Half Marathons

dobball23

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 13, 2006
I completed my second Dopey Challenge a couple weeks ago. As I look forward to doing more runDisney races, I would like to "practice" with additional half marathons (and use them for proofs of time for runDisney).

I live in Central PA and am willing to travel a little bit to run a half marathon or two, if necessary (my wife has a lot of friends/family in areas who we might be able to stay with). I'm thinking of doing the Mighty Niagara Half Marathon in Lewiston, N.Y., in September. I would like to find another half marathon option for late spring (April or May). My criteria would be for it to be in driving distance (PA or a neighboring state) and be flat/fast. I don't want a bunch of (or difficult) hills.

I have searched online and have come across many, but am hoping for some first-hand accounts from this board. All suggestions are welcome. I'll follow up with research.
 
If you're looking for POT and it doesn't necessarily have to be a half, Broad Street in Philly is a pretty flat 10-miler (that's my current POT) and the lottery for that opens soon (although I will say ... the weather was garbage last year).

I know we have some people here who run races in the Philly/Southern NJ area, so if that's a good driving distance for you, hopefully someone can chime in with personal experiences.
 
If you're looking for POT and it doesn't necessarily have to be a half, Broad Street in Philly is a pretty flat 10-miler (that's my current POT) and the lottery for that opens soon (although I will say ... the weather was garbage last year).

I know we have some people here who run races in the Philly/Southern NJ area, so if that's a good driving distance for you, hopefully someone can chime in with personal experiences.
Thanks for the input. Yes, Philadelphia (about 3 hours) and Southern NJ are within a reasonable driving distance for me. And I have some family in the Philadelphia area we might be able to stay with to keep costs reasonable.
 
I'm in South Jersey, and my go to proof of time races are the Broad Street and the April Fools Half Marathon in Atlantic City. Both are fast (April Fools is flatter since there are zero hills, but also a longer distance.) All my other Jersey, PA and NY races are more challenging.
 


I'm from right outside of Philly. The next big half in Philly is the Love Run, which will be 3/29. In the April/May time frame there aren't many halfs in the area. There are only two that come right to mind The first might be futher out then you're looking for. It's in Rehoboth, DE on 4/18. The other is a brand new one in Philly, but it's a trail run. So that wouldn't work for POT. As Sarah said, for the Philly area, Broad Street (which is ran 5/3 this year) would probably be your best beat. If you don't make the lottery though, there are actually a couple of other 10 milers in the area during April-May as well. In April thre is one in Hatfield. In May there is one in Washington Crossing and another in King of Prussia.
 
If you want a fast race look at the Great Race in Pittsburgh. It is jus a 10K but I believe you can use it as POT at leaset for halves at Disney. It is a great event and down hill. It is still by fastest 10K by almost a minute.

If Cleveland isn't too far there is a mostly down hill half in September named the River Run which is run on almost exclusively park roads and is very fast.
 
I appreciate the suggestions. Keep 'em coming if anyone else has any. Pittsburgh is definitely a possibility...with all the rivers in the area I think of Pittsburgh as hilly, but maybe it isn't? Upstate NY is also a possibility since my parents and my in-laws (as well as some of my wife's college roommates) are in that area. Cheap lodging is always good! (allows us to spend more of our money at Disney)
 


Central Pa here also! I keep a 2nd pocket calendar with many races listed in it. That way I can plot the year.
Races we're aware of:
3/28 Garden Spot Half Marathon. Never did it.
3/28 Capital 10 Miler. Harrisburg. New course in 2020. Done it in the past. Don't seem to get my best times when running miles along the river there.
4/26 Gettysburg blue-grey Full, Half. Never did it. Would like to. Could be hilly?
4/26 York College Spartan Advance (their sports booster club) Half. On the York County Rail Trail. My PR race. Flat. Dirt and crushed gravel course. Monsoon during the first 7 miles in 2019 did lead to muddy spots and slippery conditions. Usually pretty well drained surface.
5/2 Turkey Hill Classic. 5k, 10k, half. Lancaster county. But there is this hill around mile 10...
5/3 Binghamton Bridge Run. Half. I was born in Binghamton, and would like to do this race sometime.
5/16 St. Michaels Half. Billed as the fastest, flattest half in the east. My work running buddy loves this race.
5/17 York YMCA Rail Trail full and half. On the same course as the 4/26 race, essentially.
5/30 Double Creek Half. At John Rudy park in York County. Down to the city and back. Other than a mile or so on the CC course at the park, the whole thing is now paved.
8/16 Geneva NY Half. Northern tip of Seneca Lake. But it is NASCAR weekend at Watkins Glen (southern tip of lake) so lodging could be an issue.
8/22 Rail Trail 10 Miler. That YC Rail Trail again. Point to point from 7 Valleys north to York.
9/12 Bird-in-Hand Half. Never did it.
9/13 Harrisburg Half Marathon.
10/4 Wineglass Half and Full. Corning NY. Point to point. Hand-made glass medal to finish. Featured in Runner's World a few years ago.
November sometime: Annapolis Running Classic. 10k, Half
 
Thanks for the list! Very helpful. I appreciate some of your comments about the races as well.

I am planning on doing the Mighty Niagara Half Marathon on Sept. 19. My wife's college roommate lives in the town it takes place, just north of Niagara Falls. I'm still having trouble picking one out for the spring, but your list will help.
 
I can recommend the Hershey Half Marathon, even has a bit of a runDisney vibe, since the course takes you through Hershey Park. It is not flat, but I would not consider it overly hilly either. The race registration even includes park tickets, although it is in October, so it can be a bit chilly.
 
The Hershey Half is a great race. I didn’t mention it in my first post since it’s in October. I ran it last year and enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t find the hills bad at all. I broke 2 hours for the first time and set my PR (1:50:xx) there.
 
I'm sorry for piggy-backing on this thread but since it is about Half Marathons, does anybody have experience with the Gasparilla Half Marathon? I think there might be a couple events throughout the year so I'm interested in the February event...specifically for 2021.

Being an Ohio guy, I like the fact that it is in Tampa and the medals look awesome! I'm hoping it's well-organized and supported.

Thanks!
 
I'm sorry for piggy-backing on this thread but since it is about Half Marathons, does anybody have experience with the Gasparilla Half Marathon? I think there might be a couple events throughout the year so I'm interested in the February event...specifically for 2021.

Being an Ohio guy, I like the fact that it is in Tampa and the medals look awesome! I'm hoping it's well-organized and supported.

Thanks!

My first ever race was the 5K Gasparilla weekend and I've done the 5K and half since. It is a great event. The course is in my favorite part of Tampa ( I lived down there for two years), it is well supported, and well run. It can be very warm and humid or cool but I would do it again in a minute.

Tampa has a great running scene and there are a lot of really cool races. The Florida Road Race Series is also well run but much smaller than Gasparilla.
 
Central Pa here also! I keep a 2nd pocket calendar with many races listed in it. That way I can plot the year.
Races we're aware of:
3/28 Garden Spot Half Marathon. Never did it.
3/28 Capital 10 Miler. Harrisburg. New course in 2020. Done it in the past. Don't seem to get my best times when running miles along the river there.
4/26 Gettysburg blue-grey Full, Half. Never did it. Would like to. Could be hilly?
4/26 York College Spartan Advance (their sports booster club) Half. On the York County Rail Trail. My PR race. Flat. Dirt and crushed gravel course. Monsoon during the first 7 miles in 2019 did lead to muddy spots and slippery conditions. Usually pretty well drained surface.
5/2 Turkey Hill Classic. 5k, 10k, half. Lancaster county. But there is this hill around mile 10...
5/3 Binghamton Bridge Run. Half. I was born in Binghamton, and would like to do this race sometime.
5/16 St. Michaels Half. Billed as the fastest, flattest half in the east. My work running buddy loves this race.
5/17 York YMCA Rail Trail full and half. On the same course as the 4/26 race, essentially.
5/30 Double Creek Half. At John Rudy park in York County. Down to the city and back. Other than a mile or so on the CC course at the park, the whole thing is now paved.
8/16 Geneva NY Half. Northern tip of Seneca Lake. But it is NASCAR weekend at Watkins Glen (southern tip of lake) so lodging could be an issue.
8/22 Rail Trail 10 Miler. That YC Rail Trail again. Point to point from 7 Valleys north to York.
9/12 Bird-in-Hand Half. Never did it.
9/13 Harrisburg Half Marathon.
10/4 Wineglass Half and Full. Corning NY. Point to point. Hand-made glass medal to finish. Featured in Runner's World a few years ago.
November sometime: Annapolis Running Classic. 10k, Half

I know you said you haven't done it, but can you tell if the Binghamton Half marathon course is very hilly? I can't tell from its website and can't easily find an elevation map. Since you mentioned you were born in Binghamton, I would think you might have some knowledge of how many hills are on the course. I'm leaning toward possibly doing that one on May 3, but we'll see.
 
I'm sorry for piggy-backing on this thread but since it is about Half Marathons, does anybody have experience with the Gasparilla Half Marathon? I think there might be a couple events throughout the year so I'm interested in the February event...specifically for 2021.

Being an Ohio guy, I like the fact that it is in Tampa and the medals look awesome! I'm hoping it's well-organized and supported.

Thanks!

I ran the Gasparilla half last year. It was well organized. I stayed over near Disney (same weekend as Princess) and drove over race day. Parked in a municipal garage--you can even reserve in advance. They had race day pick up available. No issue getting my bib. It was a nice atmosphere, and the course ran along the water for a long portion (out and back). I don't tune in to course support, so I can't really comment there. Post-race had food from Columbia restaurant, nice cooling towels, reusable grocery bag from Publix and I got a picture with Meb Keflezghi!

I would recommend it.
 
I ran the Gasparilla half last year. It was well organized. I stayed over near Disney (same weekend as Princess) and drove over race day. Parked in a municipal garage--you can even reserve in advance. They had race day pick up available. No issue getting my bib. It was a nice atmosphere, and the course ran along the water for a long portion (out and back). I don't tune in to course support, so I can't really comment there. Post-race had food from Columbia restaurant, nice cooling towels, reusable grocery bag from Publix and I got a picture with Meb Keflezghi!

I would recommend it.

Thanks!
 
I agree on the Broad Street Run but the lottery already happened for this May. I'm running the Philadelphia Hot Chocolate 15K for the first time this year, it's on April 4 I think. Not quite a half and won't give you a proof of time, but a good distance for a practice race. I can let you know how it is after I run it :D

I live in the Lehigh Valley so I can list some of those races if you can/will travel there:

I run the St Lukes Half Marathon almost every year in Allentown PA. It's April 26 this year, and I'm running it. It's not too big, very few hills, and the weather is almost always perfect, 40-50 at the start. Love it. It's not a big race but there are at least 5-7 bands set up along the course and crowd support is pretty good.

Edited to add the Via half marathon every September. It takes place during the Via Marathon. It's almost all downhill, but not a super-steep downhill, great. Also the D&L Half in November. Same trail for a good bit of it, mostly gently downhill. Both of these are good PR races. Not much crowd support though.
https://www.viamarathon.org/https://race.delawareandlehigh.org/
 
I agree on the Broad Street Run but the lottery already happened for this May. I'm running the Philadelphia Hot Chocolate 15K for the first time this year, it's on April 4 I think. Not quite a half and won't give you a proof of time, but a good distance for a practice race. I can let you know how it is after I run it :D
https://www.viamarathon.org/https://race.delawareandlehigh.org/

I did Philly Hot Chocolate 15K last year. It’s good. If you have done the Love Run or Philly Half, the course is very similar.
 
I did Philly Hot Chocolate 15K last year. It’s good. If you have done the Love Run or Philly Half, the course is very similar.
I've run the Philly half before. We are closing on a condo in Center City later this month so I plan to do a *lot* more Philadelphia racing, take advantage of all the events there. I'm thisclose to signing up for the Philly Marathon this year.
 
I've run the Philly half before. We are closing on a condo in Center City later this month so I plan to do a *lot* more Philadelphia racing, take advantage of all the events there. I'm thisclose to signing up for the Philly Marathon this year.

Nice! I’ve ran the Philly Marathon lithe last two years. Already signed up for this year’s.
 

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