Saturday, August 12, 2023 • Tacoma, WA • Course Map
Runners get the chance to tackle the challenge of the long and daunting uphill and downhill over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at Washington’s Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon, which was first run in the summer of 2008 to fill the absence of the Pacific Rim Half Marathon, held here until 2003.
From the starting line at Tacoma Narrows Airport on Gig Harbor, runners follow the course’s first two miles within the Gig Harbor area on the west side of the Narrows, along a mile-long stretch up 14th Avenue and Highway 16 to the Madrona Links Golf Course and back.
Runners pass the second mile marker as they run past the starting line and head back out onto Highway 16, which will take them over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the longest twin suspension bridge in the world.
This section of the race — the bridge itself is a mile long — features a long uphill and nearly as equally long downhill, runners who’ve run the race report. The view from running across the bridge is spectacular, however, looking out over the water and onto the skyline of downtown Tacoma in the distance.
Runners experience a nice long downhill as they descend from the bridge into Living War Memorial Park on the east side of the Narrows and continue the race along Highway 16, turning off at the intersection with Jackson Avenue for a stretch of the race through neighborhoods and park areas.
After a brief detour off the highway along 10th and 11th Streets, the race route converges again with Highway 16 and takes runners southeast, through Tacoma’s China Lake Park and then for a run around the outfield warning track inside Cheney Stadium, the home of the AAA-level Tacoma Rainiers minor league baseball team.
Runners then meet up once again with the highway as the course continues its direction heading east, past Snake Lake Park and the Allenmore Public Golf Course on its way into downtown Tacoma. The race finish line lies at the edge of the University of Washington campus, near the corner of 17th and Commerce Streets.
Race Weather & Climate
Located at the southern end of Puget Sound in the western part of the state, about a 40-minute drive south from Seattle, Tacoma experiences its warmest and driest weather of the year in August, when temperatures routinely reach the upper 70s.
On race day (Aug. 12), the average low is 56ºF and the average high is 77ºF.
Past Results
- 2022 Half Marathon Results
- 2019 Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon Results
- 2018 Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon Results
- 2017 Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon Results
- 2016 Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon Results
- 2015 Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon Results
- 2014 Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon Results
- 2013 Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon Results
- 2011 Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon Results
Course Map
See the race route map for the Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon here.
Starting Time
7:30 AM
Course Time Limit
4 hours
Fees
$65 – $105 for the half marathon
Registration
To reserve your spot in the 2023 running of the Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon, register online at RunSignUp.com here.
Official Race Website
tcmaevents.com/tacoma-narrows-half
Comments
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