There seems to be an annual race called 'race the perimeter' but I wanted to adjust the route so it is more outside of D.C. except when unavoidable. This route therefore uses the Mount Vernon trail and hugs the Potomac from the Virginia side, and only really cuts into D.C. at two unavoidable parts: once to cross the Chain bridge and once to navigate the Anacostia river section with highways. When I did this route, some of the trails after the Chain bridge were really hard to find / lots of fallen trees so I got lost and ended up hugging the highway for more than I would like. Also, some of the trails like "Oxon Hill Farm Road" were completely overgrown with grass so it will be wiser to stick on the road there.
Anyways, I had a lot of fun and there are opportunities to do this unsupported since I was able to map out a lot of public water fountains along the way! This feels like a great route that truly 'loops' D.C. and has a great mix of road/trail/gravel etc. and some awesome views (Reagan plane watching, the Potomac, C&O Canal, the monuments, etc.) Would highly recommend as a training run for ultras, and the Strava map is super cool afterwards as well!
