Race Name: Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon
Race Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Number of Years Finished: 14
Years Finished: 2008 to 2021 and beyond
Best Finish Time (Year): 1:47:58 (2008)
Course Description: This course has made minor changes over time. It has always started and finished in Celebrate Virginia South near the Expo Center.
The course has headed South on Carl Silver Parkway, turning left onto Cowan Boulevard. A cut through Westwood gets runners on William Street for a trek into town.
The following 5 miles use one of the great Fredericksburg zig-zag courses below the college compressed into one square mile on Sunken Road, Kenmore Avenue, Washington Avenue, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Caroline, and Sophia Streets. Also in this section is a nice run through the center of town.
Following the river upstream, the course reaches the base of Hospitalization Hill. The climb from Mary Washington Boulevard to Cowan Boulevard goes up about 200 feet in ½ mile.
You get a little reprieve on Cowan Boulevard running downhill to Smith Run. Then it’s back uphill to cross over I-95. Some say this second uphill is more demanding than Hospitalization Hill as most have not recovered from the former.
Once over I-95, the course turns back onto Carl Silver Parkway and is flat or downhill. Spectators and earlier finishers line the final mile.
What makes this race a special memory: When the Marine Corps Marathon Association introduced this race in 2008, I had been helping with most of the local races for the previous 14 years. I was either marking courses or working results. I told race director Rick Nealis that there was finally a race in town that I could concentrate on running.
I still have to get up early for the 7 AM start. But, I can mingle with friends before and after the race, maybe consuming an adult beverage or two.
With a late May race date, the weather is warm. We’ve had a few rainy years. But, it’s a warm rain.
The field is the largest in town, having between 3000 and 7000 finishers and more local runners than a usual area race with more than 1000 from Stafford, Fredericksburg, or Spotsylvania. I’m always happy to finish in the first 50% and better than I usually do in my age group.
For the first ten years, I had done the course measurements for USATF certification. I know every turn and mile split location. I can run all of the tangents and diagonals during the race, noticing most of the field running more than the shortest possible distance.
The city streets align with the Rappahannock River, which runs northwest to southeast. Because of this, most Garmins calculate extra distance. Added to runners off the shortest possible distance route, most with Garmins believe the course is long.
I’ve been on sections of the course where the closest runner to my side is 20 feet away. I guess my extra focus does help me run faster.
Many familiar spectators line the route with large crowds on William Street and Princess Anne Street.
At the finish, the medal is large and distinct, and the post-race food in the VIP tent is plentiful. Post-race bacon before a brew is excellent, and not having to pack up a truck is a plus.
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Over the years, I’ve run 140 different races and finished some of them multiple times. To some, this is not a large number of various events. Over the years, I’ve had some memorable races and have been able to rank my favorite races. If I couldn’t visualize the course and remember how I felt, I moved a race down my rankings.
Other races on my list