2013 RnR USA/National Marathon and Half Marathon Thread (Read 157 times)

Good Luck Julia! i ran last year and they had tracking then too. I think you can sign-up for $2 per runner as it is with every RnR race or go to website for free. I think you get 4-5 different splits if i recall.

I'm in!  Last year I lived in Shaw and this year I live in Penn Quarter, so I am most excited for walking to the start line!  If only the start and finish were in the same place.

I'm not crazy about the course change, but we'll see.  It seems like it is not set up well for spectating.  Rock Creek?  I would guess it will be low on crowd support.  Also, because it is a big circle, it will be harder for spectators to spectate their runner from more than one spot without taking a bus or bike.

Running this one too!  Thanks for starting a thread!

 

Aside from this nagging Achilles injury that I picked up ONE STINKING WEEK BEFORE THE RACE, I'm happy and ready to run.

sub 'hamstring' in for achilles, and that's my story too.  Had a good sports massage last night and after an 8-mile run this morning (following 4 days off completely) things seem OK though.  Tight but no pain.  Good luck to both of us (and to everyone else!)

I plan on running it. We will be in D.C. for a spring break trip with the kids. Does anyone know about the Metro? I'm a little concerned on how to navigate it We are staying at Cherry Hill Park and I heard the Metro will start extra early on race day. Does anyone know about purchasing tickets or is there a pass that would eliminate the need to carry money to the race?

noni:  For Metro, your choice is between purchasing a Smartrip card (a reloadable plastic card the size of a credit card) or using a paper fare card.  In both cases, you purchase the card before you enter the fare gates at the station; when you exit the fare is deducted from the amount of money on your card.  So there isn't any need to bring cash other than what you need to purchase a fare card that will get you to the start and back.  But if you do decide to go with a paper card, bring a ziplock bag to put the card in while you race; the fare gates don't like soggy cards.  As a warning, though, Metro does hit you with an extra $1 charge each trip for using the paper card in addition to the actual fare.

If you are going to be in the area for a while, you are probably better off purchasing a Smartrip card.  There are vending machines in every rail station; the cards cost $10, of which $5 is the cost for the card, and it comes pre-loaded with $5 of fare value.  You can add more value at any of the vending machines in the stations: tap the card to the target and follow the instructions on the screen for adding money (cash or credit).  If you are going to be riding a lot, a 7 day pass may make financial sense. But even if you aren't going to ride enough to justify a pass, the Smartrip card will pay for itself after three round trips because you won't be paying the surcharge for using paper.  www.wmata.com > Fares has the current prices.  You can also use the trip planner feature to determine how much your trips in, out, and around will cost, to see if the pass will make sense.  Each person needs their own fare card.

Navigation-wise, I googled Cherry Hill Park, and it looks like that is near College Park, MD, which is on the Green Line.  You can take that line directly to the Archives stop, and have about a five-seven block walk to the start, or switch lines downtown to go one stop closer to the start.  (At Gallery Place, switch to Red, and go one stop to Metro Center; or stay on one stop past Archives to L'Enfant Plaza, and switch to Blue or Orange and go one stop to Smithsonian or two to Federal Triangle).

Nonibug, Flinders must work for Metro because his advice was just about perfect.  The only two things I would add are...  1) Our escalator custom.  If you want to stand on the escalator, stand to the right.  People walk on the left and will be cursing you under their breath if you're holding up traffic.  2) The wisdom of front loading your card.  There will be a line of people at the Stadium-Armory farecard kiosks trying to add money to their card.  To bypass these lines, figure out how much money you need on your card to get back home after the race and if you're short, add that money to your card on race day morning before you exit the station.

The new start is by the washington monument grounds?

If you have a car, I would drive to the New Carrollton Metro station, where you park free in the garage on weekends. There will be plenty of other runners there. It's a simple orange line ride to the Smithsonian station for the start, and a simple ride back from Stadium Armory station when  you go home.

One of the nicest things about the old course was how you could hang out inside the Armory before the race if it was cold or wet.

They still have the most unusual time limit rules for the race, option #2 in particular:

If a participant’s pace falls below the course time limit, they have a few options:

• Increase their pace to stay within the event minimum pace;
• Board a “sag wagon” shuttle to move forward on the course, where they may continue to participate in the event, maintaining the minimum pace required; or
• If the participant cannot continue, they may board a sag wagon to be dropped off at the next shuttle location, at a nearby medical station. The participant will be seen by a Medical Team captain to be cleared for the medical shuttle to transport the participant to the finish line.