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in Kenya and Nepal
Saturday, October 4, 2025 9:00 AM - Half Marathon C&O Canal Towpath at Fletcher's Cove, 4940 Canal Road, Washington DC 20007 To support girls' education in rural Kenya and the Himalayan regions of Nepal Presented by
featuring the girls of Mercy School, Lare, Kenya and the Mercy Project providing access to clean water, health care, educational opportunities, and micro-enterprise initiatives
Scan this QRcode to open this web page | |||
- Enter on-Line
- Use express Registration (jump past the first screen)
- On or after 2/28/2025 12:00 AM -- $60.00
- On or after 4/30/2025 12:00 AM -- $70.00
- On or after 6/30/2025 12:00 AM -- $80.00
- On or after 7/31/2025 12:00 AM -- $90.00
- On or after 8/31/2025 12:00 AM -- $100.00
- On or after 9/24/2025 12:00 AM -- $110.00
- $10.00 discount for active duty military and students
- On-line registration closes on Thursday, October 2, at 6:00 PM so we can prepare bib numbers
- Late registration and pre-race packet pick-up on Friday, October 3,
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM,
at
Pacers Running Store, 1079 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC
- Race-day packet pick-up on Saturday, October 4, 7:45 AM to 8:45 AM, on-site at Fletcher's Cove, 4940 Canal Road NW, Washington DC
- No race-day registration
- At registration, you receive your goodie bag, t-shirt, and bib number with electronic timing chip attached.
- Please don't tamper with the timing chip -- we re-use them at every race
- Join our event page on Facebook
- Do you want to help at an aid station or as a volunteer?
- VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We have more than 35 positions that need to be filled, from the Start/Finish to picking up coffee and food to clean up.
- Volunteers are needed at Lock 5, 7 and Lock 10.
- We need volunteers to cheer on the runners on the course (5 or more at each Lock above along the canal. Here is the link to sign up to volunteer now -
- We count on our volunteers in order to have a successful race! They are dedicated, serious and come out to have a good day on the course!
- Please sign up here as a volunteer for the race using this form ...
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... or use this link: www.safetyandhealthfoundation.org/georgetownhalf/volunteer
- VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTIONS
-
Detailed instuctions PDF
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Detailed instuctions DOC
- For more information about volunteer activities, please contact the race director at ADRIANNEDOHERTY@GMAIL.COM with the subject line "Georgetown_Half_Marathon_Volunteer" or call 703-309-6657
- Distinctive medals for the first 250 finishers
- Gift certificates from sponsors for 1st, 2nd, 3rd M/F overall and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd M/F in age groups 19 & under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70 & over
- Race proceeds support
-
Mercy Center Foundation's work in Kenya
(see
www.mercyproject.org)
- supporting and mentoring girls' education and empowering new healthy lifestyles
-
Kaimont's life-saving aid and education programs in Nepal
- Friday, October 3
- 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM -- Pre-race packet pick-up at Pacers Running Store, 1079 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC
- You may pick up the packet for a friend or family member
- Saturday, October 4
- No race-day registration
- 6:45 AM -- On-site volunteer set-up
- 7:15 AM -- On-site packet pick-up opens
- 7:15 AM -- Free bag check is available -- write your bib number and name on your white plastic bag or green goodie bag -- no duffel bags, suitcases, or rucksacks, per National Park Service regulations
- 8:30 AM -- Pre-race warm-up on lower-level near boathouse
- 8:40 AM -- Half marathon runners gather at upper-level on C&O Canal Towpath at start / finish line
- 8:45 AM -- National Anthem sung by member of
Bach To Rock McLean
- 8:50 AM -- Official welcome by Kaimont LLC (Monika Paris) and Mercy Center Foundation USA (Adrianne Doherty)
- 8:55 AM -- Course instructions
- 9:00 AM -- Half marathon starts
- 10:15 AM -- Distinctive medals for the first 250 finishers -- stay for the awards presentation
- 10:15 AM -- Refreshments, food & drinks
- 10:15 AM -- Bach To Rock McLean provides DJ music for the race - featuring DJ Chrome - at lower level
- 11:15 AM -- Awards presentation at lower level (1st, 2nd, 3rd M/F overall and by 10-year age group)
- 12:00 noon -- Last few half marathon finishers arrive
- 1:00 PM -- Clean-up begins
- 1:45 PM -- Clean-up complete
- 7:00 PM -- Results published ASAP at www.safetyandhealthfoundation.org/20251004.html and www.webscorer.com/shfresults and thank-you e-mail to all entrants
- The half marathon is USATF-certified and a qualifying race for Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, and USA Olympic Trials Marathons
- Your sponsorship is tax deductible as this is a full charity race - Tax ID 54-2124269 - Mercy Project
- Please join us as a sponsor | PDF | DOCX | One-touch
- We announce our sponsors in pre-race e-mailings, on our web site, on our t-shirt, on race-day, and post-race
- If you're interested in sponsoring, please call Adrianne Doherty (703-309-6657) to discuss levels and opportunities
- Fletcher's Cove is two miles west of Key Bridge at 4940 Canal Road NW, Washington DC
- FROM THE EAST
- From Key Bridge in Virginia, turn left onto westbound M Street NW
- From Georgetown, and points east, take M Street NW west past Key Bridge
- At Foxhall Road, M Street NW becomes Canal Road NW
- Stay left on Canal Road NW
- After two miles, on the left is the first break in the the old stone wall and a stoplight for Reservoir Road
- CAREFULLY turn left at the stoplight to go down the ramp to Fletcher's Cove
- FROM THE WEST
- Take Clara Barton Parkway past Chain Bridge onto Canal Road NW
- After one mile, on the right is the first break in the the old stone wall and a stoplight for Reservoir Road, the entrance to Fletcher's Cove
- You can try making the hairpin turn right to go down the ramp to Fletcher's Cove, but it's dangerous
- Instead, you can turn left onto Reservoir Road
- Park in any legal spot on Reservoir Road, River School, U Street, Bending Lane, or Hutchins Street and walk downhill to Fletcher's Cove
- CAREFULLY cross Canal Road to go down the ramp to Fletcher's Cove
- Alternatively, you can make a U-turn on Reservoir Road and drive down to the stoplight, cross Canal Road, and turn right down the ramp
- At the bottom of the ramp, on the left is free parking for 85 cars in the upper parking lot
- When the upper lot is full, bear right at the bottom of the ramp and turn left into the tunnel under C&O Canal Towpath
- At the end of the tunnel, follow the curved road that leads to the lower parking lot which parallels Potomac River with free parking for 200 cars
- If both parking lots are full, we post a marshal on Canal Road NW at Reservoir Road NW to instruct drivers to turn RIGHT up Reservoir Road NW to free parking on-street and at The River School
- Please lock your vehicles
- Start and finish at Fletcher's Cove | 4940 Canal Road NW, Washington DC (Google Map)
- USATF certified course DC21001RT | Certificate | Color Map | B&W Map | DOC | PDF | GMAP
- Totally flat dirt-packed gravel trail, alongside scenic C&O Canal Towpath
- The half marathon is out 6.55 miles to Towpath mile 9.65 and back
- The towpath runs the length of 184.5 miles along the scenic C&O Canal
- Made of crushed stone and packed dirt, it is perfect for running, biking, and recreational events and programs
- It is mostly a flat route combined with some hills, turns, and medium or moderate terrain, but it's straight out'n'back where we run this race
- Please be courteous to other park users. We do not have exclusive use of the trail -- we share it with other runners, walkers, and bicyclists
• Lock 5, miles 1.8 & 11.3
• Lock 7, miles 3.8 & 9.3
• Lock 10, miles 5.8 & 7.3
- Re personal listening devices, we follow USATF rule 144.3.b (Assistance to Athletes):
- Because we must be able to communicate instructions to you at certain points in our races, we specifically allow wearing headphones during the race, but we specifically prohibit wearing headphones at these points:
• Start line
• Aid stations
• Turnaround
• Finish line
- At the 4 points above, plus:
• Under Chain Bridge
• Lock 6
• Lock 8
• Lock 9
• Lock 11
• Turnaround point (at the end of the blue line)
- DJ music by
Bach To Rock McLean
- Snacks & refreshments: Coffee, bagels, energy bars, bananas, and water at lower level Fletcher's Boat House Picnic area
- Distinctive medals for the first 200 finishers
- Gift certificates from sponsors
- for 1st, 2nd, 3rd M/F overall and for 1st, 2nd, 3rd M/F in 10-year age groups 19 & under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70 & over
- We have 285 free parking spaces at Fletcher's Cove.
- 85 spaces are at the upper level near Abner Cloud House when you arrive
- If those spaces are filled, enter the tunnel on the right to go to the lower parking area, where we have 200 more spaces oon the left near Potomac River
- Once we fill all the parking at Fletcher's Cove (maybe 8:15 AM), we direct cars to turn right on Reservoir Road towards free on-street parking, 0.3 to 0.7 miles away.
- To park off-site, so that we leave some parking spaces available at Fletcher's Cove for the general public, here are options:
- Park in Rosslyn and take Red Top Cab (703-522-3333) to the start
- River School, 4940 Reservoir Road NW, Washington DC 20007
- Palisades Library, 4901 V St NW, Washington, DC 20007
- Our Lady of Victory School, 4755 Whitehaven Pkwy NW, Washington, DC 20007
- CVS/pharmacy, 4859 MacArthur Boulevard NW, Washington, DC 20007
- Park on Clara Barton Parkway northwest of Chain Bridge. Walk down ramp to C&O Canal Towpath, and walk about one mile southeast to Fletcher's Cove
- Park across Chain Bridge on Arlington side. Walk across Chain Bridge, walk down ramp to C&O Towpath, and walk about one mile southeast to Fletcher's Cove