MCRRC Eastern County 8K

Fun and Fast for 33 Years

Since 1994, the Kensington 8K Race has been a favorite DC area fall race - a fun, fast event with beauty, challenge, and excitement. Run it this year on September 19, 2026!

Our Community Event

Known throughout the DC area as a true community race - parents and kids cheering on each other and welcomed visitors running through Kensington and Rock Creek Park.

Benefits Local Schools

Eight local schools - Kensington Parkwood ES, North Bethesda MS, Silver Creek MS, and Walter Johnson HS, plus now North Chevy Chase ES, Oakland Terrace ES, Rock View ES, and Rosemary Hills ES - benefit from race net proceeds, with more than $350,000 raised since 2009!

Welcome to the MCRRC Parks Half Marathon!

The race begins just before sunrise, at 6:45 AM, on a scenic Montgomery County road and quickly transitions into a tour of beautiful Rock Creek Park. As you run through the park, you’ll experience the sun rising through the tree cover and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Mile markers help keep you on track, and we also have an excellent pace team ready to help you reach your goals.

Our thoughtfully placed hydration stations, complete with awesome volunteers, will keep you hydrated and motivated.

Everyone always loves our FREE, high-quality race photos, so be sure to wear a smile along the course because we will have photographers along the way capturing race memories.

At the finish, catch up with your friends to exchange race stories at our Finish Festival.

Grab your capes and tights and join us on September 27, 2026 for our Superhero 5k!

This scenic 5k route is along Sligo Creek Parkway and Sligo Creek Trail. The route is stroller-friendly, and walkers are welcome to attend.

Proceeds from the event go directly to help the kids in our programs in southwest Uganda. Learn more about what we do here: www.christalis.org.

Our 5k race timing is by Bishop's Events. Bishop's Events Points for this event count towards their Year-Long 5k & Back of the Pack Series. Points will also count towards their Summer Series. Please note that Bishop's Events promo/discount codes cannot be used to register for this event.