there’s also the buzz surrounding the event, whether you’re running in it or a spectator.  Several Hill residents have run the race every year. Kids – including my own– start in the fun run; graduate to the 3K; and, as my son did last year, run their first 10K in the Classic. I’ve heard stories from people who were raised on the Hill; went to the Cluster; moved back to the Hill; and are running in the race.  I even heard from one woman who was going to watch her grandson run and asked whether Peabody were still open , as she wanted to revisit her old school, where she attended in the 1940s.

All of this is in jeopardy, however.

No one suggests that the Classic shouldn’t pay a fair share for the costs incurred by having the race. We understand that the city has to spend resources to make sure this is a safe event. And we know money is tight – whether it’s on the part of the city or businesses that have generously supported the Classic as sponsors in the past.  Sponsorship has fallen from $30,000 a few years ago to less than half of that this year. As with almost every facet of the country, the economic downturn has taken its toll on the race.

The Cluster isn’t alone. The Oyster School, in NW, ran into similar obstacles earlier this year for its 5k. MPD and other fees threatened to thwart that event; and it wasn’t until representatives of the school were able to negotiate a deal with the Gray administration for the city to cover one-third of the costs that Oyster could carry on with its race.  We have had sympathetic conversations with city officials.  Even Mayor Gray, at a recent Ward 6 education forum, told a PTA official that he knew of our situation and understood the predicament, and that he certainly didn’t want the city’s actions to discourage fundraising and volunteerism in public schools.  People have tried to explain how costs have almost quadrupled in less than a decade. Officials appreciate that we need rationality and consistency on the part of the city.  Yet, at this point, less than a week away, the silence from the city is deafening. We have written the checks and the race will go on as scheduled.

I’ve been the race director for the past several years (albeit with a hiatus last year).  Many hard-working parents have contributed countless hours in those years, preceded by many other parents and race directors, to make this race a success.  We’ve done it because we love the event – running, or running in, the race is a thrill and it is wholly rewarding.

But the feasibility of keeping it going, at least through the auspices of the PTA, seems dim. I don’t speak for the CHCSPTA – I am not an official.  Future PTAs may very well want to keep the race going; and even if they don’t, it’s likely that a professional race organizing company will come in and take it over.

So when that last runner crosses the finish line this year, the race may continue: but it may not be the Capitol Hill Classic ever again.