Course Description
The Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon begins on Monroe Street across the street from the Florida Capitol. Runners begin traveling north through Downtown before turning onto the rolling hills of the Glenview Drive residential area, through trendy Midtown, and on the tree-lined Calhoun Street and Franklin Boulevard.
After passing the Smoky Hollow Commemoration, runners loop around Cascades Park beside ponds and open green spaces, then climb the Lafayette Street hill to pass through the beautiful Myers Park neighborhood.
The runners next enjoy a long downhill as they cross the Capital Cascades Crossing pedestrian bridge and run along FAMU Way, getting into the Rattler spirit with Florida A&M University to the left and the funky Railroad Square Art Park to the right. The half marathon runners head toward Florida State University, and the full marathon runners turn onto the pancake-flat St. Marks Trail, a paved footpath in a former railroad bed with sections of tree canopy to enjoy. In the middle of the St. Marks Trail section, the course runs alongside Lake Henrietta and through the Jake Gaither neighborhood, so-named for the legendary Florida A&M University football coach.
The full marathon runners then re-join the half marathon course and make their way to Florida State University, passing through the Stadium Drive pedestrian tunnel leading past Doak Campbell Stadium and Dick Howser Stadium. The course then crosses through the southwestern end of campus and through the CollegeTown district’s Madison Mile to the finish line.
The course is on completely paved surfaces except for a 0.1 mile dirt access path on the full marathon route only.
All races will start together at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time. There is a 6-hour cutoff for both races. However, all half marathoners must maintain a 15 minute per mile average. All full marathoners and relay runners must maintain a pace of 13:44 per mile or faster.
Runners who cannot make the needed time checkpoints at every mile are encouraged to stop as there will not be traffic control, water tables, or a finish time provided to those participants. While they will not be forced to stop, any runners who continue must do so unsupported on the sidewalk and not in the road. Unsupported means that police will not be available to stop traffic at intersections and runners will be responsible for their own safety.
The race will be scored with an electronic timing system. Timing mats will be located at the start/finish area and at certain spots along the course. All participants will receive both a gun time and a chip time. Runners on the full marathon course will also receive a 13.1-mile split time.