Sunday, May 21, 2017 • Hastings, MN • Course Map
A challenging, hilly race that’s run over a mixture of paved and unimproved trails throughout this southern Minnesota nature preserve on the banks of the St. Croix River, the Apple Blossom Half Marathon also includes a 10K and a 5K race, all of which share the same starting time location at St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park.
All runners and walkers will be ferried from the parking area at the nature center to the starting line just off Highway 21, about two miles north of the park entrance. Walkers are welcome in the 5K only, while the 10K and half-marathon races are open to runners only.
From the starting line, half-marathon participants will follow a course along the tree-lined roadways of the park, and will encounter plenty of hills along the way as well as ample views of the local apple orchards, which should be in bloom by the time race day arrives. The finish line lies at the Carpenter Nature Center, just a few miles down the road from where runners started.
The race is sponsored and organized by the Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center, a 725-acre wildlife habitat and nature preserve that straddles both sides of the scenic St. Croix River along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.
With 425 acres on the Minnesota side and another 300 on the Wisconsin side, the center offers 10 miles of hiking and walking trails through its tall pines, wooded ravines, restored prairie lands and apple orchards as well as beach access.
Race Weather & Climate
Located just east of Minneapolis and along the border with Wisconsin, the town of Hastings, Minn., sees generally warm summers and often bitterly cold winters. In May, record temperatures here have fallen as low as 29 degrees (in 2002) and risen as high as 94 degrees (in 2001).
On race day (May 21), the average low is 49ºF and the average high is 70ºF.
Past Results
- 2014 Apple Blossom Half Marathon Results
- 2013 Apple Blossom Half Marathon Results
- 2012 Apple Blossom Half Marathon Results
- 2011 Apple Blossom Half Marathon Results
Course Map
See the race route map for the Apple Blossom Half Marathon here.
Starting Time
8:00 AM
Fees
- $42 – $50 for the half marathon
- $32 – $40 for the 5K, 10K
Registration
To reserve your spot in the 2017 running of Hastings’s Apple Blossom Half Marathon, 10K or 5K race, register online at Active.com here.
Official Race Website
Facebook Conversations
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