Sunday, March 26, 2023 • Youngstown, OH • Course Map
The trails and park roads that wind through Youngstown’s Mill Creek Park await runners at the annual Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon & 5-mile race, which celebrates its 31st annual running this year and usually sees about 400 to 500 runners cross the finish line each year in both distances combined.
The first local road race event on the calendar each year for the Youngstown Road Runners Club, which organizes the event, the race is a hilly and challenging one with few flat stretches to speak of through the city’s Mill Creek Park, which was established in 1891 and is the oldest city-owned park in the state.
The out-and-back course starts at the park’s northern end, near the pavilion in the part of the park known as the Wick Recreation Area.
From there, the 13.1-mile route follows a winding course through the park, curving around Bears Den Drive, West Drive and West Cohasset Drive, as runners follow a long stretch along the northern shore of Lake Cohasset, which fills up the center of the northern section of the park.
Participants run west and south along the shoreline of the lake, following High Drive and then Chestnut Hill Drive along the waterway that gives the park its name, Mill Creek.
Runners line up at the start of the 2014 Mill Creek Distance Classic. (Courtesy Youngstown Road Runners Club)
Runners reach the turnaround point at the intersection of Chestnut Hill and Highway 62, where they cross the bridge over the creek and then run north along East Cohasset Drive, following it along a long, winding path that skirts the residential developments near the park.
The last few miles of the race take the field along the upper section of Mill Creek that empties into the lake, curving around on West Drive and then back onto Bears Den Drive for the last couple of miles to the finish.
Along the way, runners are treated to plenty of parkland scenery, from waterfalls and cascading waterways to the park’s lake and creek sections, as well as the grist mill.
In addition to following a winding course through the park, the race also features plenty of hilly trails for participants, ranging from a high of about 1,038 feet above sea level to a low of 868 feet above sea level.
Virtually every mile along the course features some kind of hill, with the most significant uphills and downhills occurring at the beginning and the end of the race (thanks to the out-and-back nature of the course) and just after the half-way point in the race.
Runners make their way along the course at the 2016 Mill Creek Distance Classic. (Courtesy Youngstown Road Runners Club)
Race Weather & Climate
Conditions are often cool and sometimes quite cold with occasional wet weather in the spring in Youngstown, set in Ohio’s northeastern corner just a few miles from the state line with Pennsylvania and about 60 miles southeast of Cleveland.
Past Results
- 2019 Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon Results
- 2018 Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon Results
- 2017 Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon Results
- 2016 Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon Results
- 2015 Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon Results
- 2014 Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon Results
- 2013 Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon Results
- 2012 Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon Results
- 2011 Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon Results
- 2010 Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon Results
Course Map
See the race route map for the Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon here.
Starting Time
- 8:30 AM – half marathon
- 8:45 AM – 5-mile
Fees
- $35 and up – half marathon
- $25 and up – 5-mile
Registration
To reserve your spot in the 2023 running of Youngstown’s Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon or 5-mile race, register online at RunSignUp.com here.
Official Race Website
Comments
Ever run in the Mill Creek Distance Classic? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.
