Yesterday, I had the privelege of running the Raleigh Half Marathon course from start to finish. I ran with my watch tucked away, completely by feel (using the Strava app on my phone). Hopefully these notes will help you on race day! – Pat Price, Co-Race Director
The Raleigh Half Marathon course was carefully crafted to offer the “flattest and fastest” course in Raleigh. There’s a few bumps out there, but nothing that’s going to take you off your game. The course is USATF certified and the race is fully sanctioned, in case you’re going for a record! And if you want to check it out on Strava, here’s the route, and here’s the official segment. You may as well join the Sir Walter Running Club page while you’re at it, as we do some fun Strava Challenges from time to time.
Now, on to the course… The start is dead flat before heading downhill towards the Neuse River Greenway Trail. You’ll have a little over a half mile in your legs before hitting the out and back part of the course. The mile mark is right by my favorite place to park when running the Neuse, the Buffaloe Road Canoe Launch, located at 4901 Elizabeth Dr, Raleigh, NC 27604. This also marks the Sir Walter Running adopted Mile 11 (to 10) of the Neuse River Trail, which is a great spot to do mile repeats, if you’re doing Coach Stephen Furst’s Raleigh Half Marathon Training Program.
Miles 2 and 3 have some very gentle rolling, but set you up for a nice section to really dial into your pace. Right after 5k, you’ll pass Trailhead Lane (located at 198 Trailhead Ln, Raleigh, NC 27616). This 4th mile is as flat as they come. Mile 5 kicks off with the journey over the big wooden bridge and runs along the backside of North Raleigh Christian Academy. Right at the start of the 6th mile, you’ll pass the WRAL Soccer Complex on your left and take the hard right for the last mile and a half or so before the turnaround. This section is dead flat, right along the Neuse River.
Once you make the turnaround, the fun starts. You’ll re-trace the same course that you’ve faced on the way out, and it’s mostly flat until some gentle, ever so slightly rolling hills between miles 10 and 11.
The fun starts with around 1000 meters to go when you make the turn back towards Buffaloe Road Athletic Park. If you ran the Raleigh Half Marathon Sampler Strava Challenge, you know “Sir Walter’s Revenge” is coming. While not long, the 0.1 mile hill may seem like a mountain at this point in the race. The good news is that once it’s done, you’ll be able to see the finish. The final run along the greenway is the gateway to the Buffaloe Road Athletic Park Track.
After crossing the road and entering the “stadium” a la the Olympic Games, you’ll be able to celebrate those first 13 miles in style with a last .1 of fun! See you at the finish!