Finish Festival at Wilson and Lynn
The 35th Annual Marine Corps Marathon is coming through the streets of Rosslyn on Sunday, October 31, 2010!
In 2004, the MCM route was changed so that runners began the race on Rosslyn’s main thoroughfares, making Rosslyn home to the first and fourth mile markers. In 2005, the Rosslyn BID became a proud sponsor of the Marine Corps Marathon.
For the 2006 race, the BID and Arlington County joined the MCM in throwing a giant party on Lynn Street – complete with a country music star singing on a stage near the Meade Street Bridge, and the famed Clydesdale horses posing for photos with kids. The aptly titled "Finish Festival" is an annual street party that includes both runners and supporters. A live DJ, restaurant booths, and more fill the streets surrounding the
Festival for Everyone
Moving the Finish Festival from the grounds of the Iwo Jima Marine Corps War Memorial to the streets of Rosslyn has allowed the entire community to enjoy the post-race activities, alongside the runners and their fans. Festival activities have included live music, sponsor displays and giveaways, a Restaurant Row that includes several Rosslyn eateries, and the Michelob Ultra Beer Garden.
The festival has included the usual post-race activities: stations to check the runners’ status on the course, photo booths, massage tents to relax stiff muscles. Runners can connect with families and friends at designated family link-up areas on Meade Street Bridge.
Finally, to ease congestion around the Rosslyn Metro Station, post-race shuttle busses have been made available to pick up passengers at the corner of Lynn and Wilson, taking riders to Crystal City in Arlington.
Arlington: Official Home of “The People’s Marathon”
Rosslyn’s effort to enliven its streets on race day is part of a larger County initiative to welcome the Marathon to Arlington County. Although 17 miles of the 26.2–mile course are run in Washington, D.C., Arlington is home to the Iwo Jima Marine Corps War Memorial, and the start and finish line. For many years, the County has provided police and security services for the event.
As of 2006, the County is the official home of “The People’s Marathon.” Arlington is also home to a new 10K race sponsored by MCM. In addition to Rosslyn’s race-day activities, Crystal City also hosted a Street Spectacular along Crystal Drive, between miles 22 and 23.
In late September 2006, Arlington County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to kick off their new partnership with the Marathon. Rosslyn BID Ambassadors hung 60 colorful banners lining the streets of Rosslyn in celebration of the race.
Marathon Fills County Coffers
Hosting the MCM events draws an estimated 120,000 runners and spectators to Arlington on race weekend – always the last weekend in October. That translates into more than a $10 million boost in the County’s economy in just a few short days. The average MCM runner has a household income greater than $100,000. About half of the runners are from D.C., Maryland and Virginia; the other half hail from every other state in the U.S. and more than 40 countries – filling Rosslyn’s and the County’s hotel rooms and restaurants.
The Marathon also provides a platform for more than 30 charity partners, many of which are local, to raise nearly $5 million for their causes.