The Features

The Rundown: October Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Marine Corps Marathon madness’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

October is the month for running in the DC area– you can’t beat the weather, and since it is near the end of the running season most runners are already in shape for races.  There are all sorts of fantastic races scheduled in October– everything from 2-mile walks to a full marathon.  Here are just a few highlights in the running world:

October 2-3

Saturday, October 2 is the 24th Annual AIDS Walk downtown at Freedom Plaza.  This 5K features both a fundraising walk and a timed run, and proceeds go to benefit HIV/AIDS programs at the Whitman-Walker Clinic.  If you can’t be there to run or walk, you can even be a ‘sleep walker’ and you don’t even need to show up on race day.  Registration is $35 for the timed run and $25 for the walk.

The Capital Area Gulf Coast Relief Run, a 5K run/walk in Potomac, MD, will be held on Sunday, October 3.  This event will start at Winston Churchill High School, and is sponsored by the school’s Key Club to raise money for communities devastated by the oil spill in the Gulf region earlier this year.  Registration is $30 for the 5K and $15 for a Kids Fun Run.

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The Daily Feed

Register for the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler Now

Photo courtesy of
‘Cherry Blossom Festival 10 Mile Run’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

The Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run is, by far, the most fun road race I’ve ever run. The crowds of cheering spectators, the flat and scenic course, and the beauty of the cherry blossoms in bloom make the ten miles pass by in an instant (well, mostly).  Because it’s such a great race, it’s also immensely popular, and very difficult to register for.  Last year, the race sold out in less than three hours, and during most of that time the web site was down.

This year they’re changing things up, and registration is now through a lottery system.  Sign up anytime between now and December 10th, as a group or as an individual (they say you’ve got the same chance of getting in either way), and you’ll find out whether you made it in by December 15– plenty of time to start your training before the April 11 race!  And if you want a guaranteed spot in next year’s race (to give yourself plenty of time to go from couch potato to 10 mile runner), sign up to volunteer for this year.