Charlottesville Marathon, Half Marathon & 8K

Saturday, April 6, 2024 • Charlottesville, VA • Course Map

Known for its rolling green hills, gorgeous farmlands and famous residents such as John Grisham, Sissy Spacek and the fact that it served as the home base and launching pad for the Dave Matthews Band, the city of Charlottesville plays host each spring to more than 1,000 runners at the Charlottesville Marathon & Half Marathon.

Named by the New York Times as one of the country’s top destination marathons, the Charlottesville races take runners on a tour of the countryside outside the city that has taken shape over the centuries since Thomas Jefferson first conceived plans for the University of Virginia, now home to more than 20,000 students and known for its beautiful architecture and rolling green campus lawns as well as for the quality of its academic reputation.

From the starting line at Knight’s Gambit Vineyard outside of downtown Charlottesville, runners will head north, weaving their way up the quiet country roads. You’ll catch views of Shenandoah National Park along the way, along with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the finish line. You’ll also pass horse farms and wineries while running along the mixture of pavement and gravel.

You’ll run over Moormans River and Wards Creek — twice, in fact, as you’ll reach the turnaround point just after running over the creek. From there you’ll head south back to the finish line.

Runners in the half marathon have a course time limit of 3.5 hours. The race directors state that walkers are allowed in the 8K — which means that the full and the half marathon are reserved for runners — so the time limit doesn’t allow for walkers to participate in this race.

Race Weather & Climate

Set among the lush green rolling hills of northern Virginia, about 70 miles northwest of Richmond and just over 110 miles southeast of Washington, D.C., Charlottesville typically sees cool (and occasionally quite cold) weather in April, which is typically one of the city’s driest months of the year.

On race day (April 6), the average low is 41°F and the average high is 64°F.

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the Charlottesville Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

7:30 AM

Fees

  • $75 and up – half marathon
  • $90 and up – full marathon
  • $40 and up – 8K

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2024 running of the Charlottesville Marathon or Half Marathon, register online at Active.com here.

activeregister

Official Race Website

www.charlottesvillemarathon.com

Comments

Ever run in the Charlottesville Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.

See more races in: April, Virginia

2 comments… add one
  • Rick April 8, 2016, 2:59 am

    I have to agree with the comments Jeff posted. I’d had my eyes on this half marathon for a couple of years until finally taking the plunge in 2016. The worst race I have ever run and I’ve run quite a few. The half marathon does NOT take you through the University of Virginia Campus at all. It’s almost 80% hills both down and up. Nothing interesting or scenic to really see except the Start/Finish area in the Town Square. You literally run through hilly residential neighborhoods and dodge cars of the locals trying to get in and out of their homes. To make matters worse, no finisher medals at the end and no t-shirts. I was told that someone left the shirts out overnight and it rained so many of them got ruined. I was promised a shirt and medal would be mailed out but in regards to my shirt, I just signed a piece of paper on a clipboard and no idea if it will ever reach the right hands. A total joke and not the funny kind.

    Reply
  • Jeff April 4, 2016, 7:05 pm

    Don’t waste your money. Do the Charlottesville 10 miler or a Richmond, VA race if you want to have a destination race for a long weekend or week of it. Bad to the Bone, the company that runs it, is for-profit and had poor post race food, drink and no music. No Charlottesville local would choose to run this route as it is not scenic in addition to being very difficult. The awards for top three in each age group were pieces of paper that said “congratulations.” I live in Charlottesville and will not do this race again.

    Reply

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