Name: Robert F Kennedy 100th Birthday 50-mile Walking Challenge (Washington DC)
Start: 2025-11-15T08:30:00-05:00
End: 2025-11-16T15:30:00-05:00
Location: Farragut Square

Join FreeWalkers in celebrating the birthday of a man who walked 50 miles for his country, and inspired the FreeWalkers movement. Visit his grave, workplace, neighborhood and much of greater DC.

[Please register for FREE to attend.](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/robert-f-kennedy-100th-birthday-50-mile-walking-challenge-washington-dc-tickets-1378064801919?aff=oddtdtcreator)

**Start:** Farragut Square
**Finish:** Farragut Square
**Distance:** 50mi: 30 miles on Saturday and 20 on Sunday
**Where to find us:** Near 17th and K Sts
**Optional endpoints:** Many metro and transit stops; walk one or both days
**Mini:** 10K tour
**Terrain:** paved and gravel
**Transit:** Metro to Farragut Square from Union Staion
**Return:** each day's loop starts and finishes at Farragut Square
**Parking:** Many options including Colonial Parking on K Street between 17th and 18th
**Difficulty:** Advanced
**Category:** history, urban, nature
**Coordinator:** Charles Updike

**RFK 100th Birthday Walking Challenge with FreeWalkers**
Lace up your walking shoes and prepare for an unforgettable weekend that blends historical tribute, physical challenge, and the sheer joy of putting one foot in front of the other! This November, as we celebrate the 100th birthday of Robert F. Kennedy, FreeWalkers invites you to honor his legendary spirit of determination and public service through an extraordinary walking adventure right through the heart of our nation's capital.

In February 1963, with the snow falling steadily on the nation's capital, the Cold War is at its peak, and President John F. Kennedy has just challenged the Marines to prove their fitness by completing a 50-mile march in one day, upgrading Theodore Roosevelt's original 1908 order that required the same distance over three days. When JFK jokingly suggested his staff might want to take on the challenge too, his brother Robert didn't see it as a joke at all.

What happened next became the stuff of legend. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, wearing nothing but Oxford loafers on his feet and armed with zero preparation or training, set out on a 50-mile trek from just outside Washington, DC, all the way to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Accompanied by his massive Newfoundland dog Brumis and a handful of brave colleagues, Bobby trudged through snow and slush in temperatures well below freezing. When his companions dropped out one by one, the last leaving him around mile 35, Kennedy reportedly told him, "You're lucky your brother isn't president of the United States."

This incredible feat of determination sparked a nationwide obsession with extreme walking and hiking, inspiring ordinary Americans across the country to take on their own challenges. And among those inspired was a teenager named Paul Kiczek, who attempted his own 50-mile walk that very year from Roselle to Netcong, New Jersey, with a few friends. Though they only made it 38 miles before giving up after 12 hours, the experience left an indelible mark.

Fast-forward to 2010, and Kiczek decided to take another shot at that elusive 50-mile goal. But this time, he had a bigger vision. Working with the East Coast Greenway Alliance, he organized the first Big Walk 2010, and magic happened. Over seventy participants showed up for what would become the inaugural FreeWalkers event, and everyone who participated absolutely loved it. It turned out to be the perfect blend of tough yet accessible physical and mental challenge.

From that single event, FreeWalkers was born: an organization that has grown from Paul's personal walking obsession into a thriving community of thousands of members participating in dozens of free walking events each year. Now celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2025, FreeWalkers continues to ask the same question that drove that first adventure: "Can we do more than we think we can? What exactly are our limits?"

**Your RFK Centennial Challenge Awaits**
Walk up to fifty miles with us over two days, with each day's walk constituting a loop starting and ending at Farragut Square in Washington, not far from the White House. We will walk thirty miles on Saturday, beginning with a 10K tour of DC and Arlington in honor of RFK, and including some great towpath and trail walking, along with a walk past Bobby's home and a late lunch stop in McLean. Sunday's walk of twenty miles will take us through Georgetown and Rock Creek Park, with a lunch stop in Bethesda.

**Plan for hotel, dining and parking near Farragut Square**
Farragut Square, designed by Pierre L'Enfant himself in 1791, is a downtown hub sitting at the center of a bustling daytime district filled with the energy. On the weekends, it affords plenty of breathing room and a wide range of dining and lodging options nearby, along with Metro connections serving the region.

FreeWalks are completely free and open to the public. Whether you're a seasoned ultra-distance walker or someone who just enjoys a good weekend stroll, there's a perfect challenge waiting for you. All you need to bring is water, comfortable walking shoes, and the same spirit of adventure that drove a determined Attorney General to walk 50 miles in loafers through a February snowstorm.

Come discover what you're capable of. Come honor a legacy of public service. Come walk with us into history, one step at a time. Register now and prepare for a weekend that will remind you why sometimes the most extraordinary journeys begin with the simple decision to start walking and are fulfilled by a determination to challenge yourself.
As Bobby Kennedy proved in 1963, and as FreeWalkers has been proving since 2010, we really can do more than we think we can.

**Highlights:**
Department of Justice
White House
Capitol
Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
MLK Memorial
Tidal Basin
Arlington Cemetery
Marine Corps War Memorial
Francis Scott Key Bridge
Georgetown
Washington Old Dominion Trail
C&O Canal
Rock Creek Park
American University
Capital Crescent Trail
Bethesda
and more...

**Partners:**
The [East Coast Greenway Alliance](https://greenway.org) is a non-profit organization developing a public multi-use 3,000 mile trail from Canada to Key West through New Jersey and New York. Donations and memberships help make this dream trail a reality.

**More about FreeWalkers:**
[Our calendar of walks and hikes](https://freewalkers.org) \| [About FreeWalkers](https://freewalkers.org/history) \| [Walker stories](https://freewalkers.org/stories) \| [Walking tips](https://freewalkers.org/qatips)
[New Jersey walks](https://freewalkers.org) \| [Pennsylvania walks](https://freewalkers.org) \| [New York City walks](https://freewalkers.org)

*

Charles Updike

FreeWalkers

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Robert F Kennedy 100th Birthday 50-mile Walking Challenge (Washington DC)

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