2020 Boston Marathon Qualifier!
- September 7, 2019, is the final Saturday to qualify for 2020 Boston Marathon
- We submit marathon finisher times to Boston Athletic Association in the evening on race day
ACE Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Institute with locations in Alexandria, Arlington/ Clarendon, Falls Church / Merrifield, FairOaks / Fairfax, Herndon / Reston, Leesburg / Lansdowne, and Tysons Corner / Vienna in VA welcomes the runners to its’ 13th ACE Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Institute Abebe Bikila Day International Peace Marathon & a Half, on the C&O Canal Towpath, starting and finishing at Fletcher’s Cove in Washington DC.
When and Where: The Marathon will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at 8:00AM at C&O Canal Towpath, Fletcher’s Cove, 4940 Canal Road, Washington DC
Registration: Please click here for online registration.
Fee: Registration Fee is $90.00 – $100.00
Directions and Parking: From Georgetown, take M Street west. Bear left at Foxhall Road onto Canal Road. Continue about 1.5 miles to the first break in the stone wall on your left, the entrance to Fletcher’s Cove, across from Reservoir Road. With caution, turn left and go down the ramp into the tunnel on the right and then around a curve to free parking. When the parking at Fletcher’s Cove is full, please turn right on Reservoir Road and park on any of the side streets or on MacArthur Boulevard and take the short walk downhill to Fletcher’s Cove.
General Race Info:
Packet Pick-Up:
- Thursday, September 5, 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM — Please help with packet assembly | 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM — Pick up your packet early | Walter Reed Community Center, 2909 16th Street South, Arlington VA 22204
- Friday, September 6, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM | Pacers Running Store, 3100 Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington VA | MAP
- Saturday, September 7, 7:15 AM to 8:45 AM | on site at Fletcher’s Cove, 4940 Canal Road NW, Washington DC
When you pick up your bib number, please check your time and distance. If your bib number tag says “9:00 AM” or “8:00 AM” but you want to start at 8:00 AM or 9:00 AM, please tell the registrar to correct the roster and write “8:00 AM” or “9:00 AM” on your bib number. Also inform the registrar if you want to change distances between the full marathon and the half. Both 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM start times are official and can be used as Boston Marathon qualifiers. Competitive awards are reserved for 9:00 AM marathoners, except we present special awards to the first finishers M/F in the 8:00 AM half and full marathon and in the 9:00 AM half marathon.
Race will be timed the old-fashioned way, using the bib numbers rather than chips. So please do not lose your bib number, please wear it visibly on the front of your shirt or shorts, not on your back or sleeve, and please don’t remove the tear-off tag. Those tags will be collected after you finish to score the race.
On Race-Day: Please stay in the registration area until 5 minutes before your start so you don’t obstruct the Towpath.
9:00 AM competitive start (with complete awards)
8:00 AM non-competitive start (with some awards)
- Both start times are Boston Marathon qualifiers, with medals and post-race picnic, but fewer competitive awards in the 8:00 AM start
- Change your start time to 9:00 AM or 8:00 AM or distance to full or half or vice versa
Course: C&O Canal Towpath is only 12 feet wide, so please be careful. Stay away from the edge near the water. Towpath starts in Georgetown and continues 183 miles west, with milestones every mile. Fletcher’s Cove is about 0.2 miles west of Milestone 3. We run westbound toward Maryland for 6.55 miles, past Milestones 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. We turn around about 0.75 miles west of Milestone 9. Half marathon course is out’n’back once; full marathon is out’n’back twice. Half marathoners are done upon return to Fletcher’s Cove. Full marathoners are at marathon midpoint at Fletcher’s Cove, then they repeat the course. Our marshals at turnaround and marathon midpoint record bib numbers on clipboards and report to finish line by cell phone, so we know who runs the whole distance.
The course is flat, except for slight rises at Lock 5 and under I-495 Capital Beltway outbound, slight drops at those points on the way back. Each rise is about 20 feet. Those two rises are the only paved segments of the course. With no hills, no turns, no cross streets, and soft surface for 26.2 miles, you can focus on running and have a really good time. The surface is rough gravel, however, so don’t wear thin-soled shoes. I generally wear thick socks when I run on the Towpath. Even in early morning, you see other runners, cyclists, other trail users, and great blue herons. Please always stay to the right and be courteous to other trail users. Please pay attention to Towpath’s Milestones 4 to 9, and we also deploy our own mile signs.
