Courtesy OUC Orlando Half Marathon
“My suspicion is that the effects of running are not extraordinary at all, but quite ordinary. It is the other states, all other feelings, that are peculiar, for they are an abnegation of the way you and I are intended to feel.” — James Fixx, The Complete Book of Running
1) Stache Half Marathon • Ipswich, MA
Growing your stache out in time for Movember, or supporting your husband/brother/father/son/boyfriend while they do the same between now and then? This race is designed with you in mind, and its fees are less than $70 at their highest.
Sun, Nov 13 • Race info & signup >>
2) Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon • Strongsville, OH
You’ll Run a winding, out-and-back route along the Valley Parkway inside the Mill Stream Run Reservation, part of the city’s Cleveland Metroparks system of parks and green spaces, at a race whose fees don’t climb above $60.
Sun, Nov 20 • Race info & signup >>
3) Grand Ridge Half Marathon • Issaquah, WA
Nestled among pristine forests just a short drive east from nearby Seattle, Grand Ridge Regional Park offers 1,200 acres filled with moss-covered boulders, sword ferns and western red cedars, for a race whose fees stay below $60.
Sat, Nov 19 • Race info & signup >>
4) Star City Half Marathon • Roanoke, VA
Run along the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia, this race features a loop tour of Roanoke’s city streets and neighborhoods and several city parks, and signup costs less than $60 through mid-November.
Sat, Nov 19 • Race info & signup >>
5) Summit Challenge Half Marathon • Hot Springs, AR
Once you make it into Hot Springs National Park, you’ll run through Whittington Park before heading onto the roads that climb up West Mountain, a stretch toward the summit that gives the half marathon its name as the “Summit Challenge,” a race that costs less than $60 through Oct. 31.
Sat, Nov 19 • Race info & signup >>
6) Mission Inn Run Half Marathon • Riverside, CA
Riverside offers a largely fast and flat course with mostly very gradual uphills and downhills and a stretch along the Santa Ana River Trail for this race, which costs up to $75 to run.
Sun, Nov 13 • Race info & signup >>
7) Myakka River Half Marathon • Sarasota, FL
If you’re among the first 100 runners to sign up for this race through the 37,000-acre wilderness known as Myakka River State Park, you’re in luck — fees are $60 for the first 100 entrants, with price tiers rising for each successive set.
Sat, Nov 12 • Race info & signup >>
8) Chilly Half Marathon • Newton, MA
With a beautiful course through tree-lined residential streets, where the leaves will be turning all different shades of red, gold and orange, this race’s fees rise no higher than $70 until it sells out.
Sun, Nov 13 • Race info & signup >>
9) Tryptophan Half Marathon • Cumming, GA
Earn your right to indulge to your heart’s desire on Thanksgiving Day with a run down and back up the Big Creek Parkway just outside Atlanta at this race, which costs $65 through Oct. 28.
Thu, Nov 24 • Race info & signup >>
10) Zeitgeist Half Marathon • Boise, ID
Run through the hilly country areas north of Boise, this race (named for the “spirit of the times,” organizers say) charges $65 after Oct. 12, and $85 on the day of the event.
Sat, Nov 5 • Race info & signup >>
11) Run Like a Nut Half Marathon • Florence, SC
You’ll pay $50 through Oct. 15 and $60 after for this race, part of the annual Downtown Florence Pecan Festival, which draws an estimated 55,000 visitors to this South Carolina city each year for a day filled with music, arts and crafts.
Sat, Nov 5 • Race info & signup >>
12) Chickamauga Battlefield Half Marathon • Fort Oglethorpe, GA
A gorgeous race that’s run along the paved roads and trails of Georgia’s most historic Civil War battlefield sites, it’s also a relative bargain compared to plenty of other big-city races — registration costs $75 between now and early November.
Sat, Nov 12 • Race info & signup >>
13) Schaumburg Half Marathon Turkey Trot • Schaumburg, IL
Touted by organizers as the last distance running event of the season in the Chicagoland area, this race takes runners on a largely flat, paved course through the Busse Forest Nature Preserve and costs less than $65 if you register by late November.
Sat, Nov 26 • Race info & signup >>
14) Nittany Valley Half Marathon • State College, PA
First run in 1984 as part of the final running of the Nittany Valley Marathon, the Nittany Valley Half Marathon has since blossomed into one of the region’s most popular road races, and costs $35 through early December.
Sun, Dec 4 • Race info & signup >>
15) VA Runner Blue & Gray Half Marathon • Fredericksburg, VA
Run through the city’s downtown and along the waters of the Rappahannock River that flows through the heart of Fredericksburg, this race costs $50 through Oct. 31, and $60 if you sign up by the end of November.
Sun, Dec 4 • Race info & signup >>
