Disclaimer: I received free entry to the United Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington D.C. half marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!
The United Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington D.C. half marathon was the first race I ran for BibRave just less than a year ago, and I’m excited to return to the race this March!
Today is actually my one-year anniversary of becoming a BibRave Pro, and I did my first double-digit run of the year today — I ran 10 miles with my friend Veronica in Rehoboth Beach. That’s why I have “(almost)” in my headline. I’m sure I can complete the 13.1-mile distance, but I’m hoping to get in a few more long runs before I take on the race.
I would ideally like to beat last year’s time of 2:19:21, and if possible beat my last few half marathon times and come in with an even 2:14 or faster. There is one massive hill in this race, but since I’ve run the course before, I will certainly know it’s coming. (Read my recap on last year’s race here.)
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series has also made many updates for 2018. You can watch this short video and read this page on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series website to learn all about the 2018 Experience.
The general categories Rock ‘n’ Roll has focused on for 2018, according to its website, are:
- More music
- Better runner support
- More community engagement
I’m looking forward to seeing these updates in person when I toe the line in just five weeks! It looks like all aspects of the race experience will be positively impacted, so that’s a win for everyone.
So, clearly — based on the title of the series — Rock ‘n’ Roll races have a heavy music component. There are bands along the course, and this year, the pacers will even have music to pump up their groups (see the 2018 Experience link).
Rock ‘n’ Roll has curated Spotify playlists based on different speeds, from Walker (100 beats per minute) to Rocker (175 beats per minute). You can take this quiz to find out which one is best for you.
I took the quiz and ended up with “The Mashup,” which is an interval playlist. That makes sense, as I’m relatively indecisive. The playlist has some good running songs on it, and I’m looking forward to using it on a training run next time I run by myself.
You can find all of the playlists on Spotify here. I just followed both the Interval playlist and the Rocker playlist on Spotify so that I’ll have them saved when it’s time to go for a run.
I also really like this year’s shirt and medals! Here are what they look like — photos are from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series website.
Since we’ll be running in the nation’s capital, we’ll be able to see monuments from the course — which are also captured in the medal and race shirt.
So, here’s the basic information for the United Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington, D.C. races:
Date: March 10, 2018
Time: 7 a.m. (marathon), 8 a.m. (5K), 8:30 a.m. (half marathon)
Start Location: Constitution Avenue and 14th Street NW (half and full marathon), RFK Stadium, 22nd Street SE (5K)
Finish Location: RFK Stadium, E. Capitol Street NE (all races)
Course maps and time limits can be found here.
The current prices as of Feb. 3 are $129.99 for the marathon, $109.99 for the half marathon and $49.99 for the 5K, but you can save $15 on the half or full marathons with code “RNRBRP2018.”
Register online here, and be sure to use the code!
The Health & Fitness Expo had some fun photo-ops last year! This year’s expo will be held at the DC Armory on Thursday, March 8, from noon-7 p.m. and Friday, March 9, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Learn more about the expo here.
I’m also really excited to meet up with some fellow BibRave Pros during this race weekend!
Read about everything Rock ‘n’ Roll D.C. here.
Any readers joining me in D.C. for the race?
Did you take the playlist quiz? Which one did you get?
She Runs by the Seashore 
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