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Texas > Dallas White Rock Marathon, Half Marathon
& Relay
Dallas, TX
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Date
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Event
Details
More than 10,000 runners, walkers, joggers and wheelchair competitors
crossed the finish line at last year's Dallas White Rock Marathon, Half
Marathon & Relay, which takes the field of participants right
through the heart of the city and around White Rock Lake Park, one of
the city's largest and most popular municipal parks and home to the
Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden. Slightly more than half of
the total number of participants ran the half marathon -- just over
5,200 -- which gives an indication of the 13.1-mile event's growing
popularity for the White Rock race.
All three races are open to runners, walkers and wheelchair
participants, and start in what is known locally as Victory Park, near
Dallas's American Airlines Center arena. From there, the field runs
along a course run on paved surfaces throughout and marked by steady
gains in elevation over the first half
of the race, rising from a low of around 440 feet above sea level at
the start to above 620 feet by the time you reach the mile 6 marker,
which coincides with the first of the famous "Dolly Parton" hills --
there are two, of course -- for which the race has become known in the
road racing world.
The half-marathon course doesn't actually make it around White Rock
Lake (only those running the full marathon and the 5-person relay run
the section of the course that circles the lake), but the route is
still highly scenic nonetheless. Following a clockwise, out-and-back
loop through the city, the course takes runners through or past a
number of smaller city parks, including William B. Dean Park, Lakeside
Park and Exall Park, as well as through the tony neighborhood of
Highland Park, whose stately homes and neatly manicured,
tree-lined streets make for a refreshing change of pace from the
downtown areas earlier in the race, and coincide with the highest point
in the course.
After sharing the course for the nearly the first seven miles of the
race, the half-marathoners split off from those running the full,
26.2-mile marathon between miles 6 and 7, turning off Ellsworth Avenue
onto Matilda Street for a long straightway that takes them about 17
blocks southward to Richmond Avenue. The field then makes a turn east
for a few blocks along Richmond, turning again on Skillman Street and
then Live Oak Street for the next long straightaway of the race, which
takes runners along the home stretch toward the finish.
The long stretch along Live Oak -- which spans just over two miles, or
more than 20 blocks -- is marked by a long, steady downhill until
runners reach San Jacinto Street, where the hills become smaller and
the course flattens out toward the finish line at the American Airlines
Center. The race starts at 9:00 AM for those running the half marathon
(and at 8:00 AM for the full), and participants must finish the half by
2:30 PM -- a 5 1/2-hour time limit, or at least a pace of 25 minutes
per mile.
Race
Weather & Climate
Moderately cool to mild (and sometimes cold) conditions are the norm in
the Dallas metro area in the late fall/early winter season, when the
weather is typically at its most pleasant time of the year for the
local area. In December, average area temperatures range between
57°F and 39°F, while precipitation amounts average
around 2.53 inches for the month.
Fees
$55 if registered by January 31, 2008
$60 between February 1 - October 31
$65 between November 1 - 30
$70 from December 1 - 13
Registration
To reserve your spot in the winter 2008 running of the White Rock
Marathon,
Half Marathon or Relay, register online at Active.com.
Websites
www.runtherock.com
White Rock Lake
Course Map
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Larger Map
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Your Race Story
Ever run in Dallas's annual White Rock Marathon, Half Marathon or
Relay?
Share
your impressions and read fellow runners' stories and tips for the
event.
Discuss it in the HalfMarathons.Net
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