EXPO/PACKET PICKUP: The week of the race, runners have the option of traveling to a handful of Charm City Run locations to retrieve their packet. (For example, Annapolis on Tuesday, Columbia on Wednesday, Frederick on Thursday, ect). Otherwise, arrive early on race day and pick up your packet on-site. I opted for store pickup ahead of time, but I checked out the line on race morning. The line was long, but seemed to be moving at a good clip. If you plan to do the race day option, arrive about 20 minutes earlier than you would have otherwise.

PARKING: budget-friendly onsite parking available at Harbor Point, where the race starts. Emails sent prior to the race indicate this lot fills up early, and shortly after seven a.m., becomes inaccessible due to race-related road closures. Since the race started at 8:30, I had no desire to spend 90+ minutes bumming around in the cold, so I opted for off-site parking about a 10 minute walk from the start/finish. I paid only slightly more, booked in advance to guarantee a spot, and arrived on my own schedule.

START LINE LOGISTICS: Plenty of port-a-pots! There are a handful of toilets by the packet pickup table, but I skipped the line and went down to the stairs to the parking lot and walked right up to an available port-a-pot. Charm City Run has their race management down to a science, and everything is clearly labeled, including bag check. The race had about 2000 runners, and we were divided into four corrals. Again, these were well-marked, both on our bibs and at the start line. An announcer frequently reminded us of the time and told us when to line up. I was in the first corral, Corral A, and we went off at exactly 8:30a.m. Every two minutes, another corral crossed the start line. At no point did I feel the course was too crowded or congested.

THE COURSE: The course is the highlight and the reason I've done this race multiple times. The loop course begins at Harbor Point, winds around the water (offering beautiful views of boats and Baltimore's iconic red lighthouse), before heading into downtown. At about the halfway mark, the flat grade turns into a .75 mile long ascent toward Patterson Park. The grade gets pretty tough at times, and even among Corral A runners I noticed a few began to walk. I kept grinding as my pace slowed by a full thirty seconds, but I had a quite a sense of accomplishment when I reached Patterson Park. I took in the greenery and the city and thankfully, we had a downhill reprieve that allowed me to make up a little bit of the lost time. The course levels out as runners return to the city, and there is a final, brief uphill sprint to the finish line.

AID STATIONS: This course had two aid stations, which is pretty generous for a 10k. The first aid station was at about mile 2.5, in downtown, and the second aid station was at mile 4.5, at Patterson Park. After such a steep climb, I stopped at the second aid station for water. The volunteers had plenty of filled cups, so I didn't have to wait, and they also had Gatorade as an option.

FINISH LINE: The finish line has a fun, low-key energy by the water. After collecting my medal, I got a full-size, cold water bottle and a handful of snacks (bagged cookies, a fruit cup, and chips). The bananas were very green, and I thus noticed most runners were opting for other snacks. My race entry came with two complimentary beers, but I don't drink so those were of no use to me. The line for the booze, however, was already extremely long by the time I finished. There were plenty of benches to rest and spaces to stretch.

PREMIUM: In 2023, the race premium was a long sleeve Under Armour seamless running tee with the race logo printed on the back. The women's was a pretty light blue color. I ordered a size small, my true size for fitted shirts, and thought it fit perfectly. The medal was identical to the 2022 Sole of the City medal, except for the color, so while I loved the shirt, I'd say the medal was just average. CCR also provides FREE race photos to all runners, so that is a fun perk!

Sole of the City is my all-time favorite 10k. The course is phenomenal, the volunteers are enthusiastic, and the race management is top-notch. I 100% recommend this if you're in the Baltimore/D.C. area! April weather in the mid-Atlantic can get a little dicey, and it tends to be extra cold at the start due to winds coming off the water. Be sure to pack warm layers for before and after the race!

I've run the Rock 'n' Roll Washington D.C. half marathon race three times (2021, 2022, 2023) and it's a staple of my spring racing schedule. Most D.C. races have a similar route: East Potomac Park, Tidal Basin, and an out-and-back stretch on Rock Creek Parkway (notably, the CCUB ten miler and Pacers Running D.C. Half boast this route). Even with its updated 2023 course, the Rock 'n' Roll does something different and takes runners from the Mall to the Potomac to Adams Morgan to K Street then back to the Capitol. From a sightseeing standpoint, Rock 'n' Roll has the superior D.C. running route of all the major races.

It also has the hilliest. The infamous nine-degree-grade hill at Calvert now hits at the 7.5, rather than the 6, mile mark. I like to challenge myself to run up this hill, no matter how tired I am and no matter how many runners slow to a walk beside me. The flatness of the first half of the course gives way to rolling hills, but there were plenty of aid stations and community support. Some performers are hired by the race (like the military sergeant with the megaphone and the drumming troupe) but there are plenty of local residents with homemade signs and ad hoc water stops (some in AdMo, true to the neighborhood's reputation, offer jello shots).

With about two miles left of the race, runners are treated to excellent views of the Capitol building. Shade is sparse, but March weather in D.C. tends toward the chilly and heat usually isn't a problem. The finisher's chute is always jam-packed with cheering spectators, so there's a lot of energy carrying runners through the final stretch.

I paid approximately $70 for the race during presale at the 2022 expo, and for that fee, I received a completely closed course, a tech tee shirt, and a cherry blossom-themed and distance-specific medal. At the finish line, volunteers passed out water, gatorade, fruit snacks, granola bars, chips, and tiny cupcakes. There was plenty of space to reunite with family and stretch.

Are Rock 'n' Roll races a little hokey? Yes, but they're also expertly managed. As a local, I attended the expo on Thursday and had my bib and shirt within minutes. No line, no malfunctioning technology, none of the chaos that haunts expos for races of similar size. (In 2023, a combined 15,000 runners participated in the half and 5k). On race morning, I got to the start line thirty minutes before gun and didn't have to wait for a restroom. There were seemingly hundreds of port-a-johns in every direction.

I was seeded in corral five, so I only had to wait about fifteen minutes in the corrals. For those seeded in the second group (the race referred to these runners as "the red bibs," whereas runners in corrals 1-8 had blue bibs), wait times were a good deal longer. I didn't mind my brief wait, because this meant the course wasn't crowded and I had ample space to settle into my pace, but I might've gotten impatient if I was slow and seeded later.

I usually love the Rock 'n' Roll t-shirts, but this year, the manufacturer must've made sizing updates and now, my true size small fits like a medium or maybe a large. I compared my 2023 shirt to 2022 and the difference is wild, especially in terms of length. I'm short, so this is specifically irksome to me.

All in all, Rock 'n' Roll is my favorite D.C. half marathon, and I'll continue to run this race for as long as I live here. The 2023 course updates only improved the experience, and allowed runners/spectators to park and enjoy the logistical convenience of a loop route. (Before, the race ended all the way across the city at the Armory, which was a hassle and a half). The trick with this race is to register EARLY and snag a good deal! Oh, and train for hills.

I ran the Reston Ten Miler on March 5, 2023 as a tune-up race for my spring season. The race is put on by NoVa's Potomac River Running, a local chain of running stores. They host many events throughout the year (mostly shorter races like 5k and 10ks), so they know how to manage professional, well-run events.

I registered online about 3-4 weeks before the race. I think registration was sixty dollars, which is affordable for the area. For this, all runners received a unisex windbreaker, unique medal, course support, and expansive array of post-race snacks.

I showed up forty minutes before start time and picked up my packet on race morning. The parking lot still had plenty of spots when I arrived, but the lot did fill up by gun time. Bib pickup took place inside the high school, which was heated and had clean bathrooms (although the women's room wait was considerably longer than the men's). Given it was rather cold and blustery out, runners remained in the school hall until about five minutes before start. There was plenty of room to stretch and we had access to the water fountains.

This is a small race, just a few hundred runners, and the race had a mass start. I expected this, but mass starts, even in small races, can result in some initial congestion. I was through the crowd and on pace within 1/4-1/2 mile. The course makes a figure-eight shape on town roads, which are partially closed to through traffic. Runners get one cordoned-off lane and there are police officers/race volunteers posted at every interchange. Drivers were very respectful, albeit they were few given the early hour, and I wasn't at any risk of getting lost (a fear of mine in local races).

This course is HILLY. I had no idea Reston was so hilly! I appreciated the challenge, but runners should definitely be prepared for this. My splits were...all over the place.

Aid stations were placed every 2-3 miles, which was plenty. There isn't too much in the way of course support, but there were plenty of cheering dog walkers and neighborhood residents to keep me going. The only driver who got mad at the race was a rich looking guy trying to turn into a country club; everyone else honked or rolled down their windows to cheer for us. I really felt the community support!

The race ended at the high school, and final 1/4 mile took place on the school track. Talk about a throwback! I haven't run on a high school track in over ten years, and it was fun to take a victory lap. As runners approached the track, an emcee announced our names, which I thought was fun.

After the race, temperatures had warmed and there was plenty of space on the turf to stretch and cool down. I went back into the cafeteria for snacks, of which there plenty. Aside from water and gatorade, runners could get bananas, cookies, muffins, fruit snacks, and granola bars. About a day or two later, I received an email of free, watermarked race photos!

All in all, an incredibly professional race I'd do again in a heartbeat. My only feedback would be on the premiums. Because the windbreakers are unisex, even the XS was too large for me and hit me at a funny spot on my hips. Really, a simple tech shirt with the race logo is all I need!