Timed to coincide with Parkersburg’s annual Homecoming Festival Parade, which brings thousands of spectators out along the Market Street finish line, the News & Sentinal Half Marathon & 2-Mile Race takes participants on a tour of the rolling hills in and around the third-largest city in West Virginia, through downtown city streets, parks and suburban neighborhoods south of the city.
Starting at the intersection of 3rd and Juliana Streets downtown, the race takes runners through inner neighborhoods for the first couple of miles, with some steep uphills and downhills before crossing over the Little Kanawha River around the mile 2 marker.
The next several miles bring a much more “outskirts of the city” feel to the race, as runners turn onto Marrtown Road and then Ghion Road, passing South Hills Golf Club along the way.
The terrain stays hilly for the next few miles (from mile markers 5 through 8) as runners hit the southernmost point in the race and begin the trek back towards town, extending the loop course along Rayon Drive before turning onto Camden Avenue.
Miles 9 through 11 take runners and walkers back across the Little Kanawha along Route 95, and back into downtown for the final two miles to the finish line at 6th & Market Streets.
Run entirely on paved surfaces, the race features an overall elevation change of about 150 feet, from a low of about 600 feet above sea level at the 1-mile marker to a high of about 750 feet at the third-mile marker.
Both the half marathon and the two-mile race share early starting times. The event also includes youth races for children ages 6 through 11 and a “Tiny Tot Trot” for kids under 5, which take place the next day.
All photos courtesy News & Sentinel Half Marathon
