Thanks to its gentle, forgiving fast and flat course, this race is considered an excellent choice for first-time marathoners and half marathoners, with a route that begins at about 610 feet above sea level and never rises higher than about 660 feet. Welcome to the Grand Rapids Marathon and Half Marathon.
The attractiveness of the course combined with its relative ease has quickly made it a popular race, as past years’ races have seen as many as 3,000 to 4,000 runners cross the finish line in both races combined — including nearly 2,000 finishers in the half marathon alone.