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The PNC Alexandria Half returns to the streets of Old Town on Sunday, sending half-marathon and 5K runners off at 7 a.m. from the intersection of Fairfax and Wythe streets, across from Oronoco Bay Park.
Both races will finish on North Union Street at Oronoco Street, followed by a post-race festival at Oronoco Bay Park, 100 Madison St., according to the event's website. The Kids Dash, open to children 12 and under, will begin at 10:30 a.m. at Union and King streets and end at the park.
The half-marathon course takes runners along the George Washington Memorial Parkway before looping back to Old Town. Six aid stations are positioned along the route, with water at every stop and Gatorade at miles 4, 8, and 9.5. A separate aid station will serve 5K runners at mile 1.8. The half-marathon carries a 15-minute-per-mile time limit, or roughly 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Runners are asked to be in their assigned corrals, labeled A through E, by 6:45 a.m. The start area closes 10 minutes after the gun. Thirteen pace teams will lead the half-marathon with target times ranging from 1 hour 30 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes.
Road closures are expected across Old Town and along the parkway, though the Alexandria Police Department had not issued a traffic advisory for this year's race as of Monday. In 2025, police began closing roads at 2 a.m. on race day, with the full route shut down by 6 a.m. and reopened around noon once runners had cleared the course. No-parking zones were marked in advance, and towing began at midnight. Residents and drivers can check alexandriava.gov for updated closure information as race day approaches.
Metro will not open early for the race, organizers said. The nearest station is King Street, on the Blue and Yellow lines. Complimentary parking will be available at 99 Canal Center Plaza beginning at 5 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. HB Parking garages on North Fairfax, Oronoco, and North Lee streets will open at 6 a.m. for a flat $10 fee, and city-owned garages will be available for $5. A complimentary bike valet, run by Bike Valet DMV, will open at 6 a.m. at the north end of Oronoco Bay Park.
Dogs and strollers are not allowed on the half-marathon course. Strollers are permitted in the 5K and will start in the final corral. Both are welcome as spectators and at the finish festival, with dogs required to be leashed.
The race, produced by Pacers Running and sponsored by PNC Bank, evolved last year from the long-running PNC Parkway Classic, which began in 1984. The 2025 debut drew nearly 5,800 participants and raised more than $20,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of Alexandria, with 4,500 athletes completing the half-marathon or 5K. Kyle Bratrud, then 32, won the men's half marathon in 1:08:25, and Sydney Leiher, then 30, led the women's division in 1:17:50. Andrew Cantor, then 33, won the 5K in 16:10, and Carmen Garson-Shumway, then 28, was the top women's finisher in 17:19. A beneficiary for the 2026 race was not listed on the event's website.
More information is available at alexandriahalf.com.
