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Georgia > Augusta Half Marathon
Augusta, GA


Date

Sunday, October 24, 2010


 
Event Details

The home of golf's annual springtime Masters Tournament hosted its inaugural 13.1-mile road race in the fall of 2008 with the running of the Augusta Chronicle Half Marathon, which is named for the city's flagship local daily newspaper and takes runners on a course through some of the Garden City's most scenic areas, showing off its wide, tree-lined streets, the architecture of its restored and revitalized downtown areas and its authentic Southern charm.

Though the race is technically a point-to-point and not a true out-and-back course, its starting line and finish line lie just a stone's throw from one another downtown. Runners start the race at the north end of Augusta Commons Park on Reynolds Street, and head immediately down Reynolds to the intersection with 13th Street, where they turn left and head south. Through this section of the course, the terrain is flat along the downtown blocks and city streets, and remains so as runners continue along 13th underneath the Calhoun Expressway, and on to the intersection with R.A. Dent Boulevard.

Runners then bear to the right on R.A. Dent for a brief stretch and then turn onto Laney Walker Boulevard, which they follow for a slightly longer stretch that includes a long, steady, gradual uphill towards Druid Park Avenue. The course follows Druid Park briefly before turning onto Central Avenue, which is one of Augusta's true scenic treasures, both for the grassy, tree-lined median that divides the directions of traffic as well as for the beautiful homes, many of which are many decades old, liniing the street. This section also features a long, steady, gradual uphill however, so it's a blessing to have plenty of postcard-perfect scenery to distract during the long, gradual climb.

The stretch along Central Avenue is followed by a brief tour of Highland Avenue, Walton Way and Milledge Avenue, all of which show of much of what Augusta is known for to anyone who's visited the city for the Masters -- majestic homes that sit at the end of large, lush green lawns dotted with magnolia and Georgia pine trees reaching toward the sky. Runners will almost forget they're running a 13.1-mile race on the stretch through this area, though it will help that you're more than half-way through the course at this point, which is followed by a run through the neighborhoods around Lake Olmstead, where you can also see the baseball stadium that's the home of the Class A-level Augusta Greenjackets minor league baseball team.

After runners make their way around Lake Olmstead, they hit the home stretch of the race, a section that takes them first uphill and then downhill along the city's Calhoun Expressway, which leads back into downtown. This stretch empties them onto Greene Street, leading to the finish line back at the Augusta Commons Park downtown.


Race Weather & Climate

Located along the waters of the Savannah River, which marks the border between Georgia and South Carolina, the city of Augusta typically sees mild to moderately cool weather conditions in the fall, which follows what are usually very hot and humid summers. In October, average monthly temperatures range between 76°F and 50°F, while rainfall totals average around 3.2 inches for the month.


Fees

$30 if registered before July 15, 2010
$35 between July 16 - September 30
$40 between October 1 - 19
$60 at the weekend race expo
No race day registration


Registration

To reserve your spot in the fall 2010 running of the Augusta Half Marathon, register online at the event website.


Website

www.augustahalf.org



Course Map





Share Your Race Story

Ever run the course that will be used for the Augusta Half Marathon? Share your impressions and read fellow runners' stories and tips for the event.

Post your comments in Runner Reviews for the Augusta Half Marathon


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