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Pennsylvania > Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon, 5K & Kids' Fun Run
Bird-in-Hand, PA • Saturday, September 7, 2013 • Course Map
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Set for its annual running through the green, rolling farmlands of southeastern Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, the Amish Country Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon & 5K that marks its third annual running on the weekend after Labor Day 2013, for a race that organizers expect to draw as many as 2,000 runners for the 13.1-mile, 5K and kids' race.
The race will follow the same 13.1-mile route used last year, the out-and-back course that starts and finishes on North Ronks Road near the Bird-in-Hand Family Inn. From there, runners will follow what is basically a counter-clockwise loop route through the Amish farm country, along rolling country roads in and around this small village of roughly 300 residents whose history dates all the way back to the early 1730s, when it was founded by small communities of Quakers and Mennonites.
After a largely flat first mile, the course begins a long, steady but very gradual uphill climb over the next couple of miles, followed by what is probably the race's biggest downhill just after runners pass the mile 4 marker after the turn from Scenic Road onto Groffdale Road. Once runners make it past the fourth mile, the remainder of the course is mostly rolling hills punctuated by the occasional flat stretch for the rest of the course.
Along the way, runners will get to see a glimpse of what the area's Amish families are like, as many of the Amish who live in the area will be out on the course to offer refreshment at the water stations, roughly every mile and a half to two miles along the course. The last couple of miles, like the first mile, feature the race's flattest terrain as runners head in toward the finish line back near the Bird-in-Hand Family Inn, where they started.
The scheduled starting time for the half marathon is 7:30 AM on Saturday morning, and runners will have four hours to complete the race. Note that the 5K and the kids' fun run on Friday evening before the half marathon -- the fun run starts at 6:15 PM, followed by the 5K at 6:30 PM.
While you're in town, you'll also be able to take in what the race organizers are calling "Run, Ride and Soar," a weekend athletic festival that will also feature cycling events -- including 12-, 23- and 62-mile bike rides -- and a hot air balloon event they're calling the Amish Country Bike & Balloon Race, in which participants will climb aboard a hot air balloon with their bikes in tow, fly across Bird-in-Hand into the nearby Amish farmlands, and then climb out of the balloon to race on their bicycles back into town.
Race
Weather & Climate
Located in southeastern Pennsylvania, about seven miles east of Lancaster and just over 60 miles west of Philadelphia, Bird-in-Hand typically sees September temperatures that average between 55°F and 76°F, while rainfall totals average just over 4.4 inches for the month, making September the village's wettest month of the year.
On the day of the race (Sept. 7), the average low is 58°F and the average high is 79°F.
Course Map
View the race route map for the Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon
Starting Time
7:30 AM
Fees
$65 for the half marathon, if registered by May 31, 2013
$70 between June 1 - 30
$75 between July 1 - 31
$80 between August 1 - September 3
Registration
To reserve your spot in any of the races at the late summer 2013 running of the Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon or 5K race, register online at Active.com.
Official Race Website
www.bihhalf.com
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Ever run in Pennsylvania's annual Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon? Share your impressions, stories and tips from the event.
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