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Texas > Big "D" Texas Marathon, Half Marathon &
5K
Dallas, TX
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Date
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Event
Details
Timed to coincide with what is perhaps the city's most attractive
season for visitors, the Big
"D" Texas Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K takes runners on a
course that shows off the Dallas metropolitan area in all its spring
splendor, when the local trees, foliage and flowering plants are in
full bloom. The out-and-back race, which saw more than 2,600 runners
cross the finish line in 2008, starts and finishes at the city's
fairgrounds for the State Fair of Texas, near the site of the famous
Cotton Bowl, and features a tour of downtown neighborhoods, urban parks
and White Rock Lake, a mecca for fishers, bikers, walkers, runners and
boaters from around the local area.
Starting at the fairgrounds -- also called Fair Park -- the 13.1-mile
course for the half marathon takes runners along the same course run by
the full marathoners for the first four miles, taking runners from the
start on First Avenue along a long straightaway along Lindsay Avenue,
and then onto Tenison Memorial, West Shore Drive, White Rock Road and
Winstead Drive before hitting the turn at the intersection of East
Grand Avenue and the lake, where those running the half split off from
those running the full 26.2-mile event.
Runners stay close to the lake's shoreline for the next couple of
miles, running along Shore Fish Hatchery, White Rock Road and West
Lawther Drive before meeting up with an off-road trail. Staying on this
trail for the next stretch, runners then re-join West Lawther and turn
first onto Tokalon Drive and then Lakewood Boulevard, on the way to the
race's second long straightaway along Swiss Avenue. After roughly three
to four miles running along Swiss, participants make the turn on
Haskell Avenue and head toward the finish line back at the fairgrounds,
but not before running around two-thirds of the circumference of the
park.
The field finally reaches the finish line inside the park at the Cotton
Bowl Plaza, after first running along Bank Street, Washington Street,
Pennsylvania Avenue and First Street, and then heading into the area in
front of the famed football stadium -- the home stadium of the
annual BCS Cotton Bowl Classic as well as the "Red River Rivalry"
college football game
between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma.
The start and finish lines aren't the only place along the course where
there's plenty of scenery, however. The art deco architecture of the
Fair Park grounds set the tone for the start of the race, but the
neighborhoods through which you run are just as impressive, especially
those along Swiss Avenue in the second half of the race. And though
runners will experience a few hills at the start of the race,
especially between miles 1 and 3, much of the rest of the course is
either flat or features rolling downhill stretches.
Open to both runners and walkers for all three events, the Big "D" race
starts at 8:00 AM for the half and full marathons and 8:15 AM for the
5K, and will close approximately 6 1/2 hours later, which means you'll
need
to keep a pace of at least 15:40 minutes per mile.
Race
Weather & Climate
Mild to moderately warm weather conditions, with occasional wet
weather, are the norm in the Dallas metro area in the late
spring season, as April temperatures average between 77°F and
56°F. Rainfall amounts for the month average around 3.46
inches, meaning that runners should prepare for some rainy weather on
the day of the race.
Fees
$50 if registered by January 17, 2009
$70 between Jan. 18 - March 29
$85 from March 30 through the day of the races
Registration
To reserve your spot in the spring 2009 running of the Big D Marathon,
Half Marathon or 5K, print out and mail in this downloadable entry form.
Websites
www.texasmarathon.com
Fair Park
White Rock Lake
Course Map
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Larger Map
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Your Race Story
Ever run in Dallas's annual Big D Marathon, Half Marathon or 5K?
Share
your impressions and read fellow runners' stories and tips for the
event.
Discuss it in the HalfMarathons.Net
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