Saturday, May 13, 2023 • Paducah, KY • Course Map
Set for its 12th annual running this year — a few years after historic floods along the Ohio River pushed back the planned inaugural running in 2011 from Mother’s Day in May to mid-June — the Mercy Health Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon & Half Marathon Relay brings out several hundred runners each year to the streets of this city that’s nestled along the Tennessee and Ohio rivers.
Runners follow an out-and-back loop route for the half marathon that starts and finish at the city’s landmark “Wall to Wall” murals, a series of huge mural paintings created by painter Robert Dafford that tell the story of the city of Paducah and western Kentucky along the flood walls in Schultz Park, which lies right along the banks of the Ohio River.
From there, runners head from the river in toward the city’s downtown district, starting off with a nearly three-mile straightaway stretch along Jefferson Street. These early miles of the race feature some of Paducah’s historic residential neighborhoods, and the course is quite literally flat as a pancake for the first few miles as well.
The only real hills along the half marathon route occur between mile markers 4 and 6, as runners make their way out of the intown and residential parts of the course and onto the city’s Greenway Trail, which takes them along the edges of two city parks, Stewart Nelson Park and Bob Noble Park.
With sections that are shaded by trees through the woods and other stretches out in the open sun, the Greenway Trail stretch lasts for the next couple of miles before putting runners back out onto the roadways inside Noble Park. Once runners make the turn right onto Cairo Road from Noble Park Street, the route then turns residential again, taking runners through the neighborhoods along Atkins, 26th and 25th Streets.
The home stretch of the race begins when runners make the turn left onto Madison Street, and start the last couple of miles (they’ll pass the mile 11 marker a few blocks after turning onto Madison) that bring them back toward the river and back toward Schultz Park for the race finish back at the Wall to Wall murals.
Runners will have 4 hours to complete the half marathon course, which will close and re-open to traffic at 11:00 AM.
A stretch of the Flood Wall Murals in Paducah, Kentucky, where the race starts. (Photo by Carolyn Cuskey/flickr)
Race Weather & Climate
Located near the western corner of the state, along the Ohio River that divides Kentucky and Illinois, Paducah typically sees mild to moderately warm weather in May, which has brought record temperatures here as low as 35 degrees (in 1992) and as high as 96 degrees (in 1974).
On race day (May 13), the average low is 54ºF and the average high is 76ºF.
Past Race Results
- 2018 Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon Results
- 2017 Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon Results
- 2016 Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon Results
- 2015 Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon Results
- 2014 Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon Results
Course Map
See the race route map for the Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon here.
Starting Time
7:00 AM
Fees
- $60 – $90 for the half marathon
- $55 – $75 for the relay (per person)
- $35 – $55 for the 5K
Registration
To reserve your spot in the 2023 running of Paducah’s Mercy Health Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon or relay race, register online at RaceRoster.com here.
Official Race Website
Comments
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When and where do I, a race volunteer, pick up my shirt and other info?