Media Contacts:	Lou Holder (Greater Washington Sports Alliance) at (202) 857-5946
	John Lisle (DDOT) at (202) 671-2004

The SunTrust National Marathon and Half Marathon will be run on Saturday, March 21, 2009. The races are scheduled to begin at 7 am and conclude at approximately 1 pm. The race route starts and ends at RFK Stadium and runs through six of the District’s eight wards.

Race organizers have provided the following information about street closures for the Marathon. Vehicular traffic will be restricted along the race route, beginning at 6:45 am. The affected streets will be posted with temporary “Race Route” signs prior to the event. Vehicular traffic will be permitted to cross the race route at designated intersections, provided it doesn’t interfere with the runners.

View the complete list of the street closures*. Residents and motorists are encouraged to review the list and the attached route map* to familiarize themselves with the closures and to identify possible detours. The affected streets will be reopened as soon as possible without compromising the safety of Marathon participants.

Parking will be permitted along the race route. However, to avoid collisions, motorists will not be permitted to move their vehicles once runners enter the area.

Race participants and spectators are encouraged to take Metrorail which will open two hours early, at 5 am on Saturday. However, Metro says the road closures will impact downtown Metrobus routes and MetroAccess service. Patrons who rely on Metrobus and MetroAccess service are likely to be rerouted due to the Marathon. Buses are expected to return to their normal routes in the early afternoon. For more information on Metro services, please call (202) 637-7000 or visit Metro’s website at www.metroopensdoors.com.

For more information about the Marathon and the street closures, please visit www.NationalMarathon.com.