Marine Corps Marathon 2026: Road Closures, Metro, Rules

The 51st Marine Corps Marathon starts Sunday, Oct. 25, on Route 110 in Arlington, and the pre-race machinery is already running. Packet pickup at the Building Museum in Washington continues Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to the official weekend schedule. Metro has confirmed in its weekend service notice that rail will open at 5 a.m. Sunday and that Arlington Cemetery station will stay closed from 5 to 9 a.m. because of the race.

Race date: Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026
Start times (EDT): Opening ceremony 7 a.m.; Wheels division 7:05 a.m.; Duos 7:07 a.m.; all runners 7:20 a.m.
Start: Route 110, Arlington, between the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery; Runners Village is in the Pentagon North Parking lot
Finish: Marine Corps War Memorial, Arlington, with the Finish Festival in downtown Rosslyn from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Metro: Rail opens 5 a.m.; use Pentagon or Pentagon City for the start; Arlington Cemetery station closed 5 to 9 a.m.

Marine Corps Marathon 2026 road closures

Closures begin at 3 a.m. in Arlington and last into the evening around Rosslyn. Metro’s detour advisory for the 51st race lists the street closures it is planning around. The windows below come from that advisory.

Area	Roads affected (partial list)	Approximate closure
Rosslyn, Route 110 corridor and Pentagon area, Va.	Wilson Boulevard, Fort Myer Drive, Fairfax Drive, North Lynn, Moore, Nash, Kent, Meade and Oak streets, North Marshall Drive, Route 110, Washington Boulevard, Army Navy Drive, South Fern and Eads streets, part of Richmond Highway, several I-395 ramps and HOT lanes	3 a.m. to 6 p.m.
North Arlington approaches to Key Bridge	Fort Myer Drive, North Lynn, Nash, Moore, Rhodes and Veitch streets, Lorcom Lane, eastbound Langston Boulevard, westbound Spout Run Parkway	6 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Pentagon City, Va.	Westbound 15th Street South, several Richmond Highway ramps, southbound Richmond Highway from I-395	6 a.m. to noon
Crystal City, Long Bridge area and Rosslyn near Langston Boulevard, Va.	Long Bridge Drive, Crystal Drive, 6th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 18th and 20th streets South, South Ball Street, southbound Richmond Highway from I-395, I-395 exits 9 and 10A; Fort Myer Drive, North Nash and North Moore streets near Langston Boulevard	6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Washington, D.C.	Key Bridge, Memorial Bridge, 14th Street Bridge HOV lanes, M Street, Canal Road, Wisconsin Avenue, K Street, Rock Creek Parkway, Independence Avenue, Madison and Jefferson drives, 7th and 14th streets	5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Those are blanket windows, and the full street-by-street list on the WMATA page is longer than this table. Arlington National Cemetery issued a road closure notice on Oct. 20 covering Oct. 24-25. The cemetery is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Metro service and bus detours on race day

Rail runs 5 a.m. to midnight Sunday. The Red, Yellow, Green, Orange and Silver lines operate normally, while the Blue Line is flagged because Arlington Cemetery station is shut until 9 a.m., per WMATA. The race’s Before You Go guide warns that a weekend wait for a train can be up to 15 minutes and suggests spectators buy a Metro One-Day Pass.

Runners heading to Runners Village should get off at Pentagon or Pentagon City. Buses are a different story. WMATA’s detours run from 2:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Virginia routes such as the A58, A76 and F62 end at a temporary stop on North Oak Street at 18th Street North, and several D.C. routes, including the D30, D40 and D44, turn back downtown short of the closed streets.

Metro’s advice: allow extra time and avoid the area if you can. Help is at 202-GO-METRO (202-466-3876).

Security rules and prohibited items

Runners and spectators are screened when they arrive at the start and finish areas on race morning, according to the race’s race-day guide. The marathon’s safety page spells out the rules:

Only the clear plastic bags issued to participants at packet pickup are accepted at baggage drop. Stick the UPS label from the back of your bib on the bag.
Law enforcement may search any bag, backpack or purse at screening points.
No glass containers at any event site, for runners or spectators.
No flammable liquids.
No drones. The Washington area is an FAA no-drone zone, and drones are banned on National Park Service land, which includes much of the course.
No hoods or devices worn to conceal identity. Face masks for health reasons are allowed.
No backpacks or rucksacks, except hydration backpacks, hydration vests and fuel belts, unless the MCM director authorizes them.
Report anything suspicious to 911, a police officer or a Marine.

Tips for spectators along the course

The course starts between the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, crosses into Rosslyn, then loops through Georgetown and along the National Mall before runners must “beat the bridge” back into Virginia over the 14th Street Bridge, according to the official course page. They return past the Pentagon, run through Crystal City and finish uphill at the Marine Corps War Memorial.

Race organizers point spectators to a handful of viewing spots. Near the Lincoln Memorial, you can see runners twice, at mile 10 and again at mile 16. On the National Mall, they pass between miles 17 and 19.

The gauntlets: why timing matters for your runner

Three cutoffs decide who finishes officially:

DC Gauntlet on Independence Avenue: 12:33 p.m.
Beat the Bridge at 14th and D streets, mile 20: 1:15 p.m.
Crystal City Gauntlet at 12th Street South and Crystal Drive: 1:49 p.m.

Runners who miss the DC or Crystal City cutoffs are diverted and are not recognized as official finishers.

Meeting up after the finish

Plan your reunion in Rosslyn. The Family Link Up area sits inside the Finish Festival and is marked by 13-foot yellow towers with letters; meet under the first letter of your runner’s last name.

The military side of the People’s Marathon

A March 2026 Marine administrative message, MARADMIN 116/26, put Marine Corps Installations National Capital Region-Marine Corps Base Quantico in charge and ordered 16 commands and organizations in the region, among them Training and Education Command, Marine Corps Recruiting Command and Marine Barracks Washington, to supply people and resources. The message calls the race the Corps’ largest annual single-day community relations event, with more than 30,000 runners and 100,000 spectators.

The same message pairs the race with the Armed Forces Marathon Championships, whose opening ceremony is set for Saturday. Last year, Marine Maj. Kyle King of Quantico won his third Armed Forces Marathon Championship and was the overall Marine Corps Marathon champion on Oct. 26, 2025, according to Armed Forces Sports.

Mile 12 on Hains Point is the “wear blue” Mile, where volunteers hold flags beside posters from Faces of the Fallen.

The race arrives in a hard week for the Corps’ most recognizable image. On Wednesday night, police say, a man took a sledgehammer to the limestone Iwo Jima statue outside the main gate of Marine Corps Base Quantico. That statue is a separate work from the bronze memorial at the Arlington finish line. The Marine Corps War Memorial was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on Nov. 10, 1954, and honors every Marine who has died for the country since 1775, according to the Marine Corps History Division.

A history that began in 1976

The race began in 1976 as the Marine Corps Reserve Marathon. Active-duty Marines took it over in 1978 and it became the Marine Corps Marathon, according to the race’s official history. The marathon’s Hall of Fame credits Col. Jim Fowler as its founder.

The race passed 10,000 finishers for the first time in 1989 and topped 20,000 finishers in 2006. The half-millionth finisher crossed the line in 2014. The course records have stood for decades: Jeff Scuffins ran 2:14:01 in 1987 and Olga Markova ran 2:37:00 in 1990.

It earned the nickname “The People’s Marathon” because it pays no prize money. Organizers now describe it as the third-largest marathon in the United States, with runners from more than 50 countries. In 2020, the medal carried black sand from Iwo Jima to mark the battle’s 75th anniversary.

Marine Corps Marathon 2026 FAQ

What time does the Marine Corps Marathon start on Oct. 25, 2026?

The opening ceremony is at 7 a.m. The Wheels division starts at 7:05 a.m., Duos at 7:07 a.m. and the main field of runners at 7:20 a.m., all on Route 110 in Arlington.

Is there a 10K on Marine Corps Marathon weekend?

No. The Saturday race is the MCM 8K, run from 7:20 to 8:45 a.m. in West Potomac Park, followed by the MCM Kids Run for ages 5 to 12. The MCMO’s Turkey Trot 10K is a separate event on Nov. 21.