WASHINGTON – Runners, many decked out in green for St. Patrick’s Day, took to the streets of D.C. Saturday for the SunTrust Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.
The course winds through several of the city’s neighborhoods, and will close some roads until 2:30 p.m., making a traffic nightmare for anybody trying to get around those neighborhoods.
The marathon stretches from near RFK Stadium throughout downtown and in neighborhoods from Foggy Bottom to Capitol Hill and Anacostia.
Find a full list of road closures here.
The runners, who came from across the globe, probably couldn’t ask for better weather for the race, with high temperatures expected in the upper 60s to the lower 70s.
Many came wearing just green shirts, but at least one man was spotted with an Irish flag. Others came in gear you usually see outside of bars on St. Patrick’s Day, like headbands with dangling shamrocks.
This is the District’s first Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. It takes over for the National Marathon, which was held in the spring for six years. There is also a half marathon.
Bands play on stages at just about every mile along the course. The band Switchfoot headlines at the stage at RFK stadium. See a full list of the bands here (PDF).
Michael Wardian, 37, of Arlington, Va., won the men’s marathon with a time of 2:26:35.
Meghan Bishop, 26, of Blue Bell, Pa, won the women’s marathon with a time of 3:01:40.
Ricky Flynn, 24, of Lynchburg, Va., was the winner of the men’s half marathon with a time of 1:06:39
Askale Merachi, 24, of Ehtiopia, won the women’s half marathon with a time of 1:16:52
See more results from the race here.
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