Earth Day half marathon

earth day half marathon


Race organizers call this "Minnesota's Premier Half Marathon event" and the number of attendees ans spectators certainly give credence to that -- the spring 2009 running of the Earth Day Half Marathon welcomed an estimated 2,000 runners (for the half-marathon alone) and 3,500 spectators to the streets of downtown St. Cloud, for an event that serves also as the state's USATF Half Marathon Championships.

earth day half marathon
Part of a two-day festival to celebrate both Earth Day and the ninth annual running of this event, the race starts and finishes downtown just south of 10th Street, and takes runners on an out-and-back tour of the city's neighborhoods, parks and bridges crossing the stretch of the mighty Mississippi River that criscrosses through the heart of the city. In addition to the 13.1-mile half marathon for individual runners, there is also a half-marathon relay, 5K and a 1K race for kids.

By turns long, straight and flat as well as hilly, the race course features its biggest changes in elevation around the 1/4-point, halfway point and 3/4-point in the race, when runners will experience fairly significant declines followed by rapidly rising hills. The last two miles of the race, which will no doubt comfort participants, are flat.

The individual-runner half marathon is limited to 2,000 participants, while the 5K and 1K youth run are limited to 900 and 400 participants, respectively. The half marathon and relay will start on Saturday morning at 8:30 AM, while the 5K and 1K will take place the previous Friday evening.


Race Weather & Climate

Set about 60 miles northwest of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the city of St. Cloud straddles the great Mississippi River and enjoys much the same weather as its much larger neighboring city to the south -- cold winters, mild summers and cool springtime weather. In April, temperatures average between 55°F and 32°F, while rainfall amounts average about 2.13 inches for the month.


Fees

N/A


Registration

earth day half marathon
Registration is not yet open for the spring 2011 running of St. Cloud's Earth Day Half Marathon. Please check back for updated information on how to sign up for this race, or visit the website shown below.