The best way to get fit, get your bearings, and gain local knowledge… a must do experience.

Following my friend Kate doing two of the New York Running Tours, I thought it only fitting as Editor I should try the DC Running Tour myself.  I had such a good time.

My delightful and incredibly fit guide Piper arrived at The Park Hyatt on a hot Sunday morning in August just before 10a.m. ready to go.  She brought a camera and bottle of water for me so I only needed to show up.  It took a few minutes to reset her GPS watch and then we were off.  The weather was just perfect albeit a little on the hot side.  The aim was to see as many of Washington’s monuments and sights as we could on our run, which is so perfect for people who have very little time and perhaps do not know Washington and want to get their photo in front of as many landmarks as possible.

So first stop was Albert Einstein – we had to persuade the kids playing on him to let us get a shot in.  Next up was the Lincoln Memorial followed by the Washington Monument.  We even managed to sneak a look at the then yet unveiled Martin Luther King Memorial.   By the time we got to the Capitol I have to confess I was flagging.  It must have been 90 degrees and my water was warm, no actually it was hot!  The great thing with the tours though is that your guide will go at your pace.  So if you need to slow down or take a breather that is just fine.  We then saw some demonstrators get arrested at The White House before finally ending back at my hotel some almost 2 hours and 8 miles later and I was done!  But what fun.  The guides are all really knowledgeable locals and you can’t fail to come away with some great nuggets of history.

I’m looking forward to my next running tour which may well be San Francisco in the spring...

How much does it cost?

Personal Tours: $60 per person for the first 6 miles/$6 per person for each additional mile.  Discounts for groups of 4 or more.

Group Tours: from $25 per person.

Tipping, is in line with US etiquette, i.e. encouraged if you think your guide did a good job.

How to book: Visit the City Running Tour website or call them on:+1 877 415 0048

Also important to note: on many of the Group runs you can leave your bag/belongings with a CRT person, but check with them when booking. This varies by run.