Southern Illinois Spring Classic Half Marathon & 5K

Saturday, March 30, 2024 • Lawrenceville, IL • Course Map

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The Kids Shopping Day of Lawrence County 5K added the 13.1-mile half marathon distance for the first time in 2012 and has since become the Southern Illinois Spring Classic Half Marathon & 5K, which now draws between 150 and 200 runners each year.

The race is set to start runners off from the campus of Parkside Elementary School on Cedar Street, which lies just to the southwest of downtown Lawrenceville, a small city of roughly 4,500 residents in Illinois’s southeastern corner along the Embarras River that feeds into the mighty Mississippi River just miles downstream.

From there, the course heads first into Lawrenceville’s downtown city streets, with stretches along Collins Avenue, 12th Street, State Street, 11th Street and Lexington before turning left onto Porter Avenue, for the stretch that leads the field away from downtown.

Runners next head southwest along Porter back toward the elementary school, and keep heading southwest along Porter for a little over a mile, as they make the transition from Porter Avenue to 1000 North.

As runners make their way out of town and into the largely flat, wide-open farm fields between Lawrenceville and nearby Bridgeport to the west, they’ll stay on this mostly flat terrain for the next several miles of the race, making a backwards “L”-shaped loop out to just south of Bridgeport.

The course makes its turn to head back toward the east around the mile 8 point in the race, taking runners right onto County Road 8 and then east at Lanterman Park to head onto 900 North, which starts the stretch that brings runners back toward Lawrenceville. Runners will finish the race on the track and field complex next to the school, just off Porter Avenue.

The race also serves as a fundraiser for Kids Shopping Day of Lawrence County, to help local children in need purchase all the supplies they’ll need for the upcoming school year — from clothing and shoes to school supplies like notebooks, books and backpacks.

Race Weather & Climate

Nestled along the Embaras River in southeastern Illinois, just over 240 miles south of Chicago and roughly 144 miles east of St. Louis, Mo., Lawrenceville typically sees March temperatures that average between 54°F and 33°F, while precipitation amounts average just over 3.6 inches for the month.

On race day (March 30), the average low is 35°F and the average high is 57°F.

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the Southern Illinois Spring Classic Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

8:00 AM

Course Time Limit

4 hours

Fees

  • $55 – $65 for the half marathon
  • $25 – $35 for the 5K

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2024 running of Lawrenceville’s Southern Illinois Spring Classic Half Marathon or 5K race, register online at RunSignup.com here.

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Official Race Website

www.southernillinoisspringclassic.com

Comments

Ever run in the Southern Illinois Spring Classic? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.

See more races in: March, Illinois

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