By Chicago Guide Chelsey Grassfield
Fellow guide Omar Hernandez signed up for his own running tour (Ripped from the Headlines) when he visited Chicago for the first time. Hernandez’s weekend trip was a graduation present from his girlfriend Marketa. Hernandez earned a Bachelor’s in IT, a field he currently works and is looking to advance in. During his tour we swapped stories about our cities and later over Zoom I learned more about his experiences guiding in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. Guide Omar Hernandez on the right, his girlfriend Marquetta middle, and Chicago Guide Chelsey Grassfield left.
Hernandez hasn’t always been a runner. “I started running 11 years ago, so I could keep up with my daughter. It turned into something that really helped change my life. It turned things around for me. I was able to switch careers and do things I didn't think I could do.”
He became a guide the way many of us do, a friend put out a call for guides to lead a large corporate tour. He thought “Oh, I'll just do this, and then it's done.” But after talking to Bill Hudec, the D.C. City Running Tours lead, he found out there were plenty of opportunities to continue. “Then he sent me like an encyclopedia’s worth of knowledge on the routes and stuff around DC. And honestly, after that I was sold.”
“I especially like [running with people] that have never been to DC. You get to share your city, meeting people from all walks of life. We have that bond already because they are runners too. You know how that goes [Hernandez gives me a knowing].”
The White House has an open invitation…
I asked if he’s ever run with a high level politician, like maybe President Biden? “No, no, [he chuckles] but he's got an open invite. I know Kamala Harris runs, and some of my friends have run into her when she's running with the Secret Service. But I didn't go with them that day, and I missed it. So I had an opportunity there.”
Eat and sightsee
I'm from Central America, and there's this restaurant near the capital, owned by these two Salvadorian sisters, and they make the best pupusas. The place is called Tortilla Cafe. I definitely recommend it because there [are] a lot of fun things to do in that area, too. That's a perfect place to sightsee, especially on the weekends. They'll have farmers markets, and people selling art and all kinds of stuff.
Grassfield learned more about Hernandez and his experience guiding in Washington, D.C. over Zoom.
Where the locals run
While most people will run around the National Mall, for obvious reasons, Hernandez reveals there’s some nearby trail running. Near the Adams Morgan neighborhood and just north of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park (about 3 miles from the White House on foot) is Rock Creek Park with “about 20 miles of legitimate trails where you can get some elevation. It's a nice wooded area; you wouldn't think you're in the city. When I have a chance to go, I do. You save yourself from the wear and tear of constantly pounding the pavement.”
Hernandez's favorite route in the city goes up Massachusetts Ave. “It's gonna be just a constant incline. But you're gonna see most of the Embassies in D.C. You'll pass the Naval Observatory where the Vice President lives, and you'll be at the top of Massachusetts. [where you can see] the National Cathedral as your present [for getting to the top]. And then you can take Wisconsin down, and that'll take you right to Georgetown.” Plenty of trails along the waterfront if you need the extra miles, Hernandez says, and plenty of people around on the weekends.
