In lieu of this week’s Sunday Distance Run, we will be cheering on the marathoners!

I will be staking out a spectating spot for the MCM and would love to have other non-racing WRC members join me. The spot will be the 16 mile marker, which is also about 10.5. It is at the entrance area of Hains Point.

(See this using an excellent course map, designed by Geocentric and powered by Leaflet)

I will be joining Joey Plank and Bethany Pribila as they cheer for their team Team Racing for Veterans (R4V). Some folks may remember them from their handful of runs with us prior to their move to Minneapolis. They worked hard to establish this charity. The mission of R4V is: to support the rehabilitation of and provide opportunities for veterans in the United States through their involvement in athletics, races and adaptive sports.

Joey and Bethany have invited us to join their celebratory party at World of Beer in Arlington, VA from Noon to 4 PM (901 N. Glebe RD 105, Arlington, VA 22203).

An exciting day! Good luck to all runners!

WRCers Paul Karlsen and Rick Kennedy are ready to rumble tomorrow morning (Sunday) at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, one of the World Marathon Majors (i.e. most prestigious marathon races on the planet). Paul will be hyper-visible throughout this Second City in his 2013 Series Singlet.

The Wave 1 Start is set for 7:30 a.m. CDT (UTC−05:00). We’ll be updating their splits and results below, immediately following the unstoppable Sunday Distance Run.

UPDATE: Paul finished 555th overall, shaving over 3 minutes off of his previous personal best!

Lauren Gabler, who is stepping up as captain of the squad preparing for this course, sez:

The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) is just around the corner and WRC is going to be well represented, both by our talented runners and our awesome new racing singlets. We’d like to enter the team competition, which consists of 3-5 runners for either a men’s, women’s, or co-ed team.

If you’re registered for the MCM and want to represent our club on October 27th, please contact Lauren at lauren.gabler@gmail.com. She’ll figure out the team logistics and make sure we’re registered by the cut-off date!

Best of luck with the rest of your fall marathon training!

This comes from the weekend desk of club member and racePacket guru, Bob Platt:

Thank you for allowing me to announce the Summer Strides 5K at today’s run. Any member of WRC can get a $5 discount when entering the race by typing in “WRC” as the coupon code on the online entry form. Again, the race will be held on Sunday, Aug 4 at 8 a.m. at Bluemont Park in Arlington. I hope to see many of my WRC friends there.

For those keeping score, Bluemont Park is a destination along our Tour D’Arlington (16.7 miles) training route. So, you see, membership has its privileges.

We’re registering an Open Co-Ed Team for the Rockville Twilighter 8K, on this coming Saturday, July 20th, race starting 8:30 PM. This is the next item on the club’s inaugural Grand Prix schedule. It’s a uniquely fast race, Metro accessible, with a deep field and plentiful amenities for Après-run.

If you haven’t signed up already, do so now, and let me know about the team ASAP, here.

Running has become as much a part of July 4th as fireworks and parades.

The Washington Running Club used to run a 5K in Potomac, Md., then head to Tris Kruger’s place, but that wholesome tradition has passed.

In my hometown of Atlanta, they’ve raced the Peachtree Road Race 10K every year since 1970. It’s now the largest road race in the world with 60,000 runners.

This year as a club we’re throwing our support behind the Potomac Valley Track Club‘s Go Fourth 8K at Centennial Park in Vienna, Va. Get directions.

This will also be the July race for WRC’s inaugural Grand Prix. Previously, the race was “to be determined.”

Race Registration is inexpensive by today’s standards at $8 for non-members. The course is described as “park trail, entirely flat.”

The winning time last year—albeit a different course—was just under 30 minutes for men and just under 33 minutes for women, so I know several members can beat that.

What’s not to be liked?