California > Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon
Healdsburg, CA • Saturday, October 27, 2012 • Course Map
Set for its third annual running on the last weekend of October 2012 -- and timed to coincide with Halloween just a few days later -- the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon offers runners a chance to run through the beautifully picturesque fields, hills and valleys of the Northern California wine growing region at what is expected to be a perfect time of year, weather-wise.
One of four races staged throughout the year by running event organizer Destination Races in the California wine country, the race is limited to 2,700 entrants, and saw more than 1,800 runners cross the finish line at its 2011 running. Runners are set to follow a newly designed route for the 2012 race; what follows is a description of the 2011 race route, much of the scenery of which will be preserved for this year's event.
From Francis Ford Coppola's Rosso & Bianco winery just outside Healdsburg to the finish at the Lake Sonoma Recreation Area, this point-to-point race features a run through Sonoma County's gorgeous Dry Creek and Alexander river valleys.
After the start at the winery, the race follows a course that takes runners south along the frontage road along Highway 101, then west along Lytton Springs Road and then for a long trek northward along Dry Creek Road, which takes runners along a number of twists and turns all the way toward the finish line at Lake Sonoma. The race is hilly and often challenging, with the course's biggest hills occurring between mile markers 1 and 3, and then a long, steady climb uphill in the second half of the race, punctuated by numerous gentle, rolling hills throughout the course.
The race, which is planned as something of a counterpart to the Marathon du Medoc that is run through the Bordeaux region of France each fall, is expected to draw a field of more than 2,000 runners, many of whom will be in costume, thanks to the event's running over the weekend before Halloween. Runners also will pass no fewer than 21 wineries along the way, and those who wish to may add an extra 1.9 miles on to the end of their race, to run a full 15 miles all the way to the overlook inside the Lake Sonoma Recreation Area.
The event is open to runners, joggers and walkers, as long they can complete the 13.1 miles of the half marathon within the time limit of three hours and thirty minutes allowed for the official event. Eight aid and water stations will be distributed throughout the course, which is made up entirely of paved surfaces, along country roads through the wine country region.
Race Weather & Climate
Located in the valley near the Sonoma County Mountains of Northern California, about 70 miles north of San Francisco, Healdsburg tends to experience the kind of weather this region is known for -- warm (often hot), dry summers with little rain and milder and much wetter conditions in the fall and winter. In October, average monthly temperatures range between 77°F and 49°F, while rainfall totals average about 2.2 inches for the month. On the day of the race (Oct. 27), the average high is 73°F and the average low is 47°F.
Course Map
View the race route map for the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon
Fees
$105 for the half marathon, if registered by April 30, 2012 (if not sold out before)
$110 between May 1 - July 31 (if not sold out)
$120 after July 31, until the race sells out
Registration
To reserve your spot in the mid-fall 2012 running of the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon, visit the event website.
Official Race Website
www.runhealdsburg.com
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