I am sharing a belated recap of the European Union (EU) Embassy Run. It happened May 13, before I started the blog, so I guess that is a fair excuse. You may have heard of it from the May Runner’s World article (that’s how I did!) and you may have never heard of it at all. Its a small group by race terms, about 150 this year, that takes on the challenge of running from embassy to embassy during the EU embassy open house in Washington, DC. Running a specific route from embassy to embassy enables the group to cover far more embassies than anyone could by just walking. For example, we covered over 13 miles and hit 12 embassies in my group. The other group covered 10 miles and 12 embassies! The other perk? We get to jump to the head of the line! This is the real life saver as these lines wrap around the block at most of the embassies, even Slovenia and “less popular” EU countries. Each embassy offers food, drinks, performances, etc. Some for purchase and some pre-arranged by the Embassy run crew. It is a TON of fun and teaches you a good lesson about actively eating and drinking alcoholic beverages in between stretches of running!
To avoid boring you and because you can look at the route at the Embassy Run website I’ll let you know where we went and highlight the favorites! I was part of Group A and we covered the following embassies in the order listed (single asterisks denote notables, double asterisks denote favorites):
Austria, Slovakia, Netherlands**, Hungary**, Czech Republic**, Spain**, Greece, Romania, Slovenia*, Italy*, Denmark, Germany**
Netherlands
My favorite embassy, by far. This was our third stop and after going through a full security scan we were welcomed with free stroop waffles (like Dutch honey stinger waffles), Dutch cheese, mini-pancakes with powdered sugar, and a Heineken on draft. There was a DJ playing techno music. The embassy staff was extremely welcoming and we had great conversations with some Dutch military members. We even got our photo taken with giant wooden shoes and tulips!
Hungary and Czech Republic
We rotated between these two since they are a steep hill apart right next to Rock Creek Park. I am Hungarian so I guess it had a special place in my heart already, BUT, what made Hungary amazing was the Viszla party! Out on the embassy lawn was a group of 15+ Viszlas running around and playing. They had food and drinks for sale too but the puppies overshadowed anything else!
Czech Republic is also special to my husband and I because we lived an hour from the Czech border in Germany and made frequent trips to Prague and Pilsen. We were able to get Pilsner Urquell (only the best Pilsner I have ever tasted) on tap AND goulash soup. This one was all about the food and drink! And the polka band 😉
Spain
This was the longest distance yet between embassies and we were so happy to arrive after a long uphill climb. We didn’t actually go to the Spanish embassy, their event was held at the Spanish Cultural Center, but it was spectacular. The building is beautiful and they had everything from Flamenco dancers to interactive displays to sangria, paella, and empanadas for sale. We were greeted with enthusiasm and a Spanish flag painted on our cheeks. We indulged in the Sangria to “hydrate” before the next stretch down to Greece and Romania.
Slovenia
I just had to give a shout out to the Slovenian ambassador because he was personally walking around serving walnut rolls to visitors. How humble of him! Jeremy insisted on a photo with him. I also really liked their “sLOVEnia” slogan but that might just be the marketer in me. Either way it looked like an appealing place to visit!
Italy
The Italian embassy is a gigantic building and the highlights of the trip were the ballet performance and Nutella. They had brick ovens baking fresh pizza, an espresso machine, and served Italian wine. The lines for those were crazy but if you had the time to spend, probably worth a wait. There was also a Lamborghini outside, officially the closest we’ve ever been to one! Ballers!
Germany
Fitting that our last stop was our beloved Germany. Granted we ran three miles in what became a torrential downpour to get there, but it was so worth it. The German embassy grounds are GORGEOUS and after meandering along their walkways picking up goodie bags and Haribo gummies, we made our way to a biergarten where a bratwurst with sauerkraut and glass of Franziskaner really hit the spot. It didn’t necessarily sit well for the final two mile run to our post-race party (yeah it ends with a party in Georgetown!) but embodied many wonderful memories of German fests.
At the end of the day we were soaked, muddy (thanks to our group leader’s “shortcut” on a wooded path), exhausted, cold, and HAPPY. It was such a great experience and we met so many people from our community. There is nothing like a shared experience based on navigating with a crappy map through rain and sunshine while covering 13 miles and visiting 12 countries all while in Washington, DC. Plus, you get a sweet t-shirt and we know that all runners love the race shirt! Join us next year, I know I’ll be back! Happy Global Running Day!
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Hey Shaina, Thanks for the a Superb writeup – It was a pleasure to host you and Jeremy last summer. Hope to see you again. Keep RUNIN’
Although it’s been a few years – I still enjoy reading this story – really miss the great fun we had running to the Embassies. We will return bigger and better in the near future. Thanks so much for the great post Shaina.