Green Cathedral Half Marathon & 5k

Runners are set to start the out-and-back course for the race at the Wick Recreation Area of the Mill Creek Golf Course, part of the 4,400-acre Mill Creek Metro Parks that stretch throughout Ohio’s Mahoning County and feature rivers, lakes, floral gardens, a 400-acre working farm, a historic grist mill and plentiful biking and walking trails and hikes through the woods along the shores of Lake Cohasset and Lake Newport. From there — the address is 1861 McCollum Road — runners head first out of the park and through a residential neighborhood just outside it, and then back into the park by way of Calvary Run Drive, where they head east to meet up with Lake Glacier, one of several along the river that snakes through the park. There, they turn right and head south, following West Glacier Drive to the southern tip of the lake, where they cross over the water. The course brings runners south past the series of lakes along the river, keeping them mostly in the wooded areas along the water. There’s really very little in the way of hills — the biggest hills occur early in the race, as there’s a drop between miles 2 and 3, and then a climb of just over 130 feet in elevation between miles 3 and 4. After that, the course largely levels out for the next several miles. There’s a final uphill stretch in the last mile of the race, after runners cross over a creek and head west along Bear’s Den Road, in the home stretch back toward the Mill Creek Golf Course, where the race finish line lies.