51st Marine Corps Marathon preparations underway

It's a huge weekend here in D.C. We talked about big events and the biggest might be on Sunday for the 2026 Marine Corps Marathon taking over Arlington in D.C. It is the third largest marathon in the country with some 40,000 people expected. And for those who are not running and want to go check it out, it's great for spectators. Bring your signs, support the runners. Stephanie Ramirez has a preview for us. But we just want to make sure that all the spectators are in places where they're supposed to be as well. Yeah, just a few changes, right? I just got off the phone with a marathon spokesperson who told me it's going to be similar to last year's rules where spectators will not be able to go to the starting line and the finish line. They're being told the finish festival, not far from where we are right now at Roslyn Metro, that that is where they'll be able to not only reunite with the runners, but also there should be a big jumbotron there so they can see the runners cross the finish line. Now, let me get into the maps that we have from the Marathon organizers. We can show you that on your screen and also tell you the organizers are saying, if you're coming to cheer on family, friends, or you just want to cheer on the runners in general, they have a handful of locations on the course where you can watch from, and Metro is going to be your best bet to get around. First, after the start, they say to take a stroll across Arlington Memorial Drive to the Lincoln Memorial. From there, you can see runners at mile 10 and 16. then head down Independence Avenue toward the Smithsonian Museums where you can see runners at miles 17 to 19 hop on Metro and head to Crystal City Station. You'll end up not far from the Crystal City Gauntlet and then you can take Metro or the MCM shuttle to Roslyn and that's where you can link up with the loved ones at the finish festival. Everyone should anticipate going through security screening the 51st Annual 26.2 Mile Marine Corps Marathon. This Sunday You guys, it takes runners from Arlington to Georgetown through the National Mall into Rock Creek Parkway and back. It's a 7.20 a.m. start for runners by Arlington National Cemetery. The course finishes by the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial. Most of Arlington's road closures will go from 3 in the morning to 6 p.m. and 6 in the morning to 5 p.m. In D.C., many emergency no-parking restrictions go from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. Road closures will begin at around 5.30 in the morning and go until 3 in the afternoon if all stays on schedule. We spoke to a woman who says she cannot wait. I literally talked to her. She just flew in from California to run for the first time, and she tells us she is a Marine veteran. I mean, I've wanted to do it for the past two years now, I believe, but I would just miss the deadline or I would, you know, come up with an excuse to not do it. So this year I was like, okay, I'm going to do it for sure. And, yeah, you know, I've been training for the past, I would say, like six, seven months, so I'm excited. I'm proud. You know, I'm proud to be a Marine, regardless of anything else. It's just something to always be proud of and always be a part of this group. Hey, guys, what we're seeing in Roslyn are a lot of these already, the warning that your vehicles will get towed in certain areas for race day Sunday. So please make sure to heed those warnings. And if you're heading down, no scooters, no bikes as well. They will not be allowed in certain areas. Also, no drones most of the time here and no animals if you can as well. Hope everyone has a fun and safe time.