The race follows gentle, flat terrain for much of the course, which starts for the full marathon in Schenectady and for the half marathon in Cohoes, at Colonie Town Park. From there, the 13.1-milers follow their 26.2-mile compatriots all the way to the finish line in Albany at Jennings Landing.
Officially titled the Hannaford Supermarkets Half Marathon, the race will take you along portions of the Mohawk Hudson River Bike/Hike Trail, an 86-mile-long paved trail that’s part of New York’s Canalway Trail, a behemoth of a trail that, when complete, will stretch more than 500 miles across the state.
Runners can expect a course with a number of downhill stretches — albeit no corresponding uphill stretches, thankfully — along several miles of bicycle paths that take runners from Cohoes to the finish line in Albany.
A favorite race for runners looking to qualify for the Boston Marathon, the event takes participants along the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers and past the historic city of Watervilet, famous for its munitions arsenal and factory that has been in operation since 1813. The marathon, like the half-marathon, finishes in downtown Albany.
The course time limit for both races is 6 hours, making walkers welcome to complete the half marathon course.