Rock 'n' Roll Washington DC Marathon

The United Airlines Rock 'n' Roll Running Series - Washington DC, formerly known as the National Marathon, is an annual half marathon and 5k held in Washington, D.C. since 2006. The half marathon and formerly offered marathon distance 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 2021.03.27 as a "Half Marathon event".

History
The marathon was started by the Greater Washington Sports Alliance in 2006.

In 2007, the National Marathon was sponsored by Wirefly, an online cell phone retailer.

In 2008, SunTrust Banks 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 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Course


Both the marathon course and the half marathon course start on Constitution Avenue 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 7 mi 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, Special Olympics District of Columbia, United For D.C., Fort Dupont Ice Arena, Washington Tennis & Education Foundation and Black History Invitational Swim Meet.