Nittany Valley Half Marathon
December 8, 2024
State College
Road
500-1000
Challenging
Small Town
High: 40°
/ Low: 33°
Overview
First run in 1984 as part of the final running of the Nittany Valley Marathon, the Nittany Valley Half Marathon has since blossomed into one of the region’s most popular road races, drawing several hundred runners each year.
The race, which is open to both runners and walkers, remains open to traffic throughout the event, so participants need to be aware of their surroundings as well as the 3-hour time limit for the event.
Course Description
The terrain for the half-marathon is a mixture of paved roadways and gravel surfaces along both suburban and rural roads, and unfolds across mostly flat ground for much of the course – though certainly not all of it.
The total elevation change throughout the 13.1-mile course amounts to roughly 300 feet, and includes some seriously challenging hills.
There is a long and steep downhill immediately after mile 7 known as the Red Rock Ravine, two difficult uphill stretches right after miles 9 and 10, and what race organizers describe as a “final, soul-crushing” uphill just before the race finish line. As the event’s website puts it, “this is where the praying starts.”
Needless to say, heed the race organizers’ helpful hints not to start out too fast and to keep pace with fellow runners who share your own comfortable speed, to help make sure you don’t run out of gas for the last brutal mile of the race.
