28 km from the National Mall to Alexandria Old Town
This was a scenic afternoon run hitting a lot of the highlights of the Washington D.C. National Mall area. The run started at the US Capitol and went along the National Mall across the Potomac River, past Reagan National Airport and ended in Alexandria Old Town.
| Length: | 28 km |
| Elevation: | 112 m |
| Route type: | One Way |
| Pavement: | Road |
| How to get there: | The east end of the National Mall is easily accessible by a number of public transport option, including the yellow line of the metro. |
| How to shorten/extend run: | Shorten: You could cut out the loop around the East Potomac Park, eliminating a good 6 km from the run. Extent: Running the National Mall up and down is pretty popular, so adding a loop on the National Mall is an option. |
| Water stops: | There are water fountains available on the national mall and in the East Potomac Park as well as on the trail along the Potomac. However, they may only operate seasonally! |
After arriving in Alexandria, I went straight to the metro and took the yellow line to L’Enfant Plaza, a metro station just south of the National Mall. From there I ran to the West, towards the United States Capitol. I ran around the Capitol and then along the National Mall all the way to the Washington Monument. It was a weekday afternoon, so it was somewhat crowded, but not terrible. I took a detour around the White House, which was unfortunately hidden from public view due to the fence reconstruction project. Then I continued on the National Mall, and took another brief detour to take a photo of the Albert Einstein statue in front of the National Academy of Sciences. I turned around at the Lincoln Memorial and headed to the Tidal Basin, where I looked at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Then I ran a loop around the golf course in the East Potomac Park, before crossing the bridge into Virginia. From there on, it is pretty much a bike path, but runners seem to be welcome on it. I stopped right in the approach path of Reagan National Airport, to watch a few planes land and the continued to Old Town Alexandria. I did a brief detour into the airport, to refill my water bottles.
Phtotos
