31Oct2010 35th Marine Corps Marathon
Arlington, VA
Pre-Race and Start Line
MCM 06 Start The Marine Corps Marathon will begin at 7:50 a.m. for the wheelchair and hand cycle participants. Runners will start at 8:00 a.m. It is recommended that runners arrive two hours prior to their start time to proceed through the security checkpoint, drop off baggage and line up in the appropriate corral.
Course
A rare feat. The MCM will utilize the same course in consecutive years. The 2009 course showcases the best of Arlington, VA and the nation’s capital. Download the elevation chart. Click on the Street Closings graphic to download the list of road closures.
The USATF certified route starts in Arlington, VA, and winds its way through Rosslyn along Lee Highway before turning on Spout Run and the George Washington Parkway. Runners will experience a climb on Lee Highway in the first few miles of the course, but are rewarded with a descent along Spout Run and the Parkway.
After crossing Key Bridge into Georgetown, runners turn toward the Palisades Community when the course follows Canal Road, up to the reservoir and down MacArthur Boulevard. The course guides runners down popular M Street in Georgetown.
Runners will turn on Wisconsin Avenue and then K Street. The course passes the Kennedy Center and takes runners into Hains Point at approximately the halfway point of the race.
Outside Potomac Park, runners pass the Jefferson Memorial before entering the National Mall and running by landmarks like the Lincoln, FDR, Korean War and Vietnam Veteran’s memorials, Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol. Runners continue along Jefferson Drive and turn onto 14th Street to “Beat the Bridge” at Mile 20 before returning to Virginia.
For the last 10K runners will venture to color and energy of Crystal City, pass the Pentagon and charge the hill to the finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial. It is truly a beautiful course and aptly nicknamed “The Marathon of the Monuments.”
Do not forget to come support On Point Foundation Athletes as they race around the USA for disabled service members.
