Bridge & Dam Half Marathon

Saturday, March 23, 2024 • Lake Ozark, MO • Course Map

Set for its 9th annual running along a reservoir known as the “Magic Dragon” and the “Missouri Dragon” for the serpent-like shape it cuts through the land here in central Missouri, the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon & 10K takes runners back and forth across a pair of bridges over the Lake of the Ozarks, a massive reservoir created by the damming of the Osage River back in the 1930s.

Runners are set to start the race on the bridge at Bagnell Dam, which created the lake when it was completed in 1931, and now backs up the second-largest man-made lake anywhere in Missouri. After leaving the starting line, runners will head south along Bagnell Dam Boulevard for the first mile and a half or so, and then turn left at Horseshoe Bend Parkway.

They’ll only spend a brief stretch on Horseshoe Bend, however, before turning back onto the route that will take them across a second bridge over the lake, which spans some 55,000 acres and features more than 1,000 miles of shoreline, including well-known lakefront areas like Osage Beach and Sunshine Beach.

Runners will turn right onto Las Campanas and then weave their way along the riverfront before heading back to the finish line on the other side of Bagnell Dam.

Walkers are welcome in either the half marathon or the 10K, as long as they can finish their race within the course time limit of 3.5 hours, organizers say — which works out to a pace of 14 minutes per mile or faster for the half marathon.

And is the course hilly? Here’s how the organizers put it on their website: “Lake of the Ozarks is hilly, so yes you will have some hills! It is a beautiful, scenic and challenging course. Train for hills once a week and the feeling at the finish line will be that much sweeter!”

Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, as seen from the air in April 2010. (Photo by Marydia Baldman/flickr)

Race Weather & Climate

Nestled along the eastern end of the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri, roughly 160 miles southeast of Kansas City, Lake Ozark typically sees March temperatures between 33ºF and 57ºF, and snowfall averages of 1.4 inches in March.

On race day (March 23), the average low is 36ºF and the average high is 60ºF — the record low for the date is 4ºF (set in 1974), while the record high is 83ºF (in 1967).

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

7:30 AM

Fees

$65 – $80 for the half marathon
$55 – $70 for the 10K
$30 – $40 for the 5K

Registration

To reserve your spot in the spring 2024 Bridge and Dam Half Marathon or 10K race, register online at the event website here.

Official Race Website

https://www.bridgeanddamrace.com/

Comments

Ever run in the Bridge and Dam Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments box below.

See more races in: March, Missouri

1 comment… add one

Carol Cange March 29, 2023, 2:52 pm

Been trying to get the results for the 5k walk/run for 2023. Can’t see pull them up from athlink. Help?

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