Runners follow an out-and-back loop course through the foothills of the Appalachians here in western North Carolina at the Charity Chase Half Marathon, which starts and finishes at Union Square in downtown Hickory, N.C. From there, the course takes runners on a double-loop course that features stretches both through downtown and outside of the city center, before heading back to Union Square for the race finish.
(MORE: Charity Chase Half Marathon event details)