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Mississippi > Run for Hope Half Marathon & 5K
Oxford, MS • Saturday, February 23, 2013 • Course Map
One of the Deep South's most charming and historic cities, the home of both Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulker as well as the campus of the University of Mississippi, Oxford plays host to the annual running of the Run for Hope Half Marathon & 5K, which took more than 460 runners on a tour of the city at its second annual running as winter was giving way to spring here in 2011.
Designed in part as a fundraiser for two summer camps for children and families fighting disease -- the locally based Camp Hopwell, a week-long summer camp for children with type 1 diabetes, and the Christians Living with Cancer Family Camp -- the race follows an out-and-back loop route that starts and finishes at the Oxford Convention Center, located near the intersection of Ed Perry Boulevard and Sisk Avenue.
From there, the course takes runners on what is roughly a clockwise loop route through the city, first into the hilly outskirts of the northern part of Oxford and then into the campus of the University of Mississippi (also known, perhaps even more than its official name to SEC football fans, as "Ole Miss").
It's along these streets that runners will really get a flavor of what the city is most well-known for -- and what has helped it garner raves from publications like USA Today as one of the country's best college towns -- as they make their way along the tree-lined strees of the campus and run along Fraternity Row, past Vaught-Hemingway Stadium where its SEC Division I football team the Rebels play, and into the part of campus known as "The Grove," famous for its pre-football game gatherings of students and alumni alike.
Once runners make their way around campus, they head out of the university area and back into downtown Oxford proper, making turns onto Van Buren Street, Lamar Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue before heading back up to Sisk Avenue for the home stretch that brings the field back to the convention center for the race finish line.
Race
Weather & Climate
Nestled among the hills of the northern part of the state, east of the Mississippi River Delta and within just over an hour's drive of Memphis, Tenn., the city of Oxford is known for its hot, humid summers and plentiful rainfall, though winters bring far milder weather.
In February, the city's average monthly temperatures range between 55°F and 31°F -- on the day of the race (Feb. 23), the average high is 58°F and the average low is 33°F -- while precipitation amounts average just under 4.6 inches for the month.
Course Map
View the race route map for the Run for Hope Half Marathon
Fees
$45 for the individual half marathon, if registered by November 30, 2013
$50 between December 1, 2012 - January 30, 2013
$60 between January 31 - February 21, 2013
$70 on February 23, 2013, the day of the race
Registration
To sign up for the 2013 running of Oxford's Run for Hope Half Marathon or 5K race, visit the event website.
Official Race Website
www.oxfordrun4hope.racesonline.com
Leave a Comment
Ever run in Mississippi's annual Run for Hope Half Marathon? Share your impressions, stories and tips from the event.
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