The GW Parkway Classic10 Miler was back for 2022! The race takes place every April and is considered a must run event for DC and Northern Virginia locals. Starting on the beautiful grounds of Mt. Vernon and winding along the George Washington Memorial Parkway into Old Alexandria. Of all the years I have been running and racing, this was my first time running this race. How did it go?
GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler Race Recap
Spring weather in DC is always volatile. The weather forecast for the day called for a very humid and warm 86 degrees. This had me freaking out a bit. Hot weather does not agree with me especially when I don’t have time to acclimate to it. Thankfully, the temps remained in the 60s for most of the race and were partly shaded for the first half.
Start line
Getting to the race, runners have 2 options. Participants can park at the finish in Old Town Alexandria and take a free shuttle to the start at Mt. Vernon or get dropped off at Mt. Vernon. As you may know, Mount Vernon is the home of our first president, George Washington, We got a ride to the start line and thought we were home free until we hit the porta-potty line.
This is my only complaint about the race. The porta-potty line was a “shit show” (pun intended). For a race of about 2,000 runners, there is no reason why we should have to stand in line for more than 30 minutes. In fact, we waited so long that we missed the start of the race. Yes, our crew started 3 minutes after the gun time.
MIles 1-10
The scenic course starts on the beautiful grounds of Mount Vernon estate and winds down the George Washington Memorial Parkway. April (and October) are the best months to run in the DC area. While the cherry blossoms are long gone, everything else is blooming and beautiful and runners head down the parkway.
The run route is closed to traffic for the race but is normally a bustling, traffic-filled 4-lane road. To have the chance to run on it is a treat. The course has some gently rolling hills but felt pretty flat.
There were 5 water stops on the route which were much appreciated on such a warm day. I always carry my own water pack that holds my hydration and fuel but do appreciate the water stops as a reminder to drink and also a backup.
My pace started out a bit fast for me (9:3xx area) but soon settled into a comfortable but challenging pace of around 9:4xx). I must learn how to fuel and hydrate without walking because I noticed those stops added about 20 seconds to my time.
The last 2 miles of the race have runners entering Old Town Alexandria into the neighborhoods. As I approached the finish line, I caught a glimpse of Coco, who I knew would be out cheering. I was really tired at that point however, seeing her really propelled me to finish strong.
I realized around mile 8 that I would end up with a 10 Mile race PR if I held my pace. Happily, I finished with a 1 min and 20-second PR. GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler is a great local race with a scenic course and a fun finish. I would run it again!
Thanks for helping to make the Runners’ Roundup a huge success by visiting all of the hosts: Me, Debbie, Jen, Lisa
Congrats on your PR and a strong race! This sounds like a fun one. I would be so annoyed to have to wait so long for the porta potty! Looks like such a nice course!
You have to come to do some of the DC races sometime!
Congratulations, Deborah! Running a PR without planning for it is awesome!
I think we all need Coco cheering us on in the last 2 miles of our races. 🙂
I love that last group photo – the colours of your outfits look very coordinated. And those happy smiles!
Yes, it was great to see her at the finish line chute cheering us on!
Congrats on your PR.
I cannot drink and eat until I walk. But I use them as walk breaks.
So nice to have Coco there cheering.
And of course running a race with friends is the best.
I also have to walk to drink and eat or I spill it all over myself. It is a skill I do not have!
Way to go Deborah! I love how you are crushing it this year. All your hard work has certainly paid off!
Thanks Wendy I am really feeling better than I have in years so I am going to embrace it for as long as possible
Huge congrats on the PR!! I’m glad the weather cooperated for you…I love the heat (as you know), but I do need a bit of an acclimation to really “appreciate” it. Gosh, another DC race I need to check-out….maybe I should just move there.
Thanks and yes, that would be fun 🙂
Phew- I’m glad the weather cooperated. Congratulations on your PR! This sounds like an amazing race. i have the same hydration pack- pretty sure I got the idea from you- and I love it, BUT I have some issues with chafing when I wear it with a tank top. Do you have that problem?
Ha ha… the porta potties were a shit show… good one. Seriously, that is unacceptable! I hope they do something about that in the future.
funny, I do not have any probs with chafing. It may have something to do w arm movement? I would try some body glide. The only time I get chafing there is when I wear short sleeves-the seams rub against me
Yay! That’s a huge PR!
I really hope to do it with you next year.
me too! That would be so much fun
I just love that you are setting PRs lately! Your training (and recovery) has been so focused. And I love all the spring colors that you and your crew are wearing. So pretty.
Thanks Deb! It has been fun to try new training and see how it can pay off
Well done on that PR!! Whoop, Whoop!!!
Lisa from Tech Chick Adventures also complained about the porta potties at the start of her race – that’s frustrating and hopefully they get feedback for next year’s race. But so happy to hear that apart from that it was a great race. I love any routes which have some historical relevance!
It is always a nice bonus to have some fun historical relevance to a course.
What a gorgeous medal and looks like such a fun race!
Congratulations on another PR, too! that’s incredible!
In some cases the portapotties can make or break the race. I am sorry the line were so unreasonable.
Thanks Jenn. It was annoying to have to wait so long but I was glad I did!
As I said on FB, you are on fire this Spring! All those PRs are the result of hard work — especially on a warm day.
How sweet of Coco to come out to cheer! I did stay & cheer for a while at the finish line of my 5k last week. Such a small thing to do but can really help out another runner!
Congrats again, Deborah!
Thanks Judy yes, it always nice to know there is a smiling face at the end for you
Congrats on another successful race and PR! You’ve been killing it this race season!
thanks Kim I am feeling a lot stronger than I used to