Victor Guthrie's Staging Area

Mount Vernon is a lovely area and I was looking forward to this run. The course is mostly an out-and-back on George Washington Parkway but turns into the estate at the end to finish directly in front of the mansion. The first mile was a slight downhill, so I felt like I was flying, but regretted starting so fast toward the end when I ran out of gas going back up the hill during the last mile.
This was one of the more crowded races that I’ve ever done, but it was well run. The atmosphere was fun, lots of folks dressed in themed clothes, and one runner even played Revolutionary War-era fife tunes on a flute during the race!
I’d highly recommend packet pickup before race day. I also pre-paid for parking – spots are limited and sell out fast. The race area is quite small for such a large race, so packet pickup was very crowded on race day. There are shuttles from Alexandria to the race start if you aren’t able to get parking. There is a bag check where they’ll take your stuff from the start line to the finish inside the estate.
I found out after the fact that you are supposed to check the clear plastic bag that they give you with your bib and not your bag. I brought a backpack which they graciously accepted even though I did it the wrong way!
The post-race party was fun. They had the standard bananas, snacks, etc., but you could also purchase concessions, although the lines got long quickly! Also, you got a free beer!
The swag includes a tech shirt and a nice medal.