Rock 'n' Roll Washington DC

Rock 'n' Roll Washington DC

Rock 'n' Roll Washington DC

( 58 reviews )
89% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Washington,
    District of Columbia,
    United States
  • March
  • 3 miles/5K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Christine

Chesapeake, Virginia, United States
9 3
2015
"Not a stereotypical scenic DC course"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Christine 's thoughts:

If you are looking for a picturesque DC race, Rock 'n' Roll DC half marathon is not your race! This race course starts on the mall but quickly moves out into some more residential sections of DC. That's not to say that these residential sections aren't interesting or attractive but they may not hold your attention, like running past some of the big DC monuments and memorials.

In terms of elevation, there is one major hill at about mile 6 and then quite a few rolling hills on the back half of the course. I had heard rumors of this hill and it was no joke! The one great part of it was the spectators and Wear Blue to Remember group that lined the entire hill, providing some motivation to make it up.

Like all Rock 'n' Roll races, this race offers fun bands along the course and great aid stations. There are more than enough aid stations and plenty of medical tents along the course. Since 2015 was a very rainy race, the spectators were pretty thin throughout but I can't really hold that against them.

My biggest concern for this race was the timing. I was at the front of my corral and we were moved across one of the starting mats before we were released to start. Apparently that mat started our chips and my final chip time was about 2 minutes off of my Garmin time. I contacted the proper authorities and after many weeks of emailing back and forth, they finally stopped responding. I was disappointed that while I presented Garmin data, the Rock 'n' Roll personnel were rude and questioned my motives about my race time.

In terms of swag, Rock 'n' Roll always has great gear. The medal was cute and nicely themed for the DC race. The Brooks race shirts rarely disappoint. And I was very pleased that runners were offered mylar blankets at the finish, both for keeping warm and dry on that cold and rainy race day!

While Rock 'n' Roll DC was not my favorite race experience due to the course and the timing issue, it was a learning experience for me...I'll never cross another timing mat before a race officially begins!

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