1/2 Marathon course

Anybody run the 1/2 before and can talk about the course? How are the hills?

The hill starts just before you finish mile 1 and continues through about mile 1.5. This is Loop Road and is uphill. Luckily the course has changed this year and you won't have to come down it at the end. Looks like they have something else in store for you.

Next hill will be Memorial Hill going down at mile 2.75 going through 3 as you exit Area B.

From there you turn onto Kaufman Avenue will be undulating hills for the next 2 miles.

After Wright State, you will come upon the SR 884 overpass and enter Area A.

You'll go into Area and turn around and see SR 884 again.

Back through Wright State and on to Kaufman Avenue.

At this point, the course changes from previous years. You will follow Kaufman Avenue and proceed onto SR 444.

Next hill is all down on SR 444 and onto Springfield Pike. From there, you reenter Area B and fly into the finish.

As a result you have three major uphills (Loop Road and SR 884 * 2) and four major downhills (Memorial Hill, SR 884 * 2 and SR 444/Springfield Pike). Kauffman Avenue is undulating and not that bad.

Make sure you visit http://www.usafmarathon.com/half.html [usafmarathon.com] which has an elevation profile just below the map.

Hope this helps!

September is the season to "Run with the Raptors!"

Since the course has changed for this year, I can't tell you exactly what it's like to run the new 1/2... but I will say that last year, when the course was a bit hillier, I remember thinking they weren't too bad (and I am terrible at hills). They're enough to challenge you and make you slow down, but they weren't terribly long. At the top of each hill, I'd just look forward to running down the other side.