UPDATE: 10:30 a.m.
US Army Specialist Samuel Kosgei, 30, wins 39th Marine Corps Marathon.
UPDATE – Sunday – 10/26/14, 10 A.M. EST
Police lifting closures northbound George Washington Parkway and Spout Run Parkway. Closures remain throughout DC.
UPDATE – Sunday – 10/26/14, 8:45 a.m. ET
Inbound Canal Road is now open from Chain Bridge to the Whitehurst Freeway. Whitehurst Freeway is open inbound traffic only.
Foxhall Road is open southbound toward Georgetown.
UPDATE – Sunday – 10/26/2014, 3:55 a.m. ET
Police will begin closing roads before dawn Sunday for the Marine Corps Marathon.
EARLIER – Friday – 10/24/2014, 3:38 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — One of the largest marathons in the country takes to the streets in Washington and Arlington this weekend.
In its 39th year, the Marine Corps Marathon will launch from near the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial at 7:55 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26. Race organizers say 30,000 runners will participate in this year’s event, making it the third- largest marathon in the country.
The race is sometimes referred to as the “Marathon of Monuments,” since the course covers the National Mall between the Lincoln Memorial and U.S. Capitol, passing many iconic landmarks.
Police will begin closing roads before dawn Sunday. Some of the major routes affected include the Spout Run Parkway, the George Washington Parkway between Spout Run and Memorial Bridge, the Key and Memorial bridges, the Rock Creek Parkway, Independence Avenue and 14th Street between the Mall and the Jefferson Memorial.
D.C. Police say that portions of Canal Road, Foxhall Road, and the Whitehurst Freeway will be closed between Georgetown and Palisades to guide traffic away from the marathon and the spectators.
The first few miles of the course are in Arlington along Wilson Boulevard, Lynn Street and Lee Highway. The National Park Service says the northbound George Washington Parkway will be closed between Memorial Bridge and Route 123 until 10:30 a.m. Both sides of the Spout Run Parkway will also be closed.
The Key Bridge will be off-limits to drivers for much of the morning. From Rosslyn, the race winds through Georgetown on M Street, Wisconsin Avenue, under the Whitehurst Freeway onto K Street toward the Rock Creek Parkway.
D.C police say portions of MacArthur Boulevard, Canal Road and Foxhall Road will be closed.
A spokeswoman for the park service says the entire Rock Creek Parkway will be closed until around 2 p.m. Southbound drivers on Beach Drive will be directed away from the parkway into Woodley Park toward Calvert Street and Connecticut Avenue during the race.
The marathon’s “Run to Honor” section, adorned with flags and pictures of fallen service members, will close Ohio Drive along the Potomac River. East and West Potomac Park will be closed, but drivers will be able to access the East Potomac Park Golf Course/Tennis Bubble using the ramps from the Southeast/Southwest Freeway.
The marathon route will close the numbered streets that cross the National Mall, including 14th Street. Police say Constitution Avenue will also be closed between Henry Bacon Drive and 15th Street. Drivers can use the tunnels under the Mall to go to and from downtown during the event. The main lanes of the Southeast/Southwest Freeway (I-395) will be open.
Police plan to keep Memorial Bridge closed throughout much of the marathon. Although not a part of the race course, large crowds are expected to use the Memorial Bridge as a means of intercepting runners at various mile markers on either side of the Potomac River.
The runners will use the HOV lanes on I-395 to cross the 14th Street Bridge as they head for Virginia at mile marker 20. The Metropolitan Police Department plans to reopen these lanes to vehicle traffic during the 1 o’clock hour. The marathon’s organizers require all runners to have passed this point before 1:15 p.m.
Route 110 will be closed near the finish line between I-66 and Crystal City for much of the day.
From Virginia, drivers who wish to travel inbound should use Chain Bridge, I- 66, Route 50 or I-395 depending on their destination. The Southeast/Southwest Freeway, as well as the 3rd, 9th and 12th Street tunnels, will all be open under the Mall.
A detailed course map is available on the Marine Corps Marathon website.
Metro will open two hours early, at 5 a.m., on Sunday to accommodate the marathon’s participants and spectators. The Pentagon and Pentagon City stations are the closest stops to the starting line. Metro says that the Arlington Cemetery station will not be open until 8:30 a.m., after the marathon is under way.
Metro is offering at a Commemorative Marine Corps Marathon SmarTrip Card that can be purchased online or at any station for $10.
There is no scheduled rail work on the Blue Line or Yellow Line this weekend. Extra trains will run before and after the race to accommodate the crowds.
Shuttles will run before the race from 23rd and Crystal Drive in Crystal City to the Pentagon. After the race, return service will be available near the Finish Festival.
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