Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington DC
Washington, DC
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Get ready for miles of monuments and music at the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Washington DC! This isn’t just a race; it’s a celebration of the District’s culture, vibrant neighborhoods, and history. From the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, every step gets you up close to … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Mar 20):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 71 | 76 | 70 | 52 | 65 |
| L (°F) | 41 | 53 | 42 | 29 | 51 |
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Such a Monumental Race
I was not expecting the race to be as big as it was! For a big race there were lots of bathrooms (one in every coral). Pro tip- if you … MORE
I was not expecting the race to be as big as it was! For a big race there were lots of bathrooms (one in every coral). Pro tip- if you are in a late coral, wait until the last second to use it! Was able to use it with no line 2 minutes before I started!
The first two miles were full of monuments to look out for. There were a couple out and backs but with all the people and music stops I didn’t really notice it. I expected the hill to be killer but honestly, walking it with all the spectators and the entertainment it wasn’t as bad as everyone says!
Overall a well organized and fun race!
Great Race
I enjoyed this race a lot, there was a ton of support and it was a fun time. I recommend it as a good race to run with friends and … MORE
I enjoyed this race a lot, there was a ton of support and it was a fun time. I recommend it as a good race to run with friends and socialize after!
Miles and Monuments!
This was my first experience with the Rock 'n' Roll Running Series, and I was pleasantly surprised! I know some people love them and some people avoid them, so I … MORE
This was my first experience with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series, and I was pleasantly surprised! I know some people love them and some people avoid them, so I was eager to form my own opinion. It is massive, but I felt like it was well-organized and there was room to spread out on the course. I had runners around me for the entire race, which was a unique experience as a back-of-the-pack running, but it didn’t feel chaotic or overcrowded. I enjoyed the course, it provided a wonderful tour of the city with monuments and neighborhoods. There was awesome crowd support, with rock music and costumes and creative signs. The medal is beautiful, the shirt is a nice quality long-sleeve technical fabric hoodie. The Expo was a little difficult to find, buried deep in an enormous convention center. But, once I got there, packet pick-up was smooth. There was plenty of merch and fun fun photo ops. I would not hesitate to run this race again or give another Rock ‘n’ Roll event a try!
Great location, that's about it!
Aid stations were fine, lots of porta potties, VERY crowded so a slow start but that is expected. In the nation's capital, shouldn't we start with the national anthem? No … MORE
Aid stations were fine, lots of porta potties, VERY crowded so a slow start but that is expected. In the nation’s capital, shouldn’t we start with the national anthem? No anthem–that was disappointing. The route is beautiful, crowd support is OK. It is the ROCK N ROLL series, expensive, and there was very little music, maybe 3 or 4 live bands the whole time. Only a shirt and medal, but no others perks and the post race food was bananas and a granola bar. The logistics and location are great, but overall it felt like it had minimal perks. No one does it like Richmond, hands down!
Always a fun race
Great race today. Weather was perfect for the first half, and then the sun came out and it got very warm the 2nd half. The calvert hill is always a … MORE
Great race today. Weather was perfect for the first half, and then the sun came out and it got very warm the 2nd half. The calvert hill is always a killer. The rolling hills on the back half are no joke either.
Fun environment - rough hills!
It was a ton of fun- it the few hills were LEGIT HILLS. Look forward to next years. Snack after were good, party was busy, heavy metal pick up was … MORE
It was a ton of fun- it the few hills were LEGIT HILLS. Look forward to next years. Snack after were good, party was busy, heavy metal pick up was quick and smooth.
Fun Rockin' Half
A really really fun Half with lots of entertainment and crowd support. A good amount of aid stations and a medium difficult course. Goes all the way around DC so … MORE
A really really fun Half with lots of entertainment and crowd support. A good amount of aid stations and a medium difficult course. Goes all the way around DC so a nice tour of the city. Post-race festivities are really fun with lots of options.
Hills and lots of people
The Metro station I planned to use was closed before the race but I found a friendly couple to ride share to the race - be prepared for it to … MORE
The Metro station I planned to use was closed before the race but I found a friendly couple to ride share to the race – be prepared for it to be closed! Very big race, never saw a pacer on the course, very hilly but overall great crowd support.
Hilly & Humid, Cool Views, Well-Run
Solid course, cool views of a lot of the big DC landmarks, cool that it finished with a view of the capitol, the hill at mile 7 was brutal (THANK … MORE
Solid course, cool views of a lot of the big DC landmarks, cool that it finished with a view of the capitol, the hill at mile 7 was brutal (THANK YOU to the army guy screaming for everyone to get up the hill, you rock), and a bit humid despite being in the high-40’s to low-50’s, which is rough for anyone who gets killed by humidity, like myself.
Great race, great atmosphere
This was a fun race with a great crowd and would absolutely run again! Be ware of that hill at Rock Creek Park! The weather was cloudy and sprinkled, but … MORE
This was a fun race with a great crowd and would absolutely run again! Be ware of that hill at Rock Creek Park! The weather was cloudy and sprinkled, but it couldn’t bring down the great atmosphere.
Great Race in D.C.
We arrived several days early to get all the sites in and it was worth it!! We stayed at the Phoenix Plaza Hotel and was perfect and walking distance to … MORE
We arrived several days early to get all the sites in and it was worth it!! We stayed at the Phoenix Plaza Hotel and was perfect and walking distance to most everything we did! We signed up for the 5K and Half for the extra bling – Note: this is back to back races on Saturday Morning – Easy logistics getting to the half from the 5K – about 20 minutes. There are a few hills – once major during mile 7. Loved all the entertainment and characters along the run!! Fun Patriotic Race – Highly recommend!!!
So much to see and do in D.C. Bonus!
We arrived several days early to get all the sites in and it was worth it!! We stayed at the Phoenix Plaza Hotel and was perfect and walking distance to … MORE
We arrived several days early to get all the sites in and it was worth it!! We stayed at the Phoenix Plaza Hotel and was perfect and walking distance to most everything we did! We signed up for the 5K and Half for the extra bling – Note: this is back to back races on Saturday Morning – Easy logistics getting to the half from the 5K – about 20 minutes. There are a few hills – once major during mile 7. Loved all the entertainment and characters along the run!! Fun Patriotic Race – Highly recommend!!!
good run if you need DC
The good thing about DC is that you can pretty much walk everywhere or take a hop on hop off bus. We stayed near the Capitol building and was able … MORE
The good thing about DC is that you can pretty much walk everywhere or take a hop on hop off bus. We stayed near the Capitol building and was able to walk to walk to the start and finish lines, packet pick up and most of the major attractions. Packet pick up was pretty average size. If you happen to forget something I’m sure you could find it there. The start and finish areas were a little congested, but nothing major. The race shirt and medal were decent. The course was a good one also imo. Pretty flat except for one of the biggest hills I’ve ran in my 31 states around mile 7 or so. Ran by the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, Arlington Cemetary and a great view of the Capitol building near the end. Was a good experience overall. It is a Rock and Roll series run, so it is a little pricey but worth it imo
Scenic Tour of our Capital
Everything about this race went smoothly. Start was well paced and spaced out. Large running crowd but never felt crowded. The views are great but they do throw a massive … MORE
Everything about this race went smoothly. Start was well paced and spaced out. Large running crowd but never felt crowded. The views are great but they do throw a massive hill in there for ya right after the l halfway point.
I would recommend this race! The crowd is great and very well done.
Great place, fun run and cherry blossoms
One of my favorite races (x4) because there so much to do in DC. Also the weather is usually very nice. This year (2024) was perfect, sunny and temp in … MORE
One of my favorite races (x4) because there so much to do in DC. Also the weather is usually very nice. This year (2024) was perfect, sunny and temp in the low 50s F (low 10s C) at race time.
This is a large venue race with 12,000+ runners in 20 corrals. Plenty of porta-potties, but with so many runners, there is going to be a line.
Easy to get to the expo and start/finish using the Metro. The expo was a bit lackluster this year. Mostly RnR stuff with a few additional vendors.
Race is point to point, but start and finish are very close to each other and to the National Mall. The RnR website has a downloadable map.
The first 5 1/2 miles is easy-ish, with some gentle up and downs thru wide avenues and recognizable landmarks. Then you get to the Rock Creek Parkway that runs thru a nature park. This is the “peaceful” part of the race until mile 7.5 when you reach this “monumental” climb. It is only 0.2 miles, but is 100 ft straight up !! Save your energy because It takes power to get up there (don’t worry just about everybody walks this, even with the drill sergeant at the beginning of the climb encouraging everybody). This is the climax and hardest part of the race.
Now you’re running thru the nice neighborhoods of DC. Up to mile 9 is “rolling hills”. After that is mostly downhill picking up speed once you make the turn at mile 10.5 into N Street toward the Capitol. You got one last short uphill after mile 12.5, then is down and fast to the end.
Water stations are every 2 miles and long enough not to have to bottleneck at the first tables (but happens anyway). I was surprised not to see electrolytes drinks but only in a couple of the stations. There is one gel station at about mile 8.5 .
Lots of people cheering along the way, a few bands playing along the way, and very lively band at the end. There is simply water, granola bars/chips/bananas at the end. There is one beer/ (glass of) wine included, but you need ID (I know, who runs with their ID?!). Therefore, bring your ID to the expo to get the “I’m old enough to drink” wrist band, and bypass the screening right after the race, if you want your adult beverage.
As a plus, a few warmer than usual days before the race brought most of the cherry blossom trees in the area to an earlier bloom. Nature is spectacular !!
Weather was fantastic! That hill sucks!
Weather was near perfect. Great race as always. I will never get used to that hill around mile 7, wrecks me every time. I felt like I was killing it, … MORE
Weather was near perfect. Great race as always. I will never get used to that hill around mile 7, wrecks me every time. I felt like I was killing it, and that hill took all the gas out of my tank.
The expo sucked as usual, but what are you gunna do. Never enough port-o-johns, but that’s typical of every race.
The after party should be better, but option to buy beer and keep it going after the race.
Great course minus a major hikl
The first ~6 miles you’re moving and grooving, then there’s a major hill in the 8th mile and from there some smaller rolling hills. The scenery at the beginning has … MORE
The first ~6 miles you’re moving and grooving, then there’s a major hill in the 8th mile and from there some smaller rolling hills. The scenery at the beginning has some of the most classic DC views, and in 2024, you finished with a nice view of the Capitol. Lots of port a potties at beginning and along course, ample water stops, and nice t-shirt aesthetic. The shirt was the only automatic swag besides a bio freeze packet. Packet pickup was convenient and quick moving, even on Friday evening. Metro access was easy for both packet pickup (convention center) and the race start and finish! Recommend race but plan time accordingly given the hill and how much you may slow around hill.
Run the US Capitol.
Great race. Run by the Washington & Lincoln memorials and see the White House. Nasty hill around mile 7.5 Spectacular finish with the Capitol building in the background. Cool medal. … MORE
Great race.
Run by the Washington & Lincoln memorials and see the White House.
Nasty hill around mile 7.5
Spectacular finish with the Capitol building in the background.
Cool medal.
Getting to the start was a little tight due to the Metro not running until 7am on weekends. And of course, there are never enough porta potties.
Another great race
Great race, wish the expo was better, beer tent was lame. They should mix up the t-shirt and make it cooler for the amount of $ paid. Weather was good, … MORE
Great race, wish the expo was better, beer tent was lame.
They should mix up the t-shirt and make it cooler for the amount of $ paid.
Weather was good, didn’t rain!
Mostly great
I would recommend this race and consider running it again. The entertainment on course was as expected, fun and distracting. I really enjoyed the band playing at the top of … MORE
I would recommend this race and consider running it again.
The entertainment on course was as expected, fun and distracting. I really enjoyed the band playing at the top of the brutal hill at mile 7. The only complaint would be the DJ playing under the bridge, it was truly terrible running through a tunnel with 12 speakers blasting/echoing music and someone just yelling “wooo!” over the mic. To make it worse, it was at a turn around so you got blasted but this twice. I probably ran faster than intended during this section.
2023 was a new route, the event website could use more information about the course (like an elevation map) and day of logistics (road closures, etc.). Well organized start and corrals to space out the runners. It was somewhat chilly at the end, so sticking around for what would have been a pretty good afterparty wasn’t worth it.