WASHINGTON — The dregs of the January snowstorm outside RFK Stadium have forced several event organizers to alter their plans.
For years, the finish line for Washington’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon was located in Lot 7 outside RFK Stadium. Dan Cruz, spokesman for the fifth annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, says race organizers were forced to move the finish line for this Saturday’s race due to melting snow and trash piled in the parking lot after the January storm.
“We were notified approximately three to four weeks ago by local officials that Lot 7 would not be available for our finish festival for this weekend’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. So we’ve diverted to an old plan: The race will now be finishing in Lot 3,” he says.
Cruz says that the finish festival will look familiar to some of the marathon’s longtime participants. “It’s the same finish line we had back in 2012 and probably a better experience for runners on Saturday morning.”
The piles of compacted snow and trash scooped off city streets have been festering for weeks since the storm dropped 30 inches or more of snow on the region. NBC Washington reporter Mark Segraves reports that District officials hope to have the debris cleared from Lot 7 by the last week of March.
Crowds leaving the marathon could mix with revelers headed toward ShamrockFest. The festival’s five stages and 30 bands will be preforming in Lot 8, just downwind of the piles of slush.
Lauren King, spokeswoman for Red Frog Events, urges attendees to use mass transit to reach the event.
“Parking is limited and we are encouraging ShamrockFest attendees to take the Metro to the festival or utilize our exclusive ride-sharing partner, Lyft, to get to and from the festival,” King says.
A special Lyft boarding zone will be available near the marathon finish line.
It is unlikely that the snow and trash will be cleaned up before the D.C. United major league season home opener on March 20. Earlier in the month, D.C. United fans were forced to find parking elsewhere for the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal, the first home match for the team since the storm.
