19 Affordable Fall Half Marathons in 2018

Photo by J.R. Howell/Quad Cities Marathon

1) Newport Liberty Half Marathon

Known by locals as a great prep for November’s New York City Marathon, this race offers a mostly flat and fast route with plentiful views of the Statue of Liberty, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, lower Manhattan and Ellis Island. ($46 – $65)

Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018 • Jersey City, NJ

2) Quad Cities Half Marathon

Sweeping, expansive views of the Mississippi River, along with a course that takes runners through Arsenal Island in the middle of the river, await at this late September race that also features a “micro-marathon” for kids. ($40 – $60)

Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 • Moline, IL

3) Bizz Johnson Half Marathon

Here you’ll get to run one of those rare treats seldom found at any race, whether road race or trail — a course that’s nearly all downhill, gaining it fame as the “fastest marathon in the West,” organizers say. ($45 and up)

Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 6-7, 2018 • Susanville, CA

4) Buffalo Creek Half Marathon

Most of this race takes runners over the crushed limestone trails of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail, and follows a long, steady downhill descent from the start in Cabot to the finish line in nearby Freeport. ($50 – $55)

Saturday, October 20, 2018 • Cabot, PA

5) Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon

A Halloween-themed trail race that takes runners through the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, this race has something for everyone — challenging hills, deep woods forests, wet and inclement weather, and plentiful natural beauty. ($35 – $50)

Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018 • Voorheesville, NY

6) Run Like a Nut Half Marathon

You’ll pay $55 through Oct. 13 and $65 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. ($55 – $65)

Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018 • Florence, SC

7) Zeitgeist Half Marathon

Run through the hilly country areas north of Boise, this race (named for the “spirit of the times,” organizers say) charges $50 through Oct. 11 and $65 afterwards, and then you’ll pay $85 on the day of the event.

Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018 • Boise, ID

8) Chickamauga Battlefield Half Marathon

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 $65 between now and mid-September. ($55 – $85)

Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018 • Fort Oglethorpe, GA

9) Myakka River Half Marathon

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 lowest for the first 100 entrants, with price tiers rising for each successive set. ($75 – $99)

Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018 • Sarasota, FL

10) Mission Inn Run Half Marathon

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 between $75 – $80 to run.

Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 • Riverside, CA

11) Grand Ridge Half Marathon

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 $65.

Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 • Issaquah, WA

12) Star City Half Marathon

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.

Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 • Roanoke, VA

13) Summit 2 Summit Half Marathon

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 $60 through Sept. 30.

Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 • Hot Springs, AR

14) Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon

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 $70.

Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018 • Strongsville, OH

15) Tryptophan Half Marathon

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 $55 through Sept. 12.

Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018 • Cumming, GA

16) Schaumburg Half Marathon & Turkey Trot

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 $60 if you register by early July.

Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 • Schaumburg, IL

17) OUC Orlando Half Marathon

Featuring a course that takes runners through the downtown city streets of Orlando, just minutes from the nearby Walt Disney World amusement parks, this race starts at $55.

Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 • Orlando, FL

18) Fredericksburg Blue & Gray Half Marathon

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.

Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018 • Fredericksburg, VA

19) Nittany Valley Half Marathon

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 from $35 through $50 in early December.

Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018 • State College, PA

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