Amateur athletes are set to run from H Street to a local craft brewery later this week.
The H Street Runners will host a “fun run” from the Capital Bikeshare station at 11th and H streets NE to Atlas Brew Works at 2052 West Virginia Ave. NE Thursday at 7 p.m.
The route to the brewery will span about three miles, according to the event’s organizers. “This run will include a preview of Gallaudet’s outdoor track facility, which is to open to members of the surrounding community,” a Facebook post about the event reads. “We’ll do a lap or two around the track and have a little bit of fun with it (trust me!) before continuing on to the brewery.”
Attendees must bring a legal ID along with their running shoes, organizers said.
More information from the H Street Runners Facebook page:
Members of H Street Runners will participate in a global effort to raise awareness and money for refugees of the civil war in Syria with a 5K tomorrow evening on the National Mall.
The informal run is part of 5K4Refugees international virtual 5K, which is raising money for CARE International’s efforts to help refugees in Turkey and elsewhere. The concept of a virtual 5K is that people around the world will organize small fundraising runs in their communities to raise money for the same cause.
H Street Runners, along with members of several other local running groups, including the Capitol Hill Running Club and the citywide Capital Striders, will start their run at 6:30 p.m. Thursday near the Capitol Building reflecting pool. The runners will run through the Mall in small groups, finishing at the reflecting pool.
Afterwards, runners will meet at Hamilton’s Bar and Grill at 233 2nd St. NW for a post-run happy hour.
The race was organized by H Street Runners member Adam Siple, who heard about the international event from a friend and fellow runner.
“I can’t take credit for the larger initiative, I just thought I could organize a local run since I happen to be coordinating events for H Street Runners anyway,” he said. “There was some significance here because we are the nation’s capital, and other people in the club seemed to agree and really helped put it together and get the word out.”
Siple said he expects 50-60 people to participate in the run, but emphasized that it is an informal gathering and participants will run in small groups to prevent any disruptions around the Mall. Any interested in running are welcome to arrive and can RSVP and find more information on the Facebook event page.
Runners or supporters can donate to CARE’s refugee relief fund online.
While temperatures are expected to warm into the 60s tomorrow, Siple said the runners are prepared to face the cold if the heat doesn’t stick around past sundown.
“This is a very significant showing for a run in December,” he said. “It might be cold and dark tomorrow but it’s pretty cold and dark right now if you’re a refugee I imagine, so the least we can do is run.”
Photo via Facebook/ 5K4Refugees International Virtual 5K
A specialty running store and retailer opened its second D.C. location today in Navy Yard’s Boilermaker Shops.
Pacers Running newest location is at 300 Tingey St. SE is celebrating its grand opening through this Sunday. The company has five other locations throughout the District and Virginia.
“For several years, we have looked at options to service this great part of the city and are happy to now call Navy Yard home,” CEO Kathy Dalby said in a statement.
The store was designed with elements that honor the historical 1919 Navy Yard building, according to the statement. This includes fixtures salvaged from old Naval ships.
The space itself is more than 2,000 square feet to house apparel, shoes and accessories. It will have training services, a “Run Lab” for gait analysis and will serve as a meeting spot for fun runs on certain weeknights.
The first of these runs is scheduled for tomorrow night as part of the grand opening celebration. A group will run 3 to 5 miles, followed by drinks at neighboring Bluejacket.
Pacers Navy Yard hours are:
- 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
- 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Pacers Running
Hundreds of runners are expected to descend on the the H Street corridor next weekend for an evening 5K race, organizers of the run said this week.
The Midnight on Mars 5K could include as many as 250 people who have signed up to run on sidewalks on H Street NE and other area roads on Aug. 1 from 9 to 10 p.m.
Matt Green, a co-founder of the District Running Collective, which is organizing the race, said at a community meeting that the runners won’t all start at the same time. Instead, the runners will be split into groups that leave the starting line at different intervals, he said.
The annual run, which began in 2013, has been a “positive” experience for the District, he said.
“It’s not like a normal run or race where people are really worried about themselves,” Green said. “We promote community and motivate one another.”
The race will begin and end at Gallery O on H at 1354 H St. NE. The gallery will host “The Running Room,” which will have fitness vendors and giveaways. After the race, the gallery will have drinks and live music.
Runners can register for the race online for $40.
Photo via Facebook/District Running Collective
Ghouls, zombies and witches will have the chance once again to run through the Congressional Cemetery this fall.
The annual “Dead Man’s Run” 5K and 2K are set for Oct. 3 at the Hill East cemetery. Costumes are encouraged.
Until July 12, 5K runners can register online for $30 using the code “DOOMED.” Otherwise, the cost is $40 per person for the 5K. The fee covers admission to the 5K, as well as a T-shirt and post-race beer.
A noncompetitive 2K for children and families is $10 per person.
At the strike of a funeral bell, the 5K participants will run a loop that travels through the cemetery and along the Anacostia River.
Following the race, runners will get a beer as a “reward your own survival,” according to the Congressional Cemetery.
Photo via Congressional Cemetery
Runners will have a new destination soon in Navy Yard.
Pacers Running is expected to arrive on Tingey Street SE in August, the chain’s chief executive officer, Kathy Dalby, said today. The store will be located in the Boilermaker Shops, which is home to Bluejacket and Willie’s Brew & Que.
The 2,000-square-foot store, which will be the seventh Pacers Running in the United States, will carry running shoes, clothes and other accessories. Also, they will host events and training sessions for local runners.
“We are very excited to move into the neighborhood, considering the great mix of businesses, and look forward to serving the great neighborhoods in and around the area,” Dalby said in an email.
Pacers Running currently has stores in Northwest D.C., Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax.
Photo via Facebook/runpacers
Hundreds of runners will speed through NoMa soon as part of the Metropolitan Branch Trail 5K.
Registration recently opened for the race, which is set for Saturday, May 2.
The 5K that had about 400 participants last year highlights the recreation opportunities the eight-mile trail offers, race co-director Sherri Morgan said.
“The race is a means to showcase a new and actively used recreational amenity — and commuter pathway — that links the historic Brookland and Edgewood neighborhoods, and others that are adjacent, to NoMa, Union Station and beyond,” she said by email.
Runners will start at the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station, head south, turn around between L and M streets NE and return to the Metro station.
Participants last year included Mayor Muriel Bowser and Councilman Kenyan McDuffie, Morgan said.
Registration available online costs $25 for adults and is free for up to 150 youth under age 18.
Photo via Facebook/Metropolitan Branch Trail 5K
(Updated at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday) Runners participating in the Capitol Hill Classic can expect an extra boost this year — from the all-women percussion group Batala Washington and the Stuart-Hobson Middle School marching band.
The 36th annual race scheduled for May 17 will have a soundtrack, volunteer organizer Roberta Stewart said. The bands will perform on the eastern end of the 10K course, near RFK Stadium and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, which runners previously said was a lull on the path.
“We’re hoping to provide some extra motivation on this quiet stretch of the race,” Stewart said about the 85-woman band that plays samba, reggae and Afro-Brazilian beats.
In another new addition this year, race organizers have added a new training option. When runners sign up, they’re eligible to receive a discounted subscription to the online service Runcoach, which gives individualized training plans and data. The eight-week Moms in Training program offered last year is an option again now.
The fundraiser for the Capitol Hill Cluster School — which includes a 10K, 3K and short fun run for children — is expected to have more than 3,800 participants this year. About 42 percent of the runners last year lived on the Hill, in the 20002 or 20003 zip codes, Stewart said.
The race courses this year will be similar to last year’s courses, with the 10K starting at Peabody Elementary School, passing the Library of Congress and then heading east on East Capitol Street to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. It will then loop back to finish at Peabody. The 3K will start at Peabody, do a loop near Stanton Park and return to the school. And the fun run for kids will just lap Stanton Park.
Awards will be given to the first, second and third place man and woman runners, plus the top man and woman finishers in nine age categories. All fun run finishers will get a medal.
Some streets across the neighborhood will be closed May 17. For full information, see the race website.
Registration costs $38 until May 15 for the 10K, $33 until May 15 for the 3K and $10 for the fun run. Prices increase to $40 and $35, respectively, starting May 16.
The scenery — which includes the Capitol Building, Library of Congress and Supreme Court — is what makes the race unique, Stewart said.
“You go by these amazing buildings and then get to go through Capitol Hill,” she said. “It really highlights what makes our neighborhood very special.”
Photos courtesy of Capitol Hill Classic/Djenno Bacvic Photography