Often called “the South’s fastest marathon,” the race features a course along mostly flat and shaded terrain — about 80 percent of the course is shaded — through the streets of Jacksonville and along the St. John’s River downtown.
There are no “hills, bridges or overpasses” along the race route, organizers note, which should make for a very fast race indeed for many runners, as well as an excellent place to set personal record time.
From the starting line at the school (at 7400 San Jose Boulevard), the 13.1-mile half marathon course follows the same route as the 26.2-mile marathon course until just after the seven-mile marker, where runners in the half split off from those running the full and merge onto Scott Mill Road.
Along the way, the course features some very small changes in elevation but overall, the elevation for the course remains largely the same throughout the race. Both races finish back at the Bolles School’s track and field athletic complex, and the half-marathon course will not take runners around the Forest Circle portion of the route in the second half of the race.