Though the course had shifted several times over the years, changes to the half marathon route which allowed race organizers to design a course that would show off many of the local area’s most noteworthy attractions, including Michigan State University, Scott Woods Park and Potter Park, and of course the Lansing River Trail for much of the race.
The terrain for the course is almost all paved surfaces throughout the race, as it is run along a combination of city streets, highways just outside town and the eight-mile Lansing River Trail, which runs along the Grand River and the Red Cedar River, along a mix of tree-lined paved pathways and pedestrian bridges.
From the starting line near the Lansing Center, the course follows an out-and-back Y-shaped course that takes runners south toward Scott Woods Park, then northeast toward Michigan State University, and then back west to the finish line.
