photo by Djenno Bacvic
It’s that time again — time to lace up your sneakers and hit the pavement to benefit local schoolchildren on the scenic route of the Capitol Hill Classic. The Classic, officially known as the The NCB Capitol Hill Classic 10K race, is next Sunday morning, May 17. The event is a major annual fundraiser for the Capitol Hill Cluster School, a DC public school with over 1,000 students. This will be the 36th annual running of the Classic, including a 10K, a 3K, and a kids’ fun run, and is the only race run exclusively on the roads of Capitol Hill. Registration costs from $38 to $10. Go ahead, do it now here.
The Classic is a race for everyone — serious runners, runners who walk, and parents pushing jogging strollers. It’s an inclusive event that encourages community evolvement. The 10k starts at 8:30 a.m., followed immediately by the 3k race (approximately 10:30 a.m.), and then the fun really gets started at approximately 11 a.m. with the Fun Run.
The route is important to know for planning your Sunday morning, so check out the list of road closures to avoid blocked roads. Instead, think of joining the hundreds of residents and fans that line the streets with encouraging cheers and humorous signs. It truly is a neighborhood event.
The USATF-certified course for the 10K begins in front of Peabody Primary School and then runners head west around the corner of Stanton Park and then past the Supreme Court, the U.S. Capitol, and the Library of Congress. The course wraps behind the Library of Congress before returning to East Capitol Street, around Lincoln Park, and RFK Stadium onto the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. After a circle along the trail, runners head back in along East Capitol to return to the finish at Peabody.
Want to see the cutest thing ever? Watch the Fun Run where students from around Capitol Hill circle Stanton Park with all of their unbridled enthusiasm. Let’s hope for their parents that they’re thoroughly wiped out and collapse exhausted but proud afterwards!
The Capitol Cluster School includes campuses at Peabody, Watkins Elementary School and Stuart-Hobson Middle School.