Alton Half Marathon
Alton, IL
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The annual Alton Half Marathon is a kickoff to spring of sorts for the Alton area. Runners and walkers gathered at Alton’s Riverfront Park for the race, which began at 8 a.m. The race was sponsored by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery, Scott Credit Union, … MORE
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Running along the river
This course offed some nice scenery running on the Clark Bridge over the Mississippi River, into Missouri, along the river and back, then along the river in Illinois. It is … MORE
This course offed some nice scenery running on the Clark Bridge over the Mississippi River, into Missouri, along the river and back, then along the river in Illinois. It is not particularly hilly other than running up and down some levees and the bridge. The challenging part was running into an easterly wind for miles 3-4.5 in Missouri and then especially for miles 8-10.25 in Illinois. Being along the river, it seems the wind would be a factor in some way every year.
Chip timing with a split given for the 5-mile mark.
Adequate number of aid station present, though not a lot of spectators along the route. Much of the running in Missouri is a roadway into a wildlife wetlands and on the Illinois side is one lane of a highway and the top of a levee, so it’s not through residential or commercial areas where people might come out to watch.
The swag was ok, nothing special. A water bottle, nice long-sleeve tech shirt and standard finisher’s medal, although I like their logo with the distinctive Clark Bridge.
I picked up this race because I had a gap in my schedule and wanted to stay sharp between some other half marathons. I’m happy I ran it and would run it again, but it’s a very basic event, a good challenge. The weather was really good in 2019, and I imagine it could really be something exposed along the river with cooler temps or more wind.
Loved Alton Illinois Half Marathon 2019
I prefer small “hometown” races as opposed to those big “for profit” ones. The Alton Illinois Half Marathon met this criteria. They answered email questions quickly, they had a warmth … MORE
I prefer small “hometown” races as opposed to those big “for profit” ones. The Alton Illinois Half Marathon met this criteria.
They answered email questions quickly, they had a warmth at the packet pickup (and later at the finish line) that only happens with smaller races. The medal had a representation of the bridge which made it very special and I even got a second medal for coming in first in my age group. The long-sleeve tech shirt was fantastic with a bridge design on it and had a great fit. It was the type of shirt you usually only get at big races.
Parking was a breeze-adjacent to the start line. Plenty of portapotties at start and enough along the route. Each water stop had awesome encouraging volunteers. Along with enthusiastic volunteers cheering us across the line (even those of us at the “end of the pack”) were plenty of snacks – water, bananas, bagels, etc. Big shout out to those bicyclists (especially the one with the “Angry Birds” helmet) who were passing out Twizzlers and encouragement along the way.
The race route was absolutely awesome. It runs alongside the Mississippi River on both the Illinois and Missouri side. We ran through a beautiful Mississippi National Wetlands area on the Missouri side. It was thrilling to cross the beautiful Clark Bridge twice. There was minimal “road-share” with cars but where it was, there was plenty of safe space coned off.
The weather was overcast and in the 40s so ideal running weather. Course was open for 4 hours so very friendly for those of us “slower” run/walkers.
Alton itself is a very friendly small town with an interesting history (Lincoln/Douglas debates, home of tallest man and Miles Davis, etc.) Their downtown has great restaurants including Morrisons Irish Pub which we loved. It’s just across the river from St Louis, so you can easily get in a trip to the Arch and the Budweiser Brewery when visiting the area.
I highly recommend this race and would definitely do it again if I was in the area.