The 51st Marine Corps Marathon starts on Route 110 in Arlington, Virginia, on Sunday, Oct. 25. The opening ceremony runs at 7 a.m., the wheelchair field goes at 7:05, the duos at 7:07 and the main field at 7:20. Runners Village sits in the North Pentagon Parking Lot, and the course closes at 3:05 p.m.
The weekend holds four days of packet pickup, two Saturday races and one Sunday race. Each hotel night serves one morning.
The Four Fixed Mornings
Packet pickup runs inside the Health and Fitness Expo at the Building Museum on four days. Wednesday, Oct. 21, runs noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24 each run 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., all EDT.
The 8K goes at 7:20 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, in West Potomac Park and runs to 8:45. The Kids Run follows that morning from 9 to 10 a.m. for ages 5 to 12 over a 0.8K course, with four start times inside the hour.
Packet pickup does not run on event morning. A marathon runner collects the bib, the timing device and the shirt by 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Five Nights, One Date Each
A night is releasable once nothing on the following morning needs it.
Night of Wednesday, Oct. 21. It serves the expo's first afternoon. Release date: Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the 6 p.m. close.
Night of Thursday, Oct. 22. It serves the Thursday expo and puts the guest in town for the Friday dinner. Release date: Thursday, Oct. 22.
Night of Friday, Oct. 23. It serves the Hall of Fame Dinner at 6 p.m. that evening and the Saturday 8K at 7:20 a.m. Release date: Saturday, Oct. 24, at the 10 a.m. finish of the Kids Run. Dropping this night puts a 7:20 a.m. gun on a checkout morning.
Night of Saturday, Oct. 24. It serves the Sunday ceremony at 7 a.m. and the start at 7:20. Release date: Sunday, Oct. 25, once the runner is through the start.
Night of Sunday, Oct. 25. It serves no item on the schedule. Release date: Sunday, Oct. 25, at the 3:05 p.m. course close.
What the 5 a.m. Metro and 4:30 a.m. Shuttle Say
Metro opens at 5 a.m. on race morning. The Pentagon station on the yellow and blue lines delivers Runners Village, and Pentagon City station serves it too.
The Crystal City shuttle runs from 23rd Street and Crystal Drive to Runners Village between 4:30 and 6:30 a.m. A 4:30 departure leaves 2 hours and 50 minutes before the 7:20 gun. A 5 a.m. Metro opening leaves 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Both timetables begin in Arlington or Crystal City. The Saturday night is the one night a runner cannot release.
What the 3:05 p.m. Close Says About Sunday Demand
The course closes at 3:05 p.m., and local jurisdictions reopen roads as event operations cease. The Finish Festival in Rosslyn runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Finish shuttles run from Oak Street and Wilson Boulevard back to Crystal City from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The last shuttle leaves at 5 p.m. A Sunday night room carries a Monday departure. The schedule gives that night no work.
Jems Hospitality is the only authorized housing agent. Most of its 27 listed properties carry a start date of Oct. 22 and an end date of Oct. 26. That is four nights against a Monday checkout, and the Sunday night sits inside the default.
What the Block Has Left
Twenty of the 27 properties published a last day to book of Oct. 8, 2026. Three carry Oct. 1, one carries Oct. 2 and two carry Oct. 12. Renaissance Arlington Capital View carries Oct. 24, the one cut-off still ahead.
Four properties show as sold out: DoubleTree Washington DC Crystal City, Sheraton Pentagon City, Hyatt Place Arlington Courthouse Plaza and AC Arlington National Landing. Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill reads almost sold out.
Several properties carry an end date of Nov. 26, a month past the race. Confirm the checkout date on the booking page before paying.
Four properties carry a two-night minimum: DoubleTree Washington DC Crystal City, Hilton Arlington National Landing, Hilton Garden Inn Arlington Courthouse Plaza and Hyatt Place Arlington Courthouse Plaza. A two-night minimum turns a Sunday hold into two paid nights.
Getting to the Start
The Pentagon station on the yellow and blue lines is the access point for Runners Village. Smithsonian station on the blue, orange and silver lines reaches the National Mall stretch at miles 17 to 19. Crystal City station reaches miles 22 and 23. L'Enfant Plaza station reaches the Beat the Bridge point at mile 20.
Arlington Cemetery station on the blue line opens at 8:30 a.m. on race morning and sits a short walk from mile 25. Rosslyn station on the blue, orange and silver lines reaches the Finish Festival.
Free parking sits in the underground lots at 23rd and Crystal Drive.
What to Settle With the Hotel
Ask for the checkout date in writing, because the listed end dates disagree. Ask whether the two-night minimum covers the nights you want, because it decides whether a Sunday hold costs one night or two. Ask for the cancellation deadline, because the housing page publishes cut-off dates for booking and nothing for cancelling.
Ask about parking. Holiday Inn National Airport and Crowne Plaza Crystal City publish $25 discounted parking, AC Arlington National Landing publishes $23, and Hilton Garden Inn Arlington Courthouse Plaza and Embassy Suites Crystal City publish $30.
The standard rate is $240, the required pace is 14 minutes per mile, and the organization permits no transfers or deferrals. Refund Protect through TEAK is the optional coverage sold at registration. It can be bought then or within five days of confirmation.
Charity partners carried a bib deadline of July 31. Confirm entry before paying for a room.