PNC Alexandria Half (fka Parkway Classic)
Alexandria, VA
- Half Marathon, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Experience the NEW, stunning PNC Alexandria Half! The Parkway Classic is now the inaugural PNC Alexandria Half, Northern Virginia’s marquee spring running event! Enjoy 13.1 miles through the heart of Old Town and out and back on the beautiful George Washington Parkway. Or, choose the 5K and exclusively experience the … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Apr 27):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 71 | 60 | 71 | 62 | 84 |
| L (°F) | 50 | 52 | 51 | 47 | 50 |
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13.1, no longer 10
This is the first year that this race is a half marathon, it has been a 10 miler in the past. I signed up for this race because it was … MORE
This is the first year that this race is a half marathon, it has been a 10 miler in the past. I signed up for this race because it was a half and close to home. I don’t believe I received any correspondence from race after receiving an email stating that I was signed up. I don’t know if that was just me, or everyone. The website was able to give me all of the information I needed, though I did have to check to make sure I actually signed up for it. Old Town Alexandria VA is great, its awesome to walk around and has some great shops and restaurants. I was able to stay with a friend, and it is easy driving distance from my home. There were some deals on the website for a couple of hotels nearby for good prices. Packet pick up was at a local Pacer’s running store, shirt, clear bag, and safety pins. I have no idea if they had anything race related at the store to buy, I got in and out quick. The shirt is pretty nice, soft cotton, I will hold onto it for a while. The race started a 7am on Sunday, 37 degrees and windy. About 5,000 runner were announced, there is also a 5k race that starts at the same time. You run about 2 miles in old town, then out to the parkway which is an out and back ( turn is at about 6.5 miles). The road is cement, not asphalt, so a little rougher on the body. You have views of the Potomac river, a golf course, some neighborhoods, and mostly woods. After the turn around you head back and once you get to old town you go through some nice neighborhoods. The weather turned out to be great, there was a head wind running back to town. Running out the is an incline for most of the run, heading back there was a head wind, and surprisingly some inclines also. There are 2 decent hills in the last 3 miles, one is short. Not much post race snacks, bottle of water, bananas, granola bars, pretzels. There was a lot stuff in a celebration park that looked good, but I did not have time to check it out. Medal was the same for the half and the 5k, not that great. Volunteers were great, water stops were at good distances, the gatorade was strong and good, not the normal weak stuff. Not a lot of fan support, more in old town, much less on the parkway. Overall I found this race was kind of boring being an out and back, which I should have expected. It was a fine race because it was close to home, I don’t think I would travel a long distance for this one. If you are a local runner, definitely do it, you have probably already done the 10 miler.
Mt Vernon to Old Town
I absolutely loved this course! Mt Vernon to Old Town via the Mt Vernon Trail was a blast! The production was everything you expected and more. Shuttles to the start … MORE
I absolutely loved this course! Mt Vernon to Old Town via the Mt Vernon Trail was a blast! The production was everything you expected and more. Shuttles to the start ran flawlessly and packet pickup at a local running store reminded me why I got into running over 13 years ago. Add this to the many awesome DMV 10Milers. I didn’t stay for the post race party as I had honey-do-lists to complete at the Homefront. Passing on local craft beer is rare for me.
Bring your own water
This year, the weather was unseasonably warm. The race director sent a message three days before the race warning us to not plan for a PR because of the heat. … MORE
This year, the weather was unseasonably warm. The race director sent a message three days before the race warning us to not plan for a PR because of the heat. I brought a handheld water bottle to the start, foolishly thinking I could refill it in the 1.5 hours before the start. There was no water anywhere. Very disappointing.
Other than that, the race was well managed and the busses were great, the course is great, the shirt was great (except for the color, but image and texture of the fabric were good), the medal is nice.
I believe free race photos are coming.
Love this race, great course
Great course, love this race. Always is the start of summer for me. My main issue with this event is that the after party could be so good if they … MORE
Great course, love this race. Always is the start of summer for me.
My main issue with this event is that the after party could be so good if they let you drink more than one beer! Once the party starts, it seems to end quicky once the one beer runs out.
Great scenery with some hills
It was my first time racing the 10 mile distance and I throughly enjoyed it! It was actually my birthday present. There were 3,000+ people for the 10 mile race … MORE
It was my first time racing the 10 mile distance and I throughly enjoyed it! It was actually my birthday present. There were 3,000+ people for the 10 mile race and I had a great time running alongside everyone. During the race, a bald eagle flew over me and I heard a lot of red-winged blackbirds, and after the race I saw an osprey! Runners and the crowd also had dogs, which I enjoyed seeing. As someone who loves animals and wildlife, it was great. I know some runners don’t pay too much to their surroundings and zone out, but seeing what’s around me is one of the parts of running I like – especially when running new routes. I enjoyed taking in the scenery and running alongside the Potomac River.
Course: Hilly and the hill during the 8th mile was quite steep but it felt great running up it. There were also people cheering and one had a sign that said “It’s just a hill. Get over it.” and I liked that 🙂 The other hills throughout were less steep. There were five water stations spread throughout the course, and I made sure to stop at each one. The first didn’t have gatorade but the rest did. The volunteers were great and while there wasn’t a lot of people along the course, there were some, and they did a great job cheering and encouraging everyone. At the halfway point, there was a clock and a chip reader thing, which was great.
Weather: 51°F with 77% humidity and sunny. I was comfortable in shorts and a tank top (and that’s what a lot of other runners were wearing too). There were heatsheets available at the beginning of the race though as people were waiting to start. The course was mostly shaded by trees which did make it feel a bit cooler but because I was running it didn’t make too much of a difference. Even so, sunglasses were necessary for me (as someone who is sensitive to sunlight).
Post race: Beer garden was good and the signs for photos were nice too. It ended at the Oronoco Bay Park, with great views of the Potomac River. Live music and food was great. The National Park Service had a table which was nice to see. Other booths were good too. The medal was an engraved piece of wood that looks like a postage stamp with an etching of the George Washington Memorial Parkway on one side – looks nice. The shirts were a great fabric but kind of plain (just black with white lettering that said the name of the race and date, no distance).
Improvements: More porta potties needed! There were three available and super long lines at all. I started six minutes after the official start, after the last pace group left. I was able to catch up, doing mostly positive splits and running to the start line, although that wasn’t ideal or my plan for this run. When I left the porta potty to run to the start, there were still at least ten people behind me. After I crossed the start line, I heard the announcer say last call. A few seconds later someone else came and then the announcer said another last call, and after that I was too far to hear. Hopefully the other runners were able to cross the starting line. I did like that there were pacers, and having never run with a pace group before, I would have liked to try it out, but because of my unplanned delayed start, I only passed the 2:00:00 group. Since I wasn’t sure how the pace groups worked, I didn’t really look out for other groups and I ran solo (with a lot of other runners around me) and used my watch to keep track of my pace.
Other notes: Watch out for potholes in the road! I ended up landing in several of them during the run – it wasn’t too bad though – and I say this as someone who’s knee was injured two weeks prior. I didn’t take the bus or use the bag check, so I can’t comment on that but from what I saw and heard from other runners, it went smoothly.
Overall, I would definitely recommend it! The George Washington Memorial Parkway is a beautiful road with views of the Potomac River and surrounded by lots of trees. If you can’t run it, at least drive on it at some point. As a newer runner, racing the Parkway Classic made me more excited to run other races! And this one again 🙂
Love this race, great course
Love this race, great course. My only issue with this event is the after party could be so good, but they cut the party short with only one beer allowed. … MORE
Love this race, great course. My only issue with this event is the after party could be so good, but they cut the party short with only one beer allowed. Why not open it up to purchase additional beers?
A fun point to point 10 miler
So this is the 3rd 10 Miler in 3 months for DC/NOVA if you pair this with the Reston 10 Miler and Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. I'd also say in … MORE
So this is the 3rd 10 Miler in 3 months for DC/NOVA if you pair this with the Reston 10 Miler and Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. I’d also say in terms of difficulty it’s the middle ground with Reston having the most hills and the Cherry Blossom race having the least. This race starts with a slight downhill and is mostly flat other than hills at Miles 5 and 8. Mile 5 is the larger but it’s over quicker. Mile 8 feels drawn out as you can see the hill going for a while and you’re at the point in a 10 mile race where you can feel it. After that there is just a minor bump on Franklin Street and you turn down the long straightaway to the park.
This year it was warm enough to do this race in a tshirt and shorts however I underestimated how cool it would be next to the water at Mount Vernon prior to sunrise. Thankfully they had heatsheets (my first one!) which were a lifesaver. I chose to donate my shirt cost to charity so the heatsheet and very nice finishers medal are my swag along with free photos which are always appreciated (they aren’t done yet at the time of typing). Next year I’ll bring a sweater and toss it in my gear check bag before taking off on the race. I didn’t check anything this year as my car was near the end. I didn’t think about checking things from BEFORE the race started. It was plenty warm after; it was before that I needed the cold weather gear.
The race offered shuttle busses from up near Oronoco Bay park (which is the finish) down to Mount Vernon and that made things very convienent. They were DASH buses which are the Alexandria transit system. The production and logistics to pull all of this off were very impressive. Pacers did a great job with this and I’ll be back next year (and in the DC Half in the Fall) if I can fit them into my running schedule!
One of my favorite 10 miler
I love this race, it’s a bit of a drive coming in from Baltimore but I love it so much that I ran it 2 years now. Well organized, scenic, … MORE
I love this race, it’s a bit of a drive coming in from Baltimore but I love it so much that I ran it 2 years now. Well organized, scenic, great time!