Run for Research Half Marathon, 10K & 5K

Sunday, October 18, 2015 • Mt. Pleasant, MI • Course Map

runsignup-blueOne of a series of half marathon events here in central Michigan, Mount Pleasant’s Run for Research Half Marathon, 10K & 5K takes runners on a 13.1-mile course in the mid-fall season here in this small central Michigan city that lies just over 150 miles northwest of Detroit, for a race that takes runners along a course made up mostly of forgiving natural surface country roads just to the southwest of town.

The brainchild of Ryan Hackett, a 24-year-old runner and manager of a specialty running store in Mount Pleasant, the Michigan Half Series features a slate of races for every season, from the series’ winter events (like its Ice Cube Half Marathon, Snowmans Half Marathon and Mud Dogs Half Marathon races, which use the same course as the Beat-A-Die race) to this series, which covers the spring, summer and fall seasons.

Runners in the Run for Research Half follow an out-and-back course that starts and finishes on the campus of Central Michigan University, home to more than 20,000 students here on its main campus in Mount Pleasant.

From there, runners head out on what is essentially an upside-down T-shaped route, running along West Campus Drive and Denison Drive as they pass by Theunissen Stadium, home of the CMU Chippewas baseball team.

The first mile and a half is followed by turns onto Crawford Road, Deerfield Road and Lincoln Road, where runners turn left and head south along the road until they reach the bottom of the “T,” at the intersection with Walton Road.

There are two quick out-and-back stretches along Walton and then runners head back onto Lincoln Road, where they re-trace their steps in the opposite direction back to the university campus for the race finish.

There’s roughly 100 feet in elevation change from the starting line to the highest point in the race, and the climb unfolds very gradually over the first half of the route, followed by an equally gradual decline as runners are making their way back into campus for the finish line.

At the race’s 5th annual running in 2014, 120 runners crossed the finish line in all three races combined, including just over 60 finishers in the half marathon alone.

Race Weather & Climate

Located in central Michigan, near the geographic center of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and about 155 miles northwest of Detroit, Mount Pleasant typically sees mild to cool and occasionally cold weather in October, which has brought record temperature here as low as 16°F (in 1950) and as high as 87°F (in 1971).

On race day (Oct. 18), the average low is 38ºF and the average high is 58ºF.

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the Run for Research Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

9:00 AM

Fees

  • $30 for the half marathon, up to 2 months ahead of time
  • $35, up to 1 month ahead of time
  • $40 on the day of the event

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2015 running of the Run for Research Half Marathon, 10K & 5K, register online at RunSignUp.com here.

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Official Race Website

www.michiganhalfseries.com

Comments

Ever run in the Run for Research Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.

See more races in: October, Michigan

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