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16 Gorgeous Fall Foliage Half Marathons

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Runners make their way along the Paul Bunyan Trail at the Bemidji Blue Ox Half Marathon in Bemidji, Minn. (Photo courtesy Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon)
Runners make their way along the Paul Bunyan Trail at the Bemidji Blue Ox Half Marathon in Bemidji, Minn. (Photo courtesy Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon)

1) Fall Foliage Half Marathon • Rhinebeck, NY

Timed to coincide with the turning leaves along the Hudson River — and serve as a tune-up for November’s New York City Marathon — this race features an out-and-back loop run among the rolling country roads outside this small town a couple hours north of NYC.

October • Race info & signup >>

2) The Kingdom Challenge Half Marathon • Lyndonville, VT

Scenic rolling hills and picture-perfect covered bridges await at this quaint New England race through Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom region, which welcomes a few hundred runners each year to its moderately challenging course.

October • Race info & signup >>

3) Old Stone House Fall Foliage Run • Brownington, VT

Also run through Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, this race starts and finishes at the Old Stone House Museum, and also features a 5K for runners and walkers as well as a 12-mile bike ride.

September • Race info & signup >>

4) White Mountain Milers Half Marathon • North Conway, NH

Sponsored by the White Mountain Milers, a local club devoted to promoting athleticism through running, walking and community service, this race features gorgeous fall colors and a fast and flat route for the few hundred runners that run it each year.

October • Race info & signup >>

5) Cedar City Half Marathon • Cedar City, UT

Marked by its stunning red rock formations as well as the tree-covered hills and mountains along Utah’s Markagunt Plateau, this race features a long, gradual downhill descent that organizers say is one of the nation’s fastest half marathon courses.

September • Race info & signup >>

6) New Hampshire Half Marathon • Bristol, NH

Timed to coincide with the peak viewing season for fall foliage here in this gorgeous, rural town in northern New England, this race takes runners along the roads that lead out from and back into Bristol around the shoreline of Newfound Lake.

October • Race info & signup >>

7) Charlottesville Fall Classic Half Marathon • Charlottesville, VA

Here in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, at the home of the Thomas Jefferson-designed University of Virginia during the fall when the fall foliage should be around its peak, this race takes runners on an out-and-back course that starts in historic downtown Charlottesville.

October • Race info & signup >>

8) Hartford Half Marathon • Hartford, CT

The vibrant colors of fall are on display for runners, walkers and relay participants all through Connecticut’s capitol city at this race, which runs along country roads just outside town and the neighborhoods in the city’s west end, and features a long riverfront stretch along the Connecticut River.

October • Race info & signup >>

9) Leaf Peepers Half Marathon • Waterbury, VT

From the starting line at Waterbury’s Keurig Green Mountain Complex, this out-and-back race unfolds along rolling terrain and is mostly run along dirt trails — about 75 percent dirt surface and 25 percent paved road.

October • Race info & signup >>

10) Maine Half Marathon • Portland, ME

Mostly flat and beautifully scenic thanks to the trails, parks and waterfront of Portland’s Back Bay, this race is run along a popular series of running, walking and biking trails that hug the shoreline virtually the entire way around the bay.

October • Race info & signup >>

11) Harwich Cranberry Harvest Half Marathon • Harwich, MA

Set for its 8th annual running here along the southern shore of Cape Cod, this race takes runners all around this village overlooking Nantucket Sound, including a stretch past one of this area’s famed cranberry bogs.

October • Race info & signup >>

12) Bemidji Blue Ox Half Marathon • Bemidji, MN

Named for Paul Bunyan and his legendary Blue Ox, this race (shown in the photo above) takes runners on paved trails through autumn-colored forests on the Paul Bunyan Trail, through Lake Bemidji State Park and past Bemidji State University.

October • Race info & signup >>

13) Empire State Half Marathon • Syracuse, NY

Filled with long stretches along the shoreline of Onandaga Lake, this race is timed to take advantage of this part of central New York state’s fall season — when the leaves turn brilliant shades of red, gold, brown and orange.

October • Race info & signup >>

14) Brooklyn Greenway Half • Brooklyn, NY

You get to take in the iconic views of the Manhattan skyline as the leaves are changing along the trails of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway at this race, which also runs through Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

October • Race info & signup >>

15) Iron Horse Half Marathon • Midway, KY

Nestled in the heart of Kentucky’s bluegrass country, this race shows off the rolling green hills of Midway’s rural countryside, with plentiful stretches along tree-lined country roads and past the iconic fencing of its thoroughbred horse farms.

October • Race info & signup >>

16) RaceVermont Fall Half Marathon • Shelburne, VT

You’ll run from the center of this small Vermont town to the shoreline of Lake Champlain and back at this race, which also features a stretch along the historic Ti Path, which was used to transport the Ticonderoga steamboat from Lake Champlain to its current home in the Shelburne Museum in town.

November • Race info & signup >>

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