Augusta University Half Marathon

Augusta University Half Marathon

Augusta University Half Marathon

( 2 reviews )
100% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Augusta,
    Georgia,
    United States
  • February
  • 6 miles/10K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Andy Allen

Augusta, Georgia, United States
11 5
2020
"Augusta University Half Marathon, or, The Battle of "The Hill""
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Andy Allen's thoughts:

Outside of the Ironman Augusta 70.3, there are two other big races in our town of Augusta, GA. One is the Palmetto Peach. The other is this, the Augusta University Half Marathon. This course presented some unique challenges, had a fairly attractive route, and is one I would most definitely run again.

The Expo & Packet Pick-Up:

The expo and packet pick-up was held this year at the Salvation Army Kroc Center down on Broad St. There were some great local vendors with table swag, and it was nice to see the community support. The Augusta Sports Council does a great job with this event each and every year, and this was no exception. The pick-up was very well organized with a fun little bingo-style card incentivizing participants to visit each of the vendor tables for a free prize if you completed your card, if you wished to partake.

The swag was a really nice tech style long sleeve shirt with some other odds & ends in the bag. Publix supermarket happened to be one of the community vendors in attendance and I have to say, the avocado slicer they had as a freebie on their table was one of the cooler things I've picked up at an event.

Parking on Race Day:

Tons of optimal parking for the event, most notably the parking deck on Reynolds about a block up from the start/finish area. The cost is pretty minimal, just a few dollars, and the lot is safe and in a high traffic area attached to the Augusta Convention Center.

The Race:

This race takes place in early February so the morning wind was a biting, but it had warmed up around the halfway point. I would recommend a running beanie or something for your ears for sure when you start. There weren't a ton of participants at this event, which was actually kind of nice, although it would be great to see it turned into a destination event for runners who like to travel and explore new places. We started on Reynolds St and ran up alongside the Savannah River for a brief moment, before circling back and heading off into the historic "Olde Towne" area for a bit. This area, while full of character, is a bit run down and not anywhere you'd run on your own outside of this race. I'd love to see them utilize more of Broad St, Green St, or Telfair for this event.

The race was relatively flat for the first few miles, but just before the halfway point comes the biggest challenge in the Augusta area . . . the "Hill."

Side Note: The Hill is a beautiful residential area with huge old homes, and also the location of the historic Summerville campus of Augusta University. The campus was originally an arsenal for the United States Army, moving from downtown to the Summerville campus in 1826. It was used for various tasks from small arms and rifle repair to equipment manufacturing from the Spanish-American War right up through WW2. I had the opportunity to do my undergrad here and it has a lot of charm.

The Hill in this race, however, is about a mile or two stretch at a fairly gradual yet aggressive incline up one street over from Central Ave. The reward for completing the uphill is a really sweet one or two mile stretch downhill through the backside of the Summerville area and into historic the historic Frog Hollow area. Once you make it downhill, you're back on flat land again for the remainder of the race.

Mile 11 was a really nice treat, as the organizers had set it up as a "Blue Mile" of sorts. There were photos every 5-10 feet for an entire mile memorializing individual service men and women from the Augusta area, and it was a cause for great pride and patriotic tears to see the sacrifices so many from our town have made.

Coming into the last couple miles on Broad Street back into the Augusta Common to cross the finish line was open and empty, and almost no crowd support until the very end, but it was a nice stretch to get a final kick in and really push hard to finish strong.

I self-support with a hydration pack and my own nutrition so I don't really pay close attention to the aide stations, but they seemed appropriately placed every 2-3 miles w/a port-a-potty or two at each station. The volunteers at the stations were kind and offered encouragement as you ran through.

The Finish Area:

Once you crossed the finish line and grabbed your medal, that was pretty much it for this race. There was a small snack tent handing out the usual suspects (Bananas, oranges, trailmix, water, etc), and a couple food trucks off to the far side of the Augusta Common. There was also an area to redeem your beer ticket for a post-race beverage, but not a lot of pomp & circumstance.

Overall:

This is a fun race to do if you have the opportunity, but I'll probably only do this one once. If you're looking for a race with a more scenic route in the Augusta area, I'd recommend checking out the Palmetto Peach in November.

Happy Running!

If you're traveling into the area, my recommendations for good eats are:

The Whiskey Bar & Kitchen - 1048 Broad St, Augusta, GA 30901
The Boll Weevil Cafe (for dessert) - 10 James Brown Blvd, Augusta, GA 30901
Soy Noodle House - 1032 Broad St, Augusta, GA 30901
Sole Augusta - 1033 Broad St, Augusta, GA 30901
The Pizza Joint - 1245 Broad St, Augusta, GA 30901
TakoSushi - 437 Highland Ave, Augusta, GA 30909 (Surrey Center)
Oliviana - 399 Highland Ave, Augusta, GA 30909 (Surrey Center)
Sheehan's Irish Pub - 2571 Central Ave, Augusta, GA 30909

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