Nike Event to Close Thomas Jefferson Street April 27

Georgetown's Advisory Neighborhood Commission cautiously approved the closure of Thomas Jefferson Street, NW for a Saturday in April to accommodate the DC Nike Women's Half Marathon race expo. The race expo will be held at the Washington Harbour April 25-27.

Nike sought approval to close Thomas Jefferson Street for Saturday race packet pick-up to allow the expected thousands of participants to safely and easily walk between the M Street store and the Harbour expo area.

The commission considered the request first at the February meeting and then again in March. Ultimately they decided to approve the closure for this year. 

"I would like to have us go along with Nike this year, see how it works and hope that our wanting to do that will sort of open the door for Nike to become a more engaged participant in our community," Commissioner Tom Birch said at the ANC meeting Monday.

Nike has already been working with the Business Improvement District to create a street fair where local businesses will have tents on Thomas Jefferson Street. 

"It’s a gamble," Commissioner Bill Starrels said. The closure is in his single-member district.

Starrels said it could be good to bring so much foot traffic to the neighborhood on a Saturday, but he said there were still some "loose ends" for Nike to address, like guaranteeing officers for traffic management.

Nike promised to involve more community organizations and businesses and to finalize its traffic management plan. And some nearby businesses are getting in on the action already.

Next week L2 Lounge will host Cheers For A Cure, organized by Deloitte’s Nike Women’s Half Marathon team, which consists of 36 women. All proceeds from the fundraiser at L2 benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Deloitte’s team has a collective goal of $70,000.

The event, from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, features a silent auction, raffle and happy hour specials. Tickets are $20/$25 in advance, $25/$30 at the door.

This is the first time the Nike Women's Malf Marathon is being held in Washington, D.C.

According to the race website, the packet pick up hours are:

Washington Harbor, Washington, DC
Thursday, April 25, Noon to 8 p.m.
Friday, April 26, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 27, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.