Blue Ridge Marathon
Blue Ridge Half-Marathon
Start Time: 7:30 AM
Registration Deadline: 4/24/2010
Registration Fee: $85
Click here for details»
Blue Ridge Marathon
Start Time: 7:30 AM
Registration Deadline: 4/24/2010
Registration Fee: $100
Click here for details»
Course Information:
Inaugural event. Local runners have crafted one of the most challenging and beautiful marathons on the east coast. The full marathon course includes 3,076 feet of total elevation gain and 6,140 feet of total elevation change. The uphill portions will test each runner’s strength and endurance while the equally challenging downhill sections are sure to weed out those who are unprepared. The breathtaking views and stunning Blue Ridge Mountain scenery are sure offer some reprieve to runners as they persevere to the finish line!
Not only does the course include beautiful mountain scenery, it also offers an iconic START and FINISH in front of two well-known and historic locations in downtown Roanoke: The Taubman Museum of Art and the historic Hotel Roanoke.
Runners start in the heart of the city in front of the Taubman Museum of Art. The course begins easily with one mile of rolling hills, before taking its first turn upward as runners begin the 2-mile climb up Mill Mountain. At the top of the day's initial climb, the race enters the Blue Ridge Parkway, where there are several lengthy and challenging hills over the next two-plus miles. Then runners will encounter the most beautiful portion of the course - the climb up Roanoke Mountain.
Roanoke Mountain ascends approx. 780 feet in two miles with multiple switchbacks. The steep decent on the back of Roanoke Mountain is beautiful and difficult as the gradient forces runners to keep their speed in check.
After 4 miles of climbing and descending, the course returns to the Blue Ridge Parkway where runners re-trace their steps toward Mill Mountain with a quick loop of the Roanoke Mountain campground. Runners will then ascend Mill Mountain to the Mill Mountain Star. From the Star, runners will encounter another major 2-mile decent down Prospect Avenue. Back on the valley floor the final 10 miles is rolling with several challenging hills, but no additional significant climbs.
The Valley section of the course briefly skirts the Roanoke River and a commercial district on Franklin Road before turning into the historic area known as South Roanoke, famous for its beautiful homes. A long climb awaits on Avenham Avenue as you turn into the neighborhood. The hill willcrest right at 20 miles.
The terrain flattens out for the next 3 miles as you emerge from the neighborhood and make your way along the Roanoke River on a portion of Roanoke's greenway system. Beware of a very short but steep hill just before mile 24. The final two miles return you to downtown where the course takes you past the Virginia Museum of Transportation, The O Winston Link Museum, over the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge and to the finish less than a quarter mile from the start at Historic Hotel Roanoke.
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