New Bedford Half Marathon

The course itself – which is a single loop that’s fast and made up entirely of paved city streets – offers a number of hills, with the two most significant hills around miles 3 and 12.
From the starting and finish line on Purchase Street, the race’s first few miles feature views of the New Bedford Harbor waterfront, and then the course turns westward back into the city, past sights such as Buttonwood Park and the city’s Whaling National Historic Park, which commemorates New Bedford’s importance as “the whaling city” during the 19th century.
Rated among the top 25 half-marathons by Runner’s World magazine and the top half in New England by New England Runner, the event is a challenging one largely because of its weather conditions, which have ranged from a high of 64 degrees in 2003 to just north of 17 degrees in 2000.
As described by past participant Geoff Smith, who holds the course record, the New Bedford Half is the “people’s race” thanks to its popularity among working-class runners in the local area and the region.