Best Fall DC Half Marathon?

Submitted by Captain-roymustang t3_10vab1u in washingtondc

I am a new runner and running the PNC Parkway (10 miles) this April in Alexandria, and want to run a half marathon sometime in the fall. I've looked into the DC Half (Sep 17), Autumn Georgetown Half (Sep 24), and the Potomac River Run Half (Oct 7). I was wondering if anyone had any experience running these/any other suggestions to consider for a first ever half!

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Dcdcdcdcdc51 t1_j7ggdd3 wrote

I ran the DC half this last fall. It was a shady route and the race was well run. There are only a few thousand runners so it wasn’t total chaos.

Starting and ending in West Potomac Park was probably the most annoying part but everyone just rode the eBike rentals in, so it turned out to be a non-issue.

10/10 would recommend.

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DeadPrez t1_j7gc3en wrote

When are are ready for it run the MCM. It is an amazing race.

The Army 10 and the Cherry Blossom are also fantastic.

The Navy half marathon was great, but they no longer do it.

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Dcdcdcdcdc51 t1_j7ggfrf wrote

I love the Army 10. It’s possibly my favorite race in DC.

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runner7575 t1_j7g9jjh wrote

Another recommendation is the Parks Half, in Montgomery County - starts near the Shady Grove metro, ends in Bethesda. Mainly on the bike paths, a few rolling hills - i think it's in early September .

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kalamawho t1_j7gfux7 wrote

I haven’t run the Pacers’ DC half marathon, but it’s on a very similar course to the old Navy half, which is a scenic and pretty fast course. I’ve run a lot of other Pacers races and they’re always well run events. Do be prepared to suffer in the heat and humidity if you pick something in September, though.

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[deleted] t1_j7gl73m wrote

These three are relatively small half marathons with the Georgetown Half being even more so. Due to the timing of the DC Half, it could end up being very warm and uncomfortable for a race. If you are looking for a much larger half marathon in the fall with (usually) better temperatures, you might want to check out Richmond or Philadelphia in November. They are both much larger and well organized.

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mulwaetweep t1_j7m3fsk wrote

Richmond is AMAZING. Awesome crowd support (especially the last 3-4 miles!), tons of runners but still well organized, decent course, and the last half mile (ish?) is almost entirely downhill. Plus the swag has been decent in my experience, although I haven’t run it since pre-COVID. For a first half in the fall, this would be my recommendation over any of the races in DC.

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NorseTikiBar t1_j7ggjav wrote

Isn't the Georgetown Half just doing loops on the Capital Crescent/C&O Canal Trails? A friend tried to use it to get a qualifying time for a different race, and complained about how boring it was.

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Capital-Leadership14 t1_j7glzly wrote

I also highly recommend the DC half put on by Pacers! It’s a great route, well shaded, not hilly, and it’s in rock creek/along the river so it’s beautiful.

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