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Texas > Clark Gardens Botanical Park Half Marathon & 5K Run/Walk
Weatherford, TX • Saturday, October 6, 2012 • Course Map
Set for its fourth annual running here along the rolling country roads and running and walking trails just outside the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, the Clark Gardens Botanical Park Half Marathon & 5K Run/Walk takes participants on a 13.1-mile loop through both the gardens inside the park and out to the National Vietnam War Memorial just to the west of the gardens.
Runners start and finish the out-and-back course for the race at Clark Gardens, which lies just off Highway 180 between Mineral Wells and Weatherford, two small cities that lie just over a half-hour's drive west of Fort Worth. From there, the race takes runners -- the half marathon is open to runners only, while the 5K is open to both runners and walkers -- on the highways that lie just east of Lake Mineral Wells State Park, the nearly 3,300-acre park that lies along a tributary of the Brazos River.
The race's first couple of miles unfold leaving the grounds of Clark Gardens and heading north along Maddux Road and Bellew Springs Road, along a gradual uphill to just past half-way between the first and second mile marker. After that, runners continue heading north but the course hits a downhill stretch for the next two and a half miles, hitting its low point around the 4th mile marker on Little Reba Ranch Road.
The course takes runners on a brief north-south, out-and-back stretch along Little Reba Ranch Road and then turns back onto Bellew Springs Road, where the course then takes a turn to head back south along Howard Road. It's mostly wide-open country through this section of the course, which brings runners south towards the small community of Garner, where runners hit the half-way point of the half marathon.
A couple of quick turns later and runners are making their way southwest back toward Clark Gardens along Maddux Road. Runners pass the entrance to Clark Gardens and continue southwest, this time along the Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway, the paved running, walking and biking trail that stretches some 20 miles all the way from Weatherford to Mineral Wells, through farm and ranch lands as well as downtown sections of both cities.
This stretch takes runners south toward the Vietnam War Memorial, and then back north again for a final loop around the gardens and exhibits inside Clark Gardens before bringing runners back to the starting line area for the race finish. The race is a smaller one -- the half marathon is limited to 200 runners -- and the scheduled starting times are 8:00 AM for the half marathon and 8:30 AM for the 5K.
Race
Weather & Climate
Located in northeastern Texas, just over 30 miles west of Fort Worth and about 64 miles west of Dallas, Weatherford typically sees October temperatures that average between 77°F and 51°F, while rainfall totals average about 4 inches for the month. On the day of the race (Oct. 6), the average high is 80°F and the average low is 54°F.
Course Map
View the race route map for the Clark Gardens Half Marathon
Fees
$50 for the half marathon, if registered by April 30, 2012
$60 between May 1 - July 31
$70 between August 1 - October 4
$80 on the day of the race
Registration
To reserve your spot in the early fall 2012 running of Weatherford's Clark Gardens Botanical Garden Half Marathon or 5K race, register online at GetMeRegistered.com.
Official Race Website
www.clarkgardens.org
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