ReCap of the Marine Corps Marathon 2008

Crystal Run / Throughout Crystal City / Crystal Drive.
Aerial Photo, courtesy Crystal City BID

Blue skies, warm weather, 320 bright feather banners, 50 colorful airplanes, 4 energetic bands, and thousands of supportive faces shaking red cowbells greeted the 30,000 runners who entered Crystal City for miles 22 and 23 of the 33rd Annual Marine Corps Marathon. To celebrate the Marathon and its participants, the Crystal City BID organized an all day street festival featuring live music, performances by Step Afrika!, moon bounces, an art market, a children’s area organized by the National Children’s Museum, restaurant tastes, and other activities.

Read More Here.

Click to see a slide show of pictures from the event, compliments the Crystal City Business Improvement District, Arlington, VA

Crystal Run - Marine Corps Marathon

Marine Corps Marathon next Weekend, Sunday October 26

The High Life on a Low Budget
From washingtonpost.com
SAVE THE DATE

THE SCENE The Marine Corps Marathon
The people who are running the 26-mile race a week from Sunday are probably now hitting the most intense days of their preparations. Those not taking part will be able to watch these dedicated runners as they cross various points along the course; this year, the finish line festival will be held on Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn, where you'll find a beer garden, food tastings, vendors and performers. If you don't feel like hanging out there, Crystal City's Crystal Run festivities are just down the road, with music act the BoDeans, samples from local restaurants (with tastes priced at $1), a kid zone and the chance to cheer on runners as they pass through (it's at Miles 21 and 22 of the race). The festivities are free. Oct. 26 beginning at 9 a.m. The BoDeans perform at 3 p.m. in Crystal City, Crystal Drive and 23rd Street. In Rosslyn, Wilson Boulevard at Lynn Street.

Marine Corps Marathon Celebrates Partnership with Arlington County
Ten original, artistic mile markers for the upcoming Marine Corps Marathon were unveiled during a press conference in Crystal City, Virginia on October 10. The mile markers, which include mile 1 and mile 26, represent each of the ten miles of the annual MCM that are run in Arlington County, Virginia. Designed by local artist Kevin Irvin, the colorful nine-foot tall, graffiti-style mile markers will displayed on the MCM course on Sunday, October 26.

Representatives from the Marine Corps Marathon, the Crystal City BID and Rosslyn Business Improvement District and Arlington County, including Chairman of the Arlington County Board, J. Walter Tejada, were on hand for the reveal “I am excited to proclaim October as ‘Marine Corps Marathon’ month in Arlington County,” said Tejada during his remarks. “Arlington continues to be the proud home of the annual event.”

The mile markers are part of larger partnership between the Marine Corps Marathon and Arlington County. On race day, spectators and runners will be able to enjoy exciting activities in the Arlington neighborhoods of Crystal City and Rosslyn. Crystal City hosts Crystal Run, a family-friendly fall festival from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., which lines 23rd Street and includes live bands, food tastings, activities for kids of all ages and a spectacular spot for spectators to view runners at miles 22 and 23 of the MCM course.

After crossing the finish line, runners will proceed to the Finish Festival, held on Wilson Boulevard and Lynn Street in Rosslyn, to retrieve their commemorative finisher coins, provided by USAA, as well as to enjoy live music, food, giveaways and more!
Later, Crystal City hosts the Post Race Celebration and Concert, featuring the BoDeans at 3:00 p.m.

For more details as well as transportation information, visit For details and a map of the course, visit http://www.marinemarathon.com and click on weekend events.

Marine Corps Marathon / Crystal Run Racing Stripes; artists team

Painting Team:L-R Vereecke, Hester, Gavagan, Marchand







Photo Credits: Rob Mandle, Angela Fox of Crystal City BID

No, this isn't Halloween Festivities on Saturday midnight and into the wee hours of the morning! (Although some of us were dressed in costume). We had the pleasure of painting colorful stripes on a street in Crystal City. Later that morning the Marine Corps Marathon runners crossed Memorial Bridge and ran over our racing stripes. The artist crew and I marveled how wonderfully intense the color stripes were, even by streetlight. President and CEO, Angela Fox of the Crystal City BID was inspired to do a Racing Stripes art project after seeing the Colorfield Remix, 8th Street Stripes, a public art project directed by the Corcoran College of Art and Design and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities in Washington, DC. It was decided to do colorful racing stripes for the Marathon runners and community. After the design process, I put a team of local artists together and we were off to the races. The stripes were a hit and added to the days festivities. Me... I went home afterwards and dreamed of colorful lines crisscrossing the city. You can see the racing stripes over the next few months at 2100 Crystal Drive. Enjoy a nice lunch or dinner nearby. Crystal City BID brought Artomatic to a wide audience this year and continues to provide a variety of art programming to the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

http://www.crystalcity.org/
www.annemarchand.com

Racing Stripes Art Project
2100 Crystal Drive
Crystal City, Virginia