Runners will get to see many of the local landmarks and sights that give Charleston its southern beauty and charming style along the half marathon route, which follows a point-to-point course that starts in downtown Charleston near the area known as “south of Broad,” and takes runners through the city as well as the North Charleston area before heading in to the finish line at Riverfront Park.
While the course map shows that there are indeed some rolling hills to be found along the course, runners should experience overall a very flat and fast race, as Charleston lies near the coast and so itself is very flat throughout the city.
One thing to note is that unlike many larger city races, the streets in Charleston can be fairly narrow — especially along the stretches that bring runners through the city’s downtown and historic districts — so you’ll want to run with care through these areas, as spectators are likely to be found here.
The half marathon also is open to runners and walkers, though the full marathon is open to runners only.
What it’s like to run the streets of Charleston, S.C. (Photo by Brian Cribb/flickr)
WHAT IT’S LIKE TO RUN THE STREETS OF CHARLESTON, S.C. (PHOTO BY BRIAN CRIBB/FLICKR)
The event also is a fundraiser for the locally-based Youth Endowment for the Arts, which works to provide access to the arts experiences to all Charleston-area children — and you’ll notice when you’re in the city what a huge part of life the arts is here, from the galleries along King and Queen Streets downtown to the annual Spoleto arts festival the city holds each spring.
More than 4,500 runners crossed the finish line in the full marathon, half marathon and 5K combined at the race’s 2016 running.
