2018 Marine Corps Marathon (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)
This weekend Arlington will host one of the world’s largest marathons, drawing around 30,000 runners.
But the influx of athletes also means residents should prepare for road closures, whether they are driving, biking or scooting.
Next Sunday, Oct. 29 participants in the 48th annual Marine Corps Marathon will gather along Route 110 between Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon. The MCM 50K race starts at 7:15 a.m., followed by the wheelchair/hand cycle division at 7:50 a.m. and the marathon at 7:55 a.m.
Runners will “tour the nation’s most recognizable landmarks while being supported by the men and women of the United States Marine Corps,” the race website says.
Road closures will affect parts of Arlington, including I-395 between Rosslyn and Crystal City, from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to an ACPD press release.
Course map for the 2023 Marine Corps Marathon (via Marine Corps Marathon)
Viewing locations for spectators locally include the starting line in Arlington, the first mile in Rosslyn, Crystal Drive in Crystal City and the finish line near the Marine Corps War Memorial.
Friends and family can track runners in real-time via text, email or social media.
After crossing the finish line, runners and spectators can head to the Finish Festival in Rosslyn at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Lynn Street. The festival will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature beer, food, live music and giveaways.
The Runner’s Village is located in the Pentagon North Parking Lot C, accessible via the Pentagon and Pentagon City Metro stations, which open at 5 a.m., ACPD says.
A shuttle service will operate between the Runner’s Village and the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. There will be free parking in the underground lot at 23rd Street S. and Crystal Drive, according the race website.
Runners and spectators can expect security screenings for prohibited items, including pets, drones and alcohol, at the start and finish areas.
Registration is still open for the 10K and 50K races, as well as the mile-long kids run on Saturday, Oct. 28. The kids run, open to children ages 5-12, is set to take place at the North Pentagon Parking Lot from 9:20-11:40 a.m.
Below is the list of planned road closures, per an ACPD press release.
Route for the Rock ‘n’ Roll half-marathon (image via Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series)
Drivers might want to keep clear of Memorial Bridge this Saturday morning: the bridge will be closed for The Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon.
While not listed among the extensive closures in D.C. connected to the race, United States Park Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Thomas Twiname confirmed to ARLnow that the bridge would be closed Saturday (March 18) morning for the half marathon.
The race is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. just east of the White House on Constitution Avenue.
While several D.C. streets will be closed to vehicle traffic from 6 p.m. on Friday to 6 p.m. on Saturday, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) said in an email that the plan is to have the bridge cleared of runners by 9:30 a.m. — which gives runners an hour and a half to run from the White House, across the bridge, and back onto the D.C. side of the course.
“The approval for the bridge closure comes from [the National Park Service] and USPP,” DDOT said in an email. “From our understanding they are supposed to clear the bridge of runners by 9:30 a.m.”
On Saturday, March 18, 2023, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon and 5K will take place in the District of Columbia. In conjunction with this event, there will be parking restrictions and street closures that motorists should take into consideration.https://t.co/8yua0QHKNo
Marine Corps Marathon runners in the Rosslyn area in 2012 (photo by Kevin Wolf)
The Marine Corps Marathon — along with its extensive road closures — is back this weekend.
The marathon, which is in-person for the first time since the start of the pandemic, is being held on Sunday, Oct. 30.
It will again start between the Pentagon and Rosslyn, winding its way through Rosslyn and into D.C. before crossing the 14th Street Bridge, rounding the Pentagon, and finishing in Rosslyn.
This year the runners village gateway, which runners go through on their way to the starting line, has been moved to Pentagon City. The finish festival remains in Rosslyn, near the Marine Corps War Memorial.
Numerous road closures are planned along the marathon route in Rosslyn, Crystal City and Pentagon City.
“Runners, spectators, and volunteers are strongly encouraged to use Metro, ridesharing or other forms of multimodal transportation,” Arlington County police said in a press release, below. “Motorists should expect significant delays in and around the race course.”
The 47th annual Marine Corps Marathon (MCM), the MCM 50K, and the MCM 10K will take place on Sunday, October 30, 2022. The 50k will begin at 7:15 a.m., followed by the wheelchair/hand cycle division at 7:50 a.m., and the Marathon at 7:55 a.m., all on Route 110 in Arlington County, Virginia. The Arlington County Police Department, Virginia State Police, United States Park Police, and Pentagon Force Protection Agency will close numerous roadways in Arlington in support of these events. Additionally, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and United States Park Police will close roadways in Washington, D.C., in support of race operations.
Road Closures
The following road closures will take place in Arlington County on race day:
2018 Marine Corps Marathon (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)
In 39 days, some 30,000 runners will descend on Arlington for the first in-person Marine Corps Marathon since the onset of Covid.
The in-person race on Oct. 30 — canceled in 2020 and 2021 — comes with a new Pentagon City location for the gateway to the Runners Village, the sprawling area providing “essential pre-start support” to runners, including portable restrooms, baggage drop-off and a water station.
“We are excited to announce the new Runners Village Gateway for the MCM and MCM50K is now located at the intersection of Army Navy Drive and S. Fern Street,” organizers said in an email. “This new Runners Village Gateway is only a change in location for participants.”
The village used to be located in the Pentagon North Parking lot.
A map of the Runners Village Gateway (via Marine Corps Marathon)
The start line for marathoners is located on Route 110, just before the Memorial Drive. Runners will cross the finish line in front of the Marine Corps War Memorial in the Rosslyn area.
Participants taking the Metro are encouraged to use the Pentagon Metro station, but now can also ride to the Pentagon City Metro station. Metro will be opening at 5 a.m. on event morning, except for the Arlington Cemetery station which will open at 8:30 a.m.
Signage and volunteers will help direct runners to the village.
Those who drive will have free parking available at the underground lot near 23rd Street S. and Crystal Drive. A shuttle will transport runners to the Runners Village Gateway and at the Finish Festival to transport them back to their cars.
Additional, paid parking can be found at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall.
Course map for the Marine Corps Marathon (via Marine Corps Marathon)
The Runners Village for the 10K is located on the National Mall, near the start line for that race. Registration is still open for the 10K, according to the website.
“I’m super into it. I just won my first tournament last weekend,” Wardian says, taking a breather from playing and a sporting a pink T-Mobile shirt and hat.
The 47-year-old Wardian is probably most well-known to area residents for his running feats, including completing seven marathons in seven days on seven continents, running more than 260 miles in a loop around the Arlington Forest neighborhood, and winning the inaugural Marine Corps 50k in 2019.
But now, he’s on to pickleball.
“There’s a sense of newness and beginning something [with pickleball],” Wardian says. “With running, if I want to do something I haven’t done before, I’ve got to do…something pretty huge to have some freshness. It’s fun to be a newbie at something.”
He only started playing the sport a few months ago, in May, when a friend asked him to join a game while in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He ran out to Walmart, grabbed a paddle, and played five games.
“And I just fell in love with it,” Wardian says. “I was like, ‘man, this is like the coolest sport ever.’ I thought it was an old person’s sport.”
While it’s true that pickleball began as a preferred sport for older adults due to its low-impact on joints, it has since grown in popularity with younger adults and, even, kids. There are now more than four million players nationwide, according to the USA Pickleball Association. That number includes Wardian.
“I had no idea how much skill was involved or how addictive it could be,” he says.
While there isn’t complete overlap, Wardian’s ultramarathon skill set has come in handy on the pickleball court. His discipline, endurance, and tall stature all have come in handy.
“I cover a lot of ground,” Wardian says. “I can get to almost any ball. I’m tall and long, so I have good reach.”
One of the pickleball skills he’s working on is controlling his shots and not hammering the ball so hard so it goes out of bounds.
But he’s learning quickly. He estimates he’s invested about 150 hours into the sport so far and is already doing well in tournaments. In fact, Wardian is considering becoming a pro pickleball player. The top players can make tens of thousands of dollars in winnings, not to mention sponsorship dollars.
Because of his running, Wardian has sponsorship deals with local businesses District Taco, Pacers, and MedStar Health as well as T-Mobile (hence, the shirt and hat). Now, he’s looking to get some for his pickleball prowess and is speaking with online retailer Pickleball Clearance about opportunities. He’s also hoping to become an ambassador for the sport through the US Pickleball Association.
“I just want to grow the audience and get more people excited about the sport,” he says.
Pickleball hasn’t been the only thing filling Wardian’s time in recent months. He’s also an owner and partner of Potomac Maritime, working with carriers and ships carrying humanitarian aid and food cargo, which is his main source of income.
Unsurprisingly, Wardian is good at chess too and plays in chess tournaments. He’s also part of several clubs (including the Arlington Chess Club), and coaches the game to younger players.
At one point, he compares chess to pickleball, saying both are about placement, strategy, and knocking the opponent off balance.
“You set up your shot,” he says. “You hit one shot to knock them back and, then, when they’re back, you can put the ball somewhere else.”
For Wardian, no matter what he’s competing in, he is always striving to be at a high level. There is a sharp competitive edge to it all, but his hardest opponent is himself.
“I like seeing what’s possible,” he says. “I like challenging myself.”
When asked what’s the next sport or activity for him to master, he rattles off cycling, surfing, open water swimming, and deep sea fishing. It’s clear he’s already thought about the future.
After talking and a few photos, he heads back to the pickleball court. An average game of pickleball takes about 20 to 25 minutes, but he’s still harping on the last game he played that lasted only about ten minutes.
“We got our asses kicked,” Wardian says. “But we will get the next one.”
The Marine Corps Marathon is offering a new option for runners hoping to kick the intensity up a notch this year.
For the first time ever, the annual race’s backers are planning to put on a 50-kilometer “ultramarathon” alongside two other distance options this fall.
The ultramarathon will be held on the same day as the 44th iteration of the traditional marathon, Oct. 27, and kick off on the National Mall in D.C.
Some of the course will include portions of both the 10K race and regular, 26.2-mile marathon offered as part of the event.
“Runners must maintain an 11:30 minute pace-per-mile through mile 14 on Rock Creek Parkway,” the event’s organizers wrote in a release. “For the remaining 17 miles, MCM50K participants may run at a 14 minute pace-per-mile. Ultimately, the MCM50K will arrive at a joint finish at the iconic U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington.”
Registration for the ultramarathon will open on Feb. 27, but will be limited to 500 participants. The fee is $200 to participate.
Runners in the new event will earn a U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial themed medal, a quarter-zip and commemorative bib, organizers said.
Fresh off running seven marathons on all seven continents in just seven days, Arlington resident Michael Wardian isn’t slowing down.
Wardian, one of the county’s most prolific athletes, says he’s planning to run three more marathons in D.C. this week. He’s planning to finish one each day, starting tonight (Thursday) and running through Saturday.
Hope you all might be able to come out and maybe even run with me. You don’t have to run the whole way.
I am running a marathon as follows, as of now:
Tonight-February 7, 2019 @ 1900 HRS February 8, 2019 @ 1200 HRS(Noon) February 9, 2019 @ 1200… https://t.co/BaB2wz67Uh
Wardian already managed to win the men’s side of the “World Marathon Challenge,” compiling the fastest total time across marathons in Miami; Santiago, Chile; Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Madrid, Spain; and Nova, Antarctica.
With the events this weekend, he’s trying to set a new world record for the fastest time across 10 marathons in 10 days.
The Marine Corps Marathon returns to Arlington next Sunday (Oct. 28), likely bringing over 30,000 runners to Arlington and a resulting tangle of road closures and transportation changes.
The opening ceremonies for the marathon will be held at 6 a.m., followed by the wheelchair and handcycle race starting at 7:40 a.m. Races will continue throughout the day until 3:10 p.m. Award celebrations are scheduled to continue until 9:30 p.m.
Street parking near the race will be restricted and motorists should keep an eye out for temporary “No Parking” signs. Use of rideshare and public transportation is encouraged.
Metrorail will open at 6 a.m. for the race, two hours early, and run extra Blue and Yellow line trains. The closest stop to the race will be the Pentagon station, which will be exit-only until 8:30 a.m.
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