Alleycats... anyplace... anywhere... anything can be a Checkpoint... The Dead City Alleycat 2021 was Halloween themed... so... cemeteries fall into that theme... and we had them...

The Dead City Alleycat 2021 Edition
Ghosts of the DC Streets

the Dead City Alleycat is Halloween themed
this year the event was thrown on the Eve of Halloween
costumes were encouraged
Halloween was to be celebrated

what better way to celebrate Halloween but to visit a cemetery?

there were cemeteries in the 2021 Dead City Alleycat
messengers pedaled past Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown
while on their way to Holy Rood Cemetery in Glover Park\Upper Georgetown

then... later in the race there was the MEGA BONUS
racers had to go miles past the finish to Battleground National Cemetery
but what other cemeteries are in DC
what were my other considerations?

Congressional Cemetery was high on my list of desired checkpoints...
but similar to The Exorcist Stairs...
this location has been used in previous Dead City Alleycats
but really...
it had more to do with the loop I was creating
Congressional Cemetery is on the other side of the city
I created a loop that pushed North... with all Checkpoints in the Northwest quadrant of DC
so... Congressional Cemetery was not a serious consideration

but... it is not open to the public
very out of the way
and debated if a timed climb up Old Chain Bridge Road was too cruel for a timed climb in this race
instead I did the Embassy to Embassy downhill\climb

what were other considerations?
well...
I do not want to give away all the secrets...

personally... I feel that I delivered a race that took people to places they had never been before
offering both a fun and a challenging race
with races within the race

the Halloween theme was increased to be GHOSTS OF THE DC STREETS
there was a nod to messengers past with the wheat paste images
then visits to places that are of a by gone era
all in all...
I feel that I delivered