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Florida > Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon
& Freedom 5K
Jacksonville,
FL
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Date
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Event
Details
One of the city's largest running road race events, the Jacksonville
Marine Corps Half Marathon & Freedom 5K takes runners along one
of the most scenic stretches of waterfront anywhere in the city, with a
course that unfolds almost entirely along the neighborhoods and urban
areas along the St. John's River. With both races open to both runners
and walkers, the event welcomed more than 800 runners and walkers at
its fall 2007 running, with more than 550 participants in the
half-marathon portion of the event.
A mostly fast and flat race that takes place through the city streets
of Jacksonville, runners begin both the 13.1-mile half marathon and the
5K at the same starting line, near Alltel Stadium, the home of the
NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and the site of the annual University of
Georgia-University of Florida football game, whose pregame tailgating
festivities have been called "the world's largest cocktail party." From
the starting line on Adams Street near Jacksonville's downtown Memorial
Wall, the out-and-back route along Bay Street to the Jacksonville
Landing, where runners begin the part of the course with the only real
change in elevation, the run over the bridge to Friendship Park.
Once they're over the bridge, runners then make the turn and head back
over to the north side of the river via the Acosta Bridge, and then
turn onto Riverside Avenue, which they follow for the next couple of
miles along the St. John's River, turning onto St. John's Avenue just
after passing the St. Vincent's Medical Center. Runners then follow St.
John's all the way down to Boone Park, where they turn left and run
through the park to Pine Grove Avenue, turning there and then again
onto Jean Street for the stretch of the course that runs past Fishweir
Park.
The runners and walkers then turn again on Yukon Street, marking the
half-way
point in the race that takes them back to St. John's Avenue, and the
trek back toward the finish line in reverse along the course they've
just run. The finish line features a forgiving, refreshing way to
complete the race, as participants run the last stretch of the race and
cross the finish line on the grassy meadows of Metropolitan Park.
Organized to honor the United States Marine Corps and the entire United
States military, the race also helps to raise money for the Freedom
Alliance Scholarship Fund, which donates money for college scholarships
for the children of soldiers killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Race
Weather & Climate
Set in Florida's northeast corner just south of the Florida-Georgia
border, about a two-hour drive south of Savannah (Ga.), the city of
Jacksonville typically experiences mild to moderately warm weather
conditions in the early fall, owing both to its location in the deep
South and its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. In October, average
monthly temperatures range between 79°F and 63°F, while
rainfall totals average about 3.3 inches for the month.
Fees
$35 if registered by August 31, 2008
$40 between September 1 - October 3
$45 on the day of the race
Registration
To reserve your spot in the fall 2008 running of the Jacksonville
Marine Corps Half Marathon, register online at Active.com
or print out and mail in this
downloadable entry form.
Website
www.1stplacesports.com
Course Map
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Larger Map
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Your Race Story
Ever run in Jacksonville's annual Marine Corps Half
Marathon or Freedom 5K? Share
your impressions and read fellow runners' stories
and tips for the event.
Discuss it in the HalfMarathons.Net
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