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Washington > Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon
Tacoma, WA
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Date
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Event
Details
Runners get the chance to tackle the challenge of the long and daunting
uphill and downhill over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at Washington
State's Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon, which held its inaugural running
in the summer of 2008 to fill the absence of the Pacific Rim Half
Marathon, which had been held in the local area up until its final
running in 2003. Nearly 600 runners crossed the finish line at the '08
running of the race, which takes participants all the way from Gig
Harbor
at the start to the finish line downtown near the University of
Washington-Tacoma campus.
From the starting line near the corner of 14th Avenue and 24th Street
Northwest on Gig Harbor, runners follow the course's first two miles
within the Gig Harbor area on the west side of the Narrows, along a
mile-long stretch up 14th Avenue and Highway 16 to the Madrona Links
Golf Course and back. Runners pass the second mile marker as they run
past the starting line and head back out onto Highway 16, which will
take them over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the longest twin suspension
bridge in the world.
This section of the race -- the bridge itself is a mile long --
features a long uphill and nearly as equally long downhill, runners
who've run the race report. The view from running across the bridge is
spectacular, however, looking out over the water and onto the skyline
of downtown Tacoma in the distance. Runners experience a nice long
downhill as they descend from the bridge into Living War Memorial Park
on the east side of the Narrows and continue the race along Highway 16,
turning off at the intersection with Jackson Avenue for a stretch of
the race through neighborhoods and park areas.
After a brief detour off the highway along 10th and 11th Streets, the
race route converges again with Highway 16 and takes runners southeast,
through Tacoma's China Lake Park and then for a run around the outfield
warning track inside Cheney
Stadium, the home of the AAA-level Tacoma Rainiers minor league
baseball team. Runners then meet up once again with the highway as the
course continues its direction heading east, past Snake Lake Park and
the Allenmore Public Golf Course on its way into downtown Tacoma. The
race finish line lies at the edge of the University of Washington
campus, at the corner of 17th and Commerce Streets.
Organizers plan to limit the number of entrants for the race to 1,000
runners, and the starting time is scheduled for 7:30 AM. The course is
closed to automobile traffic during the race, but will be re-opened
starting at 12:00 noon.
Race
Weather & Climate
Located at the southern end of Puget Sound in the western part of the
state, about a 40-minute drive south from Seattle, the city of Tacoma
experiences its warmest and driest weather of the year on average
during the month of August, when monthly temperatures average between
77°F and 55°F. Rainfall amounts are typically low this
time of
year, as precipitation totals average less than an inch for the month.
Fees
$75 between June 1 - July 4, 2009
$85 between July 4 - 31
Registration
To reserve your spot in the summer 2009 running of
the Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon, visit
the event website registration page.
Website
www.tacomanarrowshalf.com
Course
Map
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Your Race Story
Ever run in Washington's annual Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon?
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your impressions and read fellow runners' stories
and tips for the event.
Discuss it in the HalfMarathons.Net
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