Route 110 to the Marine Corps War Memorial: 51 feet net uphill, 706 feet of climbing, and hills at both ends. Here is the course mile by mile, and how I’d run each stretch.
A typical race morning: 51°F with a 43°F dew point at the 7:20am start, a combined score of 94. Every race morning since 2000, the forecast six days out and your goal pace adjusted for it are on the Marine Corps Marathon weather page. For any other forecast, my heat pace calculator does the same math.
Over these 2.6 miles the course climbs 249 feet and drops 87, 164 feet net up. The two climbs: Up North Lynn Street from mile 1.2 (+52 feet over 0.3 mi, 3.3%); Langston Boulevard from mile 1.6 (+124 feet over 0.5 mi, 4.6%).
MCM puts its hardest climbing first: about 200 feet up through Rosslyn and along Langston Boulevard in the first two and a half miles, with the crowds and nerves to make it feel easy. Let these miles be slow. Time given back here is cheap; time spent here gets expensive at mile 20.
Over these 2 miles the course climbs 68 feet and drops 185, 120 feet net down. The climb: Up to Key Bridge from mile 3.8 (+43 feet over 0.6 mi, 1.4%).
Then the payback: Spout Run Parkway drops about 160 feet to the Potomac, the biggest one-mile descent on the course, followed by a ramp up to Key Bridge and into Georgetown. Stay controlled on Spout Run; your quads will need it later.
Over these 5.7 miles the course climbs 94 feet and drops 154, 59 feet net down.
Georgetown is loud, then Rock Creek Parkway runs out and back in the shade, gently up on the way out and down on the way back. Settle into goal pace here and take your first gel.
Over these 5 miles the course climbs 49 feet and drops 37, 10 feet net up.
Hains Point is the quietest stretch of MCM: flat, open to any wind off the river, with few spectators. Lock onto a group and let them take the wind. If goal pace still feels controlled when you come off the point, you’re on track.
Over these 4.1 miles the course climbs 79 feet and drops 88, 7 feet net down.
The Mall is flat, loud and full of monuments: out and back on Independence Avenue, then up toward the Capitol and back. It’s easy to speed up on the energy. Hold your pace and keep drinking, because the next two miles have the least support on the course.
Over these 1.8 miles the course climbs 36 feet and drops 13, 22 feet net up.
The 14th Street Bridge is long, exposed and quiet, with a slight rise and few water stops, right where the marathon starts to hurt. This is where MCM is decided. Shorten your stride, run it by effort and break it into pieces: the end of the bridge, then Crystal City.
Over these 3.1 miles the course climbs 37 feet and drops 53, 11 feet net down.
Crystal City brings the crowds back for an out-and-back on Crystal Drive, then a loop past the Pentagon. It’s flat. If you have something left, start using it here.
Over these 1.9 miles the course climbs 95 feet and drops 39, 51 feet net up. The climb: The finish climb from mile 25.7 (+54 feet over 0.5 mi, 2.2%).
The last two miles run flat along Route 110, then turn uphill for a short, steep finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial: about 40 feet in the last 0.2 mile. Expect it, shorten up and drive your arms. A Marine puts the medal around your neck at the top.
| Mile | Elevation at the marker | Climb | Drop | Street |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mile 1 | 77 | +64 | −9 | Richmond Highway |
| Mile 2 | 187 | +148 | −28 | Langston Boulevard |
| Mile 3 | 137 | +37 | −98 | Langston Boulevard |
| Mile 4 | 44 | +37 | −129 | Spout Run Parkway |
| Mile 5 | 9 | +33 | −67 | M Street Northwest |
| Mile 6 | 20 | +28 | −16 | Virginia Avenue Northwest Cycletrack |
| Mile 7 | 29 | +13 | −4 | Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Northwest |
| Mile 8 | 29 | +30 | −30 | Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway |
| Mile 9 | 19 | +3 | −13 | Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway |
| Mile 10 | 4 | +10 | −25 | Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Northwest |
| Mile 11 | 11 | +16 | −11 | Ohio Drive Southwest |
| Mile 12 | 2 | +4 | −11 | Ohio Drive Southwest |
| Mile 13 | 1 | +4 | −6 | Ohio Drive Southwest |
| Mile 14 | 3 | +7 | −4 | Ohio Drive SW |
| Mile 15 | 10 | +13 | −5 | Ohio Drive SW |
| Mile 16 | 3 | +31 | −38 | Independence Avenue SW |
| Mile 17 | 12 | +33 | −25 | Madison Drive Northwest |
| Mile 18 | 12 | +6 | −4 | Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest |
| Mile 19 | 30 | +22 | −4 | Jefferson Drive Southwest |
| Mile 20 | 21 | +16 | −24 | 14th Street Bridge |
| Mile 21 | 37 | +20 | −6 | 14th Street Bridge |
| Mile 22 | 30 | +12 | −18 | Connector Road |
| Mile 23 | 36 | +9 | −3 | Crystal Drive |
| Mile 24 | 10 | +3 | −28 | 10th Street South |
| Mile 25 | 14 | +32 | −29 | Boundary Channel Drive |
| Mile 26 | 34 | +42 | −20 | Richmond Highway |
| To the finish | 73 | +36 | −0 | US Marine Corps War Memorial Access Road |
Race week, start to finish: how I’d run the three-week taper, what to take in during the race, how much to slow down in heat and humidity, and what the four weeks after should look like.
A course map tells you where the hills are. It doesn't know your training, how you handle a long climb, or what your legs look like at mile 20. I write every plan by hand and set race-day pacing with each athlete. It starts with a free 20-minute call.
Book a free intro callRace-day weather and heat-adjusted pace: Twin Cities Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Columbus Marathon, Detroit Marathon, NYC Marathon, Philadelphia Marathon, California International Marathon, Honolulu Marathon, Houston Marathon, LA Marathon, Boston Marathon, Grandma's Marathon. All race-day weather pages.
RunFitCoach is not affiliated with the Marine Corps Marathon or its organizers. Course line © OpenStreetMap contributors. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (1 m bare earth), sampled every 50 m and smoothed over 250 m. Bare-earth elevation leaves bridges out, so bridge decks are rebuilt from their ends. Distances are scaled to the certified 42.195 km, so mile marks can sit a little off the course markers. The line is routed street by street through the 2026 course’s turns rather than surveyed, so here that can be up to a quarter mile.
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