This is my second time running Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon. Aside from running 13.1 miles, I had a ball and definitely would like to run this half next. Expo: Runners were to pick up their bibs and running materials from the Walter E. Johnson Convention Center in DC, which has plenty of space for a large race expo. I thought the expo was a bit meh, because there was not much merchandise. Ok, there was some RnR DC merchandise, but not what I wanted. However, I really wanted a magnet for the fridge, but there were none to be found at the expo. I think the limited amount of RnR-sponsored merchandise is probably due to folks not really having an interest in purchasing things at an expo...especially when you can get these items at a cheaper price from other vendors. Overall, I though the crowd flow at the expo was fine because bib and T-shirt pick up was a breeze even though it was a bit overcrowded during the post-work hours. The Half: I thought the RnR DC Half Marathon has very nice course that takes runners through many points of interest in DC. Some sights include the Washington Monument, Lincoln Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, Rock Creek Park, Howard University, and several historic DC neighborhoods. For the most part, the course is very chill with a huge EXCEPTION of an uphill climb around 7.75 miles. For this hill in Rock Creek park, runners will have to do a near 150ft climb, so you have been warned. While there is an intense uphill climb in Rock Creek Park, a good chunk of the last part of the half is downhill (from Mile 10 onward) with a couple of small climbs. I thought the folks at RnR and DC did a great job will street closures, course management, and bag drop/pick up. I just wish the folks at RnR could work with the city to open the metro a bit earlier on race day for folks who live in outskirts or outside of the city. On weekends, the metro opens around 7 am, but that does not provide enough time to use public transportation from my neck of the woods to the start by 8 am. Yes, Ubering is an option to get to the start, but due to the road closures near the start, traffic can be a little rough. While I drove myself to the race, I decided to park near DuPont Circle, which was about a 1.5-mile walk to the start. LOL, I learned from my mistakes of taking an Uber to last year's half. What happened last year? The traffic was so bad, that I ended up renting a city bike to bike the remaining 3 miles to the start. Upon arriving near the start area, there were no available docks to park the bike, so I had to ride another 1.5 miles away from the start area to dock the bike, THEN I had to jog/run to the starting area. I was really lucky bc I managed to drop off my bag with only seconds to spare. The post race festivities were fine. I did not stick around too long after I redeemed my free beer and Fit Vine wine. I thought the 90s tribute band was pretty awesome. read more

See all

Fun point-to-point half marathon, but don't underestimate the hills in some DC neighborhoods! The race started on the National Mall near Constitution and 14th St, and ended at RFK stadium. You run by some landmarks such as the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Kennedy Center, but I wished you'd see more!! As with any other Rock n Roll race, everything went very smoothly. From pre-race communications to the Expo to the Start/Finish Lines, we were well informed as participants and knew exactly what to expect before showing up on race day. Since the race ends a few miles away, don't forget to bring a topped up Metro card or have a pre-planned ride home because the line at the Stadium Metro station was super long with people waiting to use the ticket vending machines! read more

See all

Really fun race that's put on well! I was excited to finally run a half in DC and had trained really hard for this one. I had heard tales of how difficult that one hill off of Rock Creek Parkway was, but nobody really tells you the entire course is basically rolling hills, which makes for a tough time. Entertainment is good, though, and I am glad to support a race that supports our city, especially since there are so few courses that run entirely in DC. read more

11/13/21 It is a cool day as I sit by the Omni Shore Hotel. The Rock N Roll Running Series is happening as I speak. I am waiting for a call to go out to pick up passengers who can't walk/run through the half marathon. If I wasn't asked to work today, I would enjoy walking this race myself. I am not seeing as many walker/runners now, but my work continues until 1pm. The run now seems to have concluded, but is only 11:09am now. The woman cheering (who I have come to think of as Annika Spenser) has left for today. The last of the runners/w.a.l.k.e.r.s have walked by. Police escorts and roadblocks are slowly vanishing. I will remain here, until I am told otherwise. I am still having fun witnessing the marathon. Never really watched the aftermath of a marathon, I am getting my chance now:) read more

See all

...Those hills though! I'm a little ashamed to admit that I got serious stitches running the RnR DC because I come from the land of the hills (San Diego) and should have known better. So no PR for me. :( I am blaming the last couple of FLAT races I've run in DC that have blinded me to the hills of SE and Georgetown... and, to be completely honest, my own personal failure to incorporate any hills into my training. The hills are nothing to worry about if you've trained properly. A March race is also odd because it comes in the heels of innumerable snow storms that forced you to run on treadmills or clump your training days together for the few days of warmth and sun. I originally signed up for the marathon but had to switch to the half because I was out with an injury for a month. Now I do think the half is a better race to run this time around in light of the crazy weather and the difficulty of training for a full through it. That said, there was no problem switching to a half, you just get a different corral number at the expo and run on race day with your full bib. There was little communication prior to the expo. I didn't receive any notifications to print my confirmation number and bring it to the expo like I would for other races. So keep that in mind and remember to bring it. Compared to the RnR San Diego, there was less music along the course, which was a little disappointing since this race is supposed to be rock and roll. Similarly, there was less fanfare at the finish and no bagels or bananas! :O (but we got beer and chocolate milk). Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the musicians who were performing as well as the taiko team! I also loved running through Capitol Hill because none of the other races take the runners through that part of DC. Miles of beautiful row houses keep you plenty entertained. This was also the first half I've run that gave out space blankets, which was AWESOME because the sun refused to come out at the finish and I was shivering all over. Water stations every 1.5-2 miles, gu at mile 9-ish, and the marathoners split off at mile 12. The start is on Constitution Avenue and 14th Street and the finish is at DC Armory (both very accessible by metro). One last awesome thing is that there were more than 20 corrals for this race! Brownie points for not tripping over other runners. Thank you to the volunteers and spectators! read more

Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon - 2014 Half Marathon finisher's medal - Races & Competitions Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I didn't run the marathon myself, I came as an spectator and to cheer on a friend. I took the metro as there were a lot of street closures. Location was easy to access from the metro stop. The band playing on the main stage by the finish line was pretty cool, listened to some music while tracking my friend on the website. Walking through the venue you could find a few vendors and sponsors, free sabra hummus was the highlight for me! In my opinion it would have been better to have the race later on, the weather was pretty brutal, too cold! It made it less enjoyable. Also getting an Uber at the end of the race was pretty much impossible due to the street closures, it took close to an hour and a lot of walking to get one! read more

Please note this review is from a marathoner's perspective who ran the half marathon because someone convinced her it would be a good idea... However, I should state this: the marathon course starts with the half marathon course, and you run the whole of the half marathon with the half-marathoners except for about 0.7 miles where there is a split for marathoners to continue on into nothingness.... So, I have pretty much run the half marathon course three times, once straight up, and that was this year. What can I say? The half marathon is the better choice between the full and the half because there is about 1000x more support for the half marathon than the full. The course is pretty well designed to flow through the District's key portions including the Mall, Rock Creek Park, H Street Corridor, downtown and of course, ending at RFK stadium. The crowd support is pretty strong the whole half marathon course, especially as you climb your heart out and burn your legs at the end of the time in Rock Creek Park. The volunteers are on point, and there is plenty of hydration and port-a-potties on the whole half-marathon course. It is an easy access via Metro to the start and from the finish to wherever you need to go. So, why is it only 3 stars? The start and finish are quite far from each other, and logistically, I feel it would be preferable if they were at the same Metro stop. The cost is high, very high. You earn the same t-shirt as the marathoners, which is lame. The parking options are wimpy, and it makes everyone really just rely on Metro (late trains, packed packed packed) or Uber or friends/ family. The Expo is not very exciting, and, well, not enough freebies for something of this $caliber.$ Finally, the food at the end leaves something to be desired, a whole lot of something. It's fine for the half-marathoners to JUST have offerings like water, sport drink, chocolate milk, 1 beer, bananas, power bars and chips (pretzels and potato chips), but really? These races make so much money, I just feel like other races do a far better job of providing FOOD, really food. At least have oranges or apples, too, something to replenish fluids. Offer bagels? Offer some other food! Seeing the food trucks by the Metro and Armory, it's just kinda rude - bank for the food trucks, though. Plus, the ending location at RFK means you really can't just walk somewhere, sit down, replenish food and beverage and then leave. So, all in all, it's alright if you do the half-marathon and live here, but I would avoid it if I didn't live in DC. read more

A fun race for the beginning and first 6 miles. After that, lonely and less well supported. You might want to do it as a 10K. This year it was freezing cold. The course is flat and fast, then a long slow grade increase, then a brutal steep hill, than a series of smaller hills, then downhill to finish. Other runners were great! The volunteers at the beginning and the fun people in costumes really boosted morale. I ran parts of the race with 2 guys in matching T-Rex costumes. Good: The clothing bag drop process worked well, both for drop off and pick-up. They had ample space in the starting corrals. They appropriately staggered waves of runners. Water, port a potties, and medical help were clearly marked and available at decent intervals for miles 1-6. The first six miles were fun, had great crowds, bands, a lot of volunteers. The expo was nice, their communication was great and staff got back to you quickly about issues before the race. They have race insurance and what appears to be a pretty easy process of getting credit for the race transferred to another one of their events or just issuing you a refund. My injury cleared up by race time, but I liked that I could just cancel and try one of their other races after I recovered, for a $10 insurance fee. Meh: The middle miles until about mile 10 had few volunteers, no music that I remember, and a lot of hilly terrain. Fewer bands than expected. It seemed like no bands showed up for the middle miles. The people on the course who tried to give runners beer and kept yelling about brunch later. Is brunch some sort of inside joke? H Street. Great at night for food and drinks. Bleak and not visually inspiring on a Saturday at 10:30 AM. There were a lot of walkers in early miles. Maybe it was the cold. But do not plan your race around a conservative start because you will have to contend with bottlenecks of walking couples and trios, even at faster mile time areas of the staggering. Not so good: Why do they route runners up Calvert Hill? It was an unnecessary hardship and at such a comically steep grade that I'm not sure that any running coach would actually tell you to practice for it. So be warned: mile 5 is a long awful incline to a big steep hill. After mile 6, it was hard to identify the water stations. They had a gel giveaway with water behind it, but you had to fill a pitcher or your own container. At that point in the race, it was a bit challenging to self serve water and having volunteers with cups would have been appreciated. Similarly, they had gel and water and Gatorade (oh my!) about 2 miles from the finish, when a lot of us were bringing it home and wished that Station had been set up back at mile 8 or 9. Their hired photographers and volunteers sometimes made inappropriate or unsupportive comments. These were especially not appreciated late in a race on day with temperatures in the 20s and 30s. We were all doing our best. Not sure that people had a lot of PRS. There was very little signage directing runners, advising about the finish line, directing people to public transportation. They could have had more signage for port a potties, too, as people kept lining up for long waits at 2 potty stations without realizing that a 4 or 6 potty station was coming up soon. It was freezing cold and no arrangements were made for heat lamps and an indoors area for runners before or after the race. The Charlotte corporate challenge half did this for runners when it had unexpectedly cold conditions, in the 20s. read more

Well, not my first rodeo, but one of the worst. I know the organizers were not in charge of the weather, but holy cow, it was cold and wet! The problem began when there was not a rolling start, it was a random held group start. The organizers need to learn from a larger race like Spokane's Bloomsday where there are over 50,000 runners and it is a perfect flow at the starting line. By the time the race started I was wet and cold. The course was cool at the beginning where you ran past the National Monument. But then it wasn't a terribly interesting course. I think I bought in when it was described as in the heart of the nation's capital. Really, there was very precious little that was in the heart. How cool would it be to start and end in the Mall? To run by the memorials? Nope, just on to neighborhoods...... Apparently, even though my splits were good at the start, I am still running. Timing system never counted me at the finish line. However, I certainly did finish!. I also signed up for athlete tracking so I could see where my husband and son finished. The time was correct for my husband, but not at all right for my son! Crossing the finish line was confusing as they had an arch 500 yards from the end. You looked like you were done, but alas....still 500 yards more. Food at finish line was cool. Too bad it was raining so hard that all I wanted to do was get warm. At that point I didn't care about beer, I just wanted to get on the Metro and get warm. The Metro was a MESS! Lined up 1/4 mile back. No organization to let folks off and have a clear path out so that cold runners could get on. Didn't seem like a good plan in case of in-climate weather. I did like the crowds that came out to watch despite bad weather. The medal is cool. The shirt okay. The expo had no freebies, only stuff to buy. Overall, organizers should go to Bloomsday and pattern this race after that. Change the course to really highlight the area. Do that, and I maybe would return. No changes, not returning. read more

I ran the 5k in 2015 and although it as fun, there were way too many people. They should have better controlled and dispursed runners so we weren't all on top on one another. I also found the expo to be a joke and pathetic marketing opportunity for the organizers. Same goes for the ridiculous number of emails you'll get to buy this, that, or the other. read more

RnR-DC Half Marathon was my first race ever and also I have lived in DC for my whole life. These two facts may skew my review in some ways, but maybe not. All in all, I had a great time running this race and thought that logistically things went very smoothly. Check-in process was a lot easier than I had anticipated and the morning of the race went just as I was told/I had planned for. I will say, that I thought the race was a little bit expensive (but I decided to run it pretty last minute so that may have been part of the problem). I also signed up for text message alerts so my family could see my split times and that worked as they said it would. Now to talk about the fun/interesting component...the COURSE! I was told by my friends who ran the full marathon, that there were parts of the course that got a little industrial/isolated/boring, BUT I can't think of a better route for the half-marathon. Again, as a native Washingtonian, I really felt like the route hit a lot of the great streets in DC--starting out downtown by the landmarks, getting to run through rock creek park (where I'm sure so many of the DC runners did their training runs), having the chance to run through a few neighborhoods and then down north capital with The Capitol in view for the entirety of the stretch--runners taking over a street that is usually so heavily trafficked was a really cool thing to see. I also love that the race was entirely within city limits. Sucks for people trying to drive the morning of the race, but great to stay true to the "real" Washington DC. There was one major memorable hill during the half--as you leave Rock Creek Park and make your way into the neighborhood of Woodley/Adams Morgan (around mile six) there is about a quarter-mile climb--as the elevation climbs so to does the incline, but although its a decent length and pretty steep, once you get over it, it's pretty flat. To be honest, mentally one of the most challenging parts of the race was the stretch down north cap. Perhaps it was because it was around mile 11 of the race (and I didn't eat and probably should have) and I was feeling it a little, but I felt like the straightaway for what seemed like several miles was really mentally challenging. I kept finding myself wanting to take a turn. Overall, the energy was fun and runners of all levels. It was fun to have bands. Even though around mile 11 I told myself I never really needed to run a full, I somehow decided two days later that I should sign up for the Marine Corps Marathon. Thanks for introducing this long-time-runner-but-not-racer to the world of races RnR--you'll always be my first! read more