Runners get the chance to run across the wide, scenic Wabash River twice along the course at West Lafayette’s Purdue Boilermaker Half Marathon & 5K, which runs at the home of Purdue University along an out-and-back loop course with a combination of hills and flat stretches both through the university campus as well as several city parks. The starting line for the race lies on campus at Ross-Ade Stadium along John Wooden Drive, which is named of course for the legendary UCLA college basketball coach whose teams won an unprecedented 10 NCAA national championships in a dozen-year period, and who played for Purdue during his college days.
From there, the course heads south toward Tower Drive and Russell Street, beginning a stretch that takes runners past a number of the university’s athletic fields, including its intramural ball fields and the golf course.