Zoomed-in map of the Rock ‘N’ Roll marathon path. If you’re on the path, move your car. (Sorry) Courtesy of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon folks
DC is one of the fittest cities in the country and trying to get back to the top spot with fun initiatives. This is why I cannot completely hate on the Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon, clogging our streets with fit people this Saturday, March 10.
In a delightfully erratic fashion, the race organizers have been leaving “road closure notices” in houses around the Hill, presumably on the path of the marathon. Mind you, I’ve seen flyers on 3rd and 7th Streets (not on the path) but also on East Capitol (very much on the path). The organizers encourage you to go to the website, http://www.runrocknroll.com/dc/, so you can plan ahead.
I’ve broken down the need-to-know information and linked to a couple of articles to make your life easier:
WHAT: The DC edition of the Rock ‘N’ Roll marathon
WHEN: Saturday, March 10. Official race start time is 7 a.m. although street closures will start at 6:30 a.m. The whole area will experience rolling closures until 2 p.m., with the longest closures happening around the RFK area. In the heart of Capitol Hill, we can expect to have road closures until noon. NoMa and the Union Station area will see road closures until 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
HOWEVER! Since there will be no parking along the race course, your marathon is truly going to start Friday afternoon, when you’re battling your neighbors for semi-legal parking on the streets that are not directly on the path of the runners. Have fun with that!
Update: Eagle-eyed THIH reader Amber Gove adds: “No parking is in effect from Midnight to Noon on Saturday March 10. Here is the link with the blocks/timing: https://rnr30-compgroup.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/sites/13/2015/04/RnR18-no.park_.list_v3-6-18.pdf
No longer necessary! See below.
WHERE: The race itself starts at 14th and Constitution NW. The race will happen throughout the city, from East Capitol to Anacostia Park and Fort Dupont, to the Lincoln Memorial, all the way to Columbia Heights. This highlights how small D.C. is and how long 13.1 miles is. The 5k race begins and ends near the finish line, in the RFK parking lot. (Scenic!) This interactive map may be helpful if you want to know technical aspects about the run.
HEAVENS TO BETSY, DID YOU SAY THERE IS NO PARKING ON THE RACE COURSE: Yes, I did. Here is a link to the Metropolitan Police Department’s official road closure list: It’s a turn-by-turn of what’s going to be closed. Spoiler: It’s everything. The maps provided by the R’N’R folks are very good. (See above)
Update: THANK YOU CHARLES ALLEN! According to the Hill Rag, Allen secured a lift on the parking restrictions for residents. Read more here.
WAIT, WHAT ABOUT BUS SERVICE: Yes, bus service is going to have major detours. You can go to their website, https://www.wmata.com, or call (202) 637-7000 to ask if your bus route is affected. The DC Streetcar will not be running until noon on Saturday as H Street NE will be pedestrian-only. The DC Circulator has two routes directly impacted by the race: The National Mall Route will begin service at 10 a.m. and operate normally. The Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square Route will have detours until noon. More info here.
WHY: Not sure. I mean, people love races and they can be fun events to raise funds (hi, Capitol Hill Classic!), remember people, make a statement, or raise awareness of Rock ‘N’ Roll? However, the no-parking on the race route seems difficult for our communities, not to mention expensive for race organizers. Terrorism fears are valid to a certain extent, butraces are already disruptive enough and it’s expensive for organizers to pay for street closures.
Good luck, runners!
Race course zoomed out. Courtesy of Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon. Click to go to the official PDF.