This race takes runners on a course that captures the authentic feel of small-town South Dakota, including the architectural treasures of beautiful turn-of-the-century homes, a bridge that runs over a creek, a trek through the town’s arboretum and gardens, and views of the tree-lined campus of South Dakota State University.
The course for the half-marathon, which is made up mostly of paved city streets that are shouldered by grassy areas along much of the course to offer a softer terrain, shares the same course as the full, 26.2-mile marathon through mile 11.
Both races start and finish at Brookings’s Pioneer Park at 1st Avenue & Front Street, and follow a mostly east-west route through the city with occasional north-south runs. After the 11th mile marker, the half-marathon course splits off and takes runners back to the park via 2nd and 3rd Streets.
Most of the course is flat, though there are occasional hills, the most significant of which is an uphill stretch around the mile 9 marker, inside Larson Park. For the rest of the race, the elevation stays within a range of about 1,595 and 1,680 feet above sea level.
The course remains open to traffic throughout the race, though race organizers say Brookings traffic is generally light on Sunday mornings. Half marathon participants are limited to three hours.
Runners should note that the race is limited to 300 entrants in the full marathon, 400 in the half marathon, and 50 marathon relay teams, which can be from two to six people.
