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Iowa > On the Road for Education Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Mason City, IA  •  Sunday, October 13, 2013  •  Course Map


 
The brainchild of a student at Mason City's Newman Catholic High School, who was looking to take on a project to help his hometown and his school while also helping him become an Eagle Scout, the On the Road for Education series of races is now mid-way through its second decade as this northern Iowa city's marquee running event.

The race celebrates its 15th annual running in the fall of 2013, and includes a 10K and 5K as well as a full, 26.2-mile marathon and a 13.1-mile half marathon, which were added to the race for the first time in 2007. The course was redesigned in 2011 to merge the starting lines for the full and the half marathons (in the past, the half marathon starting line fell at the mid-way point of the full marathon).

From the starting line near Music Man Square at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 2nd Street, the half marathon takes runners on a point-to-point course through both downtown Mason City as well as through the countryside areas just outside town.

The early part of the half course takes participants along the roads and gravel trails and roads that wind along the Winnebago River in the direction of the Lime Creek Nature Center, where the course makes a short loop and then proceeds back down the trail toward 12th Street.

Once it reaches 12th Street, the course then runs along a combination of mostly paved city streets and bicycle paths on its way through the city, with the exception of an additional stretch of gravel trail between miles 8 and 9 of the half marathon (miles 21 and 22 of the full marathon).

Along the way, runners will get to see several of Mason City's sights including a home designed by the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as several examples of what is known as the "Prairie School of Architecture."

A relatively small race -- a few hundred runners cross the finish line in all four races each year -- the On the Road for Education half marathon is mostly fast and flat with little change in elevation, as the course changes no more than 100 feet in elevation over the entire race. The half marathon begins at 9:00 AM (transportation will be provided from the full marathon start to the half start) and the course will close after six hours.



Race Weather & Climate

Set in the northern part of the state along Highway 65, about 25 miles south of the border with Minnesota to the north, Mason City typically enjoys mild to cool and often cold weather conditions in the early fall, with relatively low precipitation.

In October, temperatures average between 37°F and 60°F, while rainfall amounts average about 2.47 inches for the month. On the day of the race (Oct. 13), the average low is 38°F and the average high is 62°F.


Course Map

View the race route map for the On the Road for Education Half Marathon


Starting Time

9:00 AM


Fees

$60 for the half marathon, if registered by September 30, 2013
$67 after Sept. 30


Registration

To reserve your spot in the fall 2013 running of Mason City's On the Road for Education Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K or 5K race, register online at the event website.


Official Race Website

www.ontheroad4edu.org



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