The half marathon will follow a clockwise loop course that starts and finishes at Danenberger Family Vineyard in New Berlin, just southwest of downtown Springfield (where a previous version of the course took place).
From there, runners take a tour of New Berlin’s country roads on a course that is mostly fast and flat with some gentle rolling hills. In fact, there’s only one large uphill climb around mile seven, and the climb is barely fifty feet. The race offers runners an excellent chance at personal records and good times, and the full marathon, which is a double loop of the half marathon, is a Boston qualifier.
The race, which is sponsored by the Springfield Clinic, will also offer training programs — 18 weeks for the full marathon, 16 weeks for the half marathon and 10 weeks for the 10K (see the race website for more info).