The

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

Rock 'n' Roll Washington DC Marathon & 1/2 Marathon, formerly known as the National Marathon, is an annual marathon and

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

held in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

since 2006. The races take place entirely within Washington, D.C., and finish near RFK Stadium. The race is organized by Advance Publications' Ironman Group. Organizers announced that the race would return on as a "Half Marathon event".

History

The marathon was started by the

Greater Washington Sports Alliance {{Unreferenced, date=February 2020 The Greater Washington Sports Alliance (GWSA) is a non-profit organization which was founded in 2003 under the Greater Washington Board of Trade. Currently, an independent entity, its board is headed by Chairman ...

in 2006. In 2007, the National Marathon was sponsored by

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, an online cell phone retailer. In 2008,

SunTrust Banks SunTrust Banks, Inc. was an American bank holding company with SunTrust Bank as its largest subsidiary and assets of US$199 billion as of March 31, 2018. The bank's most direct corporate parent was established in 1891 in Atlanta, where it was h ...

became the race's primary sponsor. The number of participants was limited to 8,000 in 2008. The race was sold to Competitor Group, Inc. in 2011 to become part of their

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series is a collection of road running events owned and operated by the IRONMAN Group's Competitor Group, part of Advance Publications. The series is known for lining race routes with live bands, cheerleaders and themed ...

. The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

Course

Both the marathon course and the half marathon course start on

Constitution Avenue Constitution Avenue is a major east–west street in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was originally known as B Street, and its western section was greatly lengthened and widened bet ...

near the National Mall and finish near RFK Stadium. In addition, both courses are entirely contained within Washington, D.C. The course for the inaugural race in 2006 was largely in Washington, D.C., with about located in Prince George's County, Maryland. In 2007, the course was altered so that it was located entirely within the District of Columbia. The race in 2008 and thereafter passes through 6 of the District's 8 wards. In 2012, the start was moved westward from a location near the RFK Stadium and the finish to a location near the National Mall on Constitution Avenue, beginning with the 2013 race.

Community impact

Among the beneficiaries of the marathon are Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington,

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District of Columbia, United For D.C.,

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and

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Winners

Notes

References

External links

* {{RNR Series Marathons in the United States Running in Washington, D.C.