The point-to-point course for the half marathon starts at about the mid-way point of the full, 26.2-mile marathon, in Mirabeau Park in the town of Spokane Valley, which lies just to the east of Spokane.
From there, runners follow the park roadways through Mirabeau Park and then enter the Centennial Trail, which they follow along with those running the full marathon all the way to the finish line in Spokane’s Riverfront Park.
Made up of about 37 miles of paved trails that start at the Washington-Idaho state line and wind their way all the way westward into Spokane and then northward to Nine Mile Falls, Wash., the Centennial Trail follows the contours of the winding Spokane River and is a popular local destination for walkers, joggers, rollerbladers, runners and cyclists throughout the year.
The views along the race route are a big part of the attraction of this race, as the Spokane River is usually rushing with heavy flows thanks to the melting snow running off from the nearby mountains.
The half marathon also starts off flat and then unfolds along a mostly downhill route all the way to the finish, with some rolling hills as runners are approaching the mid-point of the 13.1-mile race course.
For the 2024 race — the event’s 16th annual running — both the half and the full marathons are USATF-certified, and the full marathon is a Boston Marathon qualifying race.