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Washington > Capital City Marathon, Half Marathon, 5-Mile
Run & Kids Race
Olympia, WA
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Date
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Event
Details
Run along a course that features a combination of downtown city
streets, stretches on the waterfront along the shores of Puget Sound
and tree-lined runs through Olympia's city parks, the Capital
City Marathon, Half Marathon, 5-Mile Run & Kids' Race offers up
an abundance of local sights and natural beauty for the more than 1,500
runners who came out to participate in the race's spring 2008 running,
with more than 830 runners crossing the finish line in the half
marathon alone.
The Capital City event's 13.1-mile half marathon follows an
out-and-back course that follows a clockwise loop through the city,
starting downtown at Sylvester Park on Washington Street (just a few
blocks from Capitol Campus, the site of the state capitol building that
overlooks Capitol Lake). From there, runners follow Washington Street
northward up to Market Street, passing the Olympia Farmers Market as
they turn south onto Marine Drive, which curves around the waterfront
and
heads onto East Bay Drive.
This stretch of the race, which unfolds along roughly two miles along
the waterfront, features views of the marina on the opposite side of
the inlet and the boats docked there. Runners continue northward along
East Bay and into Olympia's Priest Point Park, a 300-acre urban park
that's a popular local destination for hiking, running, walking and
wildlife viewing, as most of its forest lands and beach areas are
accessible only on foot through the park's miles of trails. The race
route takes runners through the park along East Bay Drive all the way
up to 36th Avenue, where the course turns right and heads east toward
the intersection with Friendly Grove Road.
After running along the race route's northernmost stretch, runners turn
south on Friendly Grove and begin a stretch that unfolds through more
residential areas, along tree-lined neighborhood streets and past
Setchfield Lake. Don't be surprised if you see local wildlife along
these parts of the race either, as runners may see geese and other
animals along the route through the neighborhoods, particularly along
the more densely wooded areas.
Runners continue heading south through the city's neighborhoods, with a
few twists and turns along the route, all the way down to Harry Fains
Legion Park and the Watershed Trail Park, whose more than 150 acres
feature temperate rainforest groves and natural springs, and are home
to owl and deer as well as salmon swimming through the park's Moxlie
Creek. The course takes runners through a brief stretch of the park and
then continues around its eastern edge, down to the intersection with
Eskridge Boulevard, which begins the final couple miles of the race
that take runners back up Capitol Way to the finish line near 7th
Avenue, just a stone's through from the starting line at Sylvester
Park.
The race features plenty of flat stretches as well as some significant
hills, particularly between the mile 2 and mile 4 markers (where the
course climbs roughly 150 feet in elevation) as well as a steady
downhill over the last couple of miles in toward the finish line.
Walkers are welcome in both the half marathon and 5-mile races, though
the full, 26.2-mile marathon is open to runners only.
Race
Weather & Climate
Nestled at the southern tip of Budd Inlet on the Puget Sound, about 64
miles southwest of Seattle, the city of Olympia typically experiences
moderate to cool (and sometimes cold) conditions in the late spring,
with generally drier weather in May than in the earlier months of the
year. In May, the city's average monthly temperatures range between
65°F and 42°F, while rainfall amounts average about
2.27 inches for the month.
Fees
$55 if registered by April 30, 2009
$70 after April 30
Registration
To reserve your spot in the spring 2009 running of
Washington State's
Capital City Marathon or Half Marathon, register online at SignMeUp.com.
Website
www.capitalcitymarathon.org
Half
Marathon Course Map
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Your Race Story
Ever run in Olympia's annual Capital City Marathon or Half Marathon?
Share
your impressions and read fellow runners' stories
and tips for the event.
Post your comments in Runner Reviews for the Capital City Half Marathon
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