I’m sure in a few weeks, a lot of runners will be wishing for the kind of weather the 2019 Marine Corps Marathon had – heavy rains punctuated by muggy pauses. But we’ve had six months to bemoan the loss of most marathons this year. This is a chance to look back at where we ran in 2019.

The number of domestic marathon finishes by D.C.-area runners fell slightly, with at least 12,939 different finishes in 294 of 697 U.S. races, down from 12,981 finishes in 278 races. Some individual runners doubled, tripled, quadrupled and more, but they all added up to 12,932 finishes and 339,001.8 miles, not counting the extra miles they logged because they couldn’t run the tangents.


Of all the things we do at RunWashington, one of my favorites is our Monumental Runner series. When I cold call someone and ask them if they’d like to be featured, most of them usually answer “why me?” That tells me that they probably have a lot more to say about their lives as runners than they thought, and I wind up really enjoying getting to know them (especially if they really are a stranger). Here are a few recent Monumental Runners from D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

You can see the whole series here


Things cooled down a little in August, but the season break in humidity didn’t happen. As a result, there weren’t too many changes at the top of most of the DMV Distance Derby segments.

Overall results


Twenty-one years of distance didn’t make the recent explosion at the Beirut seaport any easier for Zé Dagher.

Though he has been away from his native Lebanon for roughly half of his life without plans to return, the explosion, which killed more than 180 people, injured 6,000 others and caused more than $15 billion in property damage prompted the Falls Church resident to do something.


A month almost full of 90+ degree days kept top speeds a little slower, but there was still some movement throughout the standings, with four overall segment lead changes and three women’s lead changes. We added two new loops: Smelling Big Stinky (on the Catholic University campus) and Colorado (on Colorado Avenue NW). And, people tried out a few new loops, putting some numbers on the board.

Overall results


The race tried to go on, to fight to the end. But with a little more than three months to go, the Marine Corps Marathon reached a point where the reality of the coronavirus pandemic was too much to face on Oct. 25.  It followed other large marathons in canceling, including Chicago and New York. Marine Corps will offer a virtual racing option. A day later (July 21), the Army Ten-Miler announced that it too would not hold an in-person race. It had been scheduled for Oct. 11 but had delayed registration.

“We explored various approaches to safely execute a live event and held numerous meetings with Marine Corps leadership, local government and public health officials,” said Race Director Rick Nealis. “We understand this is disappointing news for many, but we could no longer envision a way to gather together in compliance with safety guidelines. While we are unable to celebrate in-person this October, we are excited about the opportunity to bring the 45th anniversary event to the homes of runners around the world through a rewarding and engaging virtual experience.”


A former civilian employee of the Army Ten-Miler pled guilty in June to stealing vendor funds from the Army Ten-Miler expo.

Darryl Gale, 52, faces a possible sentence of 15-21 months and will be required to pay restitution in the amount of $124,758.21, and a forfeiture money judgment, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.


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