Oregon > Race For The Roses Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Portland, OR • Sunday, April 1, 2012 • Course Map
More than 4,300 runners and walkers came out to compete in the spring
2011 running of Portland's Race For The Roses Half Marathon, 10K & 5K,
which showcases the city's downtown neighborhoods and waterfront park
areas along the Willamette River that courses right through the heart
of the city.
Run along a course made up entirely of paved city streets
and a couple of bridge crossings over the river, the race is mostly
fast and flat with some rolling hills, and is run as a benefit to
support the local Albertina Kerr Centers nonprofit organization, which
provides shelter for children and families in crisis in the Portland
area.
Both the 5K and the half marathon races are open to runners as well as
walkers, and feature their starting and finish lines at the Oregon
Convention Center in
downtown Portland, next to the Willamette River. Described by
organizers as "scenic and fast," the course takes participants on a
tour of many of the city's most notable attractions showing off both
"halves" of the city: "one part metropolitan quirkiness, the other
active outdoorsiness."
From the starting line at the convention center, those running the half
marathon follow the route first along Multnomah Street and North
Interstate Avenue to the Broadway Bridge, where they cross over onto
the western bank of the Willamette and begin the run through downtown's
neighborhoods. After a brief loop around Lovejoy Street and 9th Avenue,
the course then turns right onto Naito Parkway and begins a long,
mostly straightaway stretch along the river, taking runners along the
edge of the scenic Tom McCall Waterfront Park, passing by a couple
dozen city blocks to the first turn, onto Barbur Boulevard.
After the turn onto Barbur, runners head north along the eastern edge
of Portland's Duniway Park, a small urban park that features a lilac
garden as well as a state-of-the-art running track made from recycled
rubber, including rubber culled from several thousand old running shoes
donated by the Nike corporation. Runners keep heading north as Barbur
becomes Southwest 4th Avenue and takes the field past Lovejoy Park and
the campus of Portland State University, making turns onto Broadway
Avenue, Stark Street and 11th Avenue along the way.
The course takes a few more turns as it continues its direction north
back toward the Willamette River, intersecting with Northwest Front
Avenue, where runners and walkers turn left and head toward the race's
second major turnaround point at the intersection of 26th Drive and
Front Avenue. After the turnaround, the field begins the race's home
stretch back down Front Avenue toward the finish line, crossing the
bridge once again over to the Oregon Convention Center finish line
ceremonies, where roses are given out along with medals for every
runner and walker completing the race.
Race
Weather & Climate
Nestled among the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest, within sight of the majestic Mount Hood and Washington's Mount St. Helens in the distance, the city of Portland usually experiences mild to cool conditions in the early spring. In April, the city's average monthly temperatures range between 61°F and 44°F -- on the day of the race (April 1), the average high is 59°F and the average low is 43°F -- while precipitation amounts average around 3.4 inches for the month.
Course Map
View the race route map for the Race For The Roses Half Marathon
Fees
$60 for the half marathon, if registered by March 12, 2012
$70 between March 13 - 30
$75 at the race packet pickup on March 31, depending on availability
Registration
To reserve your spot in the early spring 2012 running of Portland's Race For The Roses Half Marathon, 10K or 5K race, register online at SignMeUp.com.
Official Race Website
www.race4theroses.org
Leave a Comment
Ever run in Oregon's annual Race For The Roses Half Marathon? Share your impressions and read fellow runners' stories
and tips for the event.
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