13 Half Marathons in Baseball & Football Stadiums

Runners near the finish line at the 2016 Brewers Mini Marathon. (Photo courtesy Scott Paulus/Brewers)

I’ve never been an actor on Broadway, but it feels like you’re on a stage when you play at Yankee Stadium. And that’s the feeling I’ve always had. — Derek Jeter

1) The Giant Race Half Marathon

If you’re a baseball fan, this is probably the half marathon race that’s tailored exactly for you, as runners finish the race by crossing home plate inside San Francisco’s gorgeous AT&T Park, the home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants.

August • San Francisco, Calif.

2) Brewers Mini Marathon

You’ll have the chance to run all the way around the Milwakee Brewers’ Miller Park at this late summer race, which unfolds first on streets surrounding the ballpark before finishing with a stretch that starts on the third-base side and runs all the way around home plate to the first-base side before exiting the park for the race finish.

September • Milwaukee, Wis.

3) Boston Athletic Association Half Marathon

Run by the same athletic organization that stages the fabled Boston Marathon each April, this race shows off Boston’s series of linear parks (known as the “Emerald Necklace”) and takes runners across the finish line in Franklin Park’s White Stadium.

October • Boston, Mass.

4) Murfreesboro Half Marathon

The campus and surrounding neighborhoods around Murfreesboro’s Middle Tennessee State University serve as the backdrop for this early fall race, which finishes on the running track of the university’s Dean Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium.

October • Murfreesboro, Tenn.

5) Mother Earth Brewing Ironclad Half Marathon

Hailed by organizers as North Carolina’s “most welcoming half marathon” thanks to its small-town feel and intimate race size — just shy of 100 runners crossed the finish line last year — this race finishes on the first-base line inside Grainger Stadium, the home of the Down East Wood Ducks of minor league baseball’s Class A Carolina League.

October • Kinston, NC

6) Trenton Half Marathon

Starting from Trenton’s Waterfront Park, the home of the Trenton Thunder minor league baseball team, this race features a finish line that will be one to remember, organizers say, as runners will enter the park where the Thunder play and run around the edges of the diamond before they cross home plate to finish the race.

October • Trenton, NJ

7) Montgomery Half Marathon

Runners start (and finish) this early spring race near Montgomery’s Riverfront Park, which overlooks the winding Alabama River. After making your way through the city, you’ll cross the finish line inside this 7,000-seat stadium where the Montgomery Biscuits, the Class AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, play.

March • Montgomery, Ala.

8) Covenant Health Knoxville Half Marathon

Starting just across from the park where the 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair was held, this race takes runners all through the city before bringing them across the finish line at the 50-yard line inside Neyland Stadium, the home of the University of Tennessee Volunteers football team.

March • Knoxville, Tenn.

9) California Classic Half Marathon

Part of a weekend-long outdoor event in Fresno called the California Classic Weekend, this race takes runners through the city’s zoo before bringing them inside its baseball stadium — where runners will be able to see themselves on the huge diamond vision screen as they cross the finish line.

April • Fresno, Calif.

10) Illinois Half Marathon

Starting from Assembly Hall on the University of Illinois campus, this race follows a winding loop through the city, all the way in toward the finish line on the 50-yard line at the University’s Memorial Stadium, the home of the “Fighting Illini.”

April • Champaign, Ill.

11) Kentucky Derby Festival Mini Marathon

Legendary as the home of the “most exciting two minutes in sports,” this capital of thoroughbred horse racing starts and finishes downtown near Louisville Slugger Park, and features a loop along the infield of Churchill Downs, the hallowed home of the Kentucky Derby itself.

April • Louisville, Ky.

12) Quad Cities Distance Classic Half Marathon

Featuring a starting and finish line on the campus of Moline’s Augustana College, this USATF-certified race finishes on the stadium track at the track and field complex at Augustana Stadium.

May • Moline, Ill.

13) Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon

Green Bay Packers fans will love this race, as the finish line takes you inside the NFL team’s Lambeau Field for a run around the gridiron, after a run through mostly residential streets and city parks for most of the route.

May • Green Bay, Wis.

10 comments… add one
  • Denise January 5, 2018, 9:59 am

    While not a half, the Soldier Field 10 Miler begins in Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, and ends with you running through the tunnel and crossing the field at the 50-yard line. When you exit the tunnel and enter the field they are announcing your name. How cool is that? The race is over the Memorial Day weekend and the charity is Folds of Honor, a charity that supports the families of our fallen.

  • Jo November 22, 2017, 9:25 am

    Daytona has a great run at the Speedway too! You can run up the crazy banks that Daytona is famous for. The half takes you out to the beach & back. Up & over the intercoastal is tough but the view from the top is worth it 🙂

  • Sandra Baumann October 29, 2017, 11:10 am

    Not baseball/football – but the Indy Mini does a partial lap around the famous Indy 500 track (great race!) and I understand there’s one in Talladega, on the racetrack as well.

  • Joe Luera October 16, 2017, 12:35 pm

    Great list! There is one more I would add… the Pasadena Half Marathon. The finish line is at the 50-yard line inside the iconic Rose Bowl. A beautiful course with a great ending!

  • Donald James October 13, 2017, 12:57 pm

    What a fun list. I’d also add the Scranton Half in Scranton, PA begins. It begins and ends at Scranton’s Memorial Stadium.

  • Patrick Dunne October 9, 2017, 12:15 pm

    The Sunburst marathon/half marathon is scheduled to finish at the 50 yard line of Notre Dame stadium in 2018. It used to do this each year and is now returning after a bunch of construction.

  • Vivian Higgins October 6, 2017, 9:53 pm

    You left a great race off your list. The Marshall University/St. Mary’s Marathon/Half -Marathon/5k sends runners around the river city of Huntington, WV and ends at Joan C. Edwards football stadium home of the Marshall Thundering Herd. Marathon runners cut through campus and past the Marshall Memorial Fountain (where they can place a flower) dedicated to players, coaches, and community members who perished in the November 1970 plane crash which the movie We Are Marshall is based. Upon entering the stadium, runners can choose to carry a football across the finish line. It’s a great race!

  • Dawn B October 6, 2017, 5:05 pm

    Your newsletters are so well done and obviously take a lot of time to put together. Thanks for great info every time.

    • Terrell Johnson October 7, 2017, 4:43 pm

      Thank you for being a reader, Dawn! So glad you enjoy them and get something useful out of them. You (and readers like you) are the reason I put them out — it’s extremely gratifying to hear back, and if you have any suggestions/ideas for how it could be better, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks again!

  • Jen October 6, 2017, 4:55 pm

    Also the Marshall University half marathon and marathon. Both end in the MU football stadium.
    Huntington, WV

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