Wave Start

The 5K race will not have a wave start in 2024; the 10 Mile race will use a wave start. Runners in the 5K should just line up according to their expected race pace using the pace signs that will be in the starting area.

10 Mile runners will be assigned to one of six color-coded starting corrals based on expected finish time. Colors on bib numbers will match starting corrals. It is the color of your bib (or for runners with grey or pink bibs the color of the sticker placed on your bib), not the bib number, that determines your starting corral. In the 10 Mile, after our elite, seeded, and sub-seeded runner waves, there will be four additional waves of approximately 2,500 to 3,500 runners each. The waves will start at three to seven minute intervals. This should ease crowding on the course. Runners outside the top 25 males and females will be scored on net times.

10 Mile Corrals

7:00 A.M.– Corrals will open at 6:45 a.m., but runners should start to enter their appropriate corrals by 7:00 A.M. Entrances are from the back of the corrals, so those who enter early will have the advantage of  being able to move forward to the front of the corral (closest to the faster corral in front). If your corral is full, please wait at the opening outside the entrance. Since there is a time-gap between the start of each corral, runners who are not physically inside the corral will be able to start before the following corral.

The waves are as follows:

Yellow corral, Presented by Andrews FCU – The yellow corral will be broken into three sections: The Elite Section is for Elite runners with bib numbers from 1-100. Seeded runners with yellow bib numbers from 110 through 524 will line up in the next yellow group, followed by seeded runners with yellow bib numbers between 525 and 2174. All three yellow sections will start at the same time. (Note: Seeded women who have received “Women’s Advance Start” (WAS) stickers start with the Women’s Advance Start at 7:18 a.m.)

Red corral, Presented by U.S. Senate FCU – Runners with red bib numbers are in the second or Red Wave, presented by Commonwealth FCU

Blue corral, Presented by U.S. Postal Service FCU – Runners with blue bib numbers are in the third or Blue Wave, presented by U.S. Senate FCU

Orange corral, Presented by Commonwealth FCU – Runners with orange bib numbers are in the fourth or Orange Wave, presented by U.S. Postal Service FCU

Green corral, Presented by PAHO/WHO FCU – Runners with green bib numbers are in the fifth or Green Wave, presented by Interior FCU

Purple corral, Presented by Congressional FCU – Runners with purple bib numbers are in the sixth or Purple Wave, presented by Congressional FCU

Please cooperate with race officials by lining up in the proper corral. If you are running with friends or family members who are in different corrals, you must line up in the slowest corral of any member of the group.

To accommodate the size of the field, the main race will start at 7:30 A.M.

Timeline for 10 Mile Corrals

6:45 A.M. – Enter your 10 mile corral.

7:18 A.M. – Advance start for elite women. This start will be for approximately 30 of our elite and seeded women. This will enable us to showcase the elite women’s competition in a manner that is not possible in a “mixed” race.

7:29 A.M. – Wheelchair competitors (push-rim only) and other physically-challenged participants authorized in advance

7:30 A.M. – Elite men and first wave start (Yellow Wave) for men and women (additional waves will depart at approximately 3-7 minute intervals)

7:34 A.M. – 10M Wave #2 (Red) starts

7:39 A.M. – 10M Wave #3 (Blue) starts

7:45 A.M. – 10M Wave #4 (Orange) starts

7:50 A.M. – 10M Wave #5 (Green) starts

7:55 A.M. – 10M Wave #6 (Purple) starts

8:00 A.M. – Start line is sealed off. No starters after this time.

10:18 A.M. – Access to the 10 mile finish line sealed with barricades at the intersection of 15th and Independence Ave., SW.

10:20 A.M – Race Timing stops. 

Note on Race Time Limits: No runner who takes longer than 2:20:00 to finish the 10 Mile race from the time they cross the starting line will be given an official finishing time. This is true regardless of the corral in which you start the race. So if you start in the Silver corral at 7:45 but it takes you another minute to actually cross the start line, then you would have until 10:06 A.M. to finish the race and be scored. If you are in the Orange corral, which starts at 7:32, but it takes you a minute to cross the starting line, then you have until 9:53 A.M. to finish the race. If you don’t beat the time limit in that case, you will be able to finish the race since the finish line won’t be closed, but you won’t get an official finishing time. As a result, all we can post is the time the finish line will be closed (10:20 A.M.) – it doesn’t mean everyone who finishes before that time will be scored. This means that trying to jump into a faster corral that starts earlier won’t make your finish time limit any longer.