Unsanctioned races in Washington, D.C.
District of Columbia, USA
Upcoming
No race in Washington, D.C. has a confirmed date listed yet. The notable races below are the ones to watch for an announcement.
The scene
Washington, D.C. has two unsanctioned scenes. Couriers run alleycats through the year, from the Daffodil Ramble in March and a 420 Alleycat in April to Confer Cat and MessLife in August and a Messenger Appreciation Day race from Courier Corner in Dupont Circle; the D.C. Alleycat Federation posts races at dcalleycats.org and Gwadzilla’s blog writes most of them up. On foot, Race the Perimeter has run a self-supported relay around the District’s border since 2024, and the District Running Collective has held District 19 every year since 2020 and co-hosts Spin the Block, a relay on a route revealed on race night.
Notable races
- RunningWebsite ↗
District 19
An unsanctioned road-and-trail run through all four quadrants of DC over 19 miles, 19K or 5K, created in 2020, that starts and finishes at Atlas Brew Works in Southeast.
- RunningWebsite ↗
Race the Perimeter DC
An unsanctioned, self-supported 46-mile relay along DC’s border for teams of one to six runners, with no assigned legs or exchange points.
- CyclingWebsite ↗
420 Alleycat
An April alleycat that in 2026 finished with a party and photo show at The Fridge on Barracks Row and was run as a benefit.
- CyclingWebsite ↗
Triple Crown, DC leg
The DC leg of a three-city alleycat weekend over Memorial Day, in which riders score points in each city’s race toward an overall title.
- RunningWebsite ↗
Spin the Block
A relay for three-person co-ed teams, each runner covering under a mile, on a route announced on race night.
- CyclingWebsite ↗
Daffodil Ramble
An alleycat starting at Grant Circle Park, with a $7 entry in its 2025 edition.
- CyclingWebsite ↗
Dead City Alleycat
A Day of the Dead themed alleycat of about 20 to 24 miles with checkpoints taken in any order, which in 2024 started at Thomas Circle and offered a just-for-fun option alongside the race.
- CyclingWebsite ↗
10-9 Messenger Appreciation Day Alleycat
A quick alleycat for Messenger Appreciation Day that starts and finishes at Courier Corner in Dupont Circle, where the first rider back with time-stamped selfies from nine of ten checkpoints wins.
- CyclingWebsite ↗
MessLife
A yearly August alleycat, run in 2024 as its ninth edition for two-person teams from Picnic Grove 29 in Rock Creek Park.
- CyclingWebsite ↗
Confer Cat
An alleycat held each August around David Confer’s birthday, with a race scored on the fastest complete manifest and a separate just-for-fun manifest.
Recently run on ALLEYKAT
Running[05]
Cycling[00]
No cycling race in Washington, D.C. has run on ALLEYKAT yet.
How races get in here
The directory is curated by ALLEYKAT. Races timed on the app appear in their city on their own once they have a date or have been run, and everything else is added by hand after we have checked it against the organiser’s own page. There is no form and no fee.