The 2013 Marine Corps Marathon will be held on Sunday, October 27^th.   The 38^th running of this 26.2 mile course is accompanied by a full weekend of activities for the whole family.

GE Health and Fitness Expo

GE’s Free Health and Fitness Expo will be held at the DC Armory at 2001 E. Capitol St, SE Washington on Thursday, October 24^th from 4-8am, Friday, October 25^th from 10am – 7 pm and Saturday, October 26 from 9am to 7 pm.  Free parking is available in Lot 3 outside the Armory or you can take the orange/blue Metro lines to the Stadium/Armory station.

First Timers Pep Rally

There will be a pep rally for First Timers (an average of one third of the 30,000 runner race field) at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill on Friday, October 25^th.  The event will include the MCM Expert Panel Q&A session, music, cheerleaders and giveaways.

Healthy Kids Fun Run and Camp Miles

The Healthy Kids Fun Run in the Pentagon North Parking Lot will be Saturday, October 26^th. Three thousand kids ages 5-12 will participate in the one-mile fun run that also offers a full day of entertainment.  Camp Miles, a free all-day activity area featuring interactive challenges and games focusing on health and fitness, will be open from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.  More information and advance registration is available at the Healthy Kids Fun Run site here.

Runners’ bRUNch

A Runners’ bRUNch will also be held on Saturday, October 26^th at 9:00 am the MCM finish Line.  There will be a 5K shakeout run along the National Mall ending at the Marine Corps War Memorial where the Runners bRUNch will be served.

MCM10K and Marathon

On Sunday, October 27th, there will be a 10K run as well as the full Marathon, both starting at 7:55 am.  The best viewing locations for the marathon include the MCM Start Line on route 110 in Arlington, the Lincoln Memorial (mile 11 and 16), the National Mall (miles 18 and 19), and Crystal City (miles 22 and 23) and the finish line at the Marine Corps War Memorial.  For details on how to get to these locations, visit the MCM page for spectators.

MCM Finish Festival

Spectators can gather at the MCM Finish Festival along Meade Street in Rosslyn, Virginia from 8am to 4pm.  They will be able to check their runner’s status throughout the day.  There will be food vendors, live music and other entertainment, including the Michelob ULTRA beer garden.

Crystal City Kids Festival

In addition, the Crystal City Kids Festival will be going on as the runners pass miles 22 and 23 of the 38th Marine Corps Marathon and miles 3 and 4 of the MCM10K.  The family friendly fall festival will offer arts and crafts, face painting, balloon animals, circus activities and moonbounces.  Take Metro’s blue or yellow lines to the Crystal City Station or park in the free garage at 23^rd Street and Crystal Drive.

Download the new MCM App

For more information about any of these events, visit the Marine Corps Marathon website or download the new MCM app available for the iPhone and Android.

Like to play bocce?  There will be a ribbon cutting Thursday, September 19th , 2013 from 6 to 730 at Arlington’s newest public bocce courts at Glebe and Randolph Park.  DC Bocce will be there offering a free clinic for those who want to learn how to play, Willie’s Po’Boy will be on site offering po’ boy sandwiches, and there will be free giveaways from Ballston BID.  The park is located at the intersection of Glebe Road and Randolph Street at the foot of the Ballston Public Parking Garage.