Battlefield Half Marathon & 5K
Winchester, VA
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Experience the breathtaking beauty of fall in the Shenandoah Valley by participating in the region’s top half marathon or the new 5K! Whether you choose 13.1 or 3.1 miles, these races offer a challenge for seasoned runners or novice runners. The starting line is situated in the historic Kernstown Battlefield, … MORE
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Meh
An okay race with a well marked course. The out and back at the beginning and end are odd, and are obviously there just to get the distance. There are … MORE
An okay race with a well marked course. The out and back at the beginning and end are odd, and are obviously there just to get the distance. There are three official waterstops, nothing to write home about. They also coincide with the relay exchanges. There aren’t a lot of people to cheer you on since the course is mainly on back country roads. The swag consists of a cotton tshirt you pick up at a nonexistent expo. The race could have a lot more participants with more effort in the planning.
My Favorite Local Half Marathon
I love my home town of Winchester, Virginia which has many local races throughout the year. However my personal favorite is the Battlefield Half Marathon. First of all it is … MORE
I love my home town of Winchester, Virginia which has many local races throughout the year. However my personal favorite is the Battlefield Half Marathon. First of all it is held during one of the most beautiful times of the year in early November when the leaves are usually at their peak autumn colors. Second, the course runs through the back country side roads of Winchester where the traffic is scarce and the scenery is wonderful.
The race is highly organized. Thought not much communication is sent out via prior to the race, and email with detailed information is provided a few days prior to the race. Packet pickup is available the day before or race day morning, and the swag provided by Frederick County Parks and Recreation Department is awesome. This year included a t-shirt, long-sleeve pull over, and a hat!
The parking and logistics of this marathon are incredibly smooth with close to 400 runners attending. Being held near a historic battlefield, there is plenty of parking with room to spare.
Through the first 2 miles the course does a loop through a local community before heading back through the battlefield and then out onto the roadways. The course is moderately hilly with some sloping inclines from around mile 3 through mile 10. I used my hydration pack for the race, but if I recall, water stops are roughly every 3 miles or so (maybe shorter). Some stops provided snacks, but not all.
Note that there is not much course support during the middle of the course aside from the water / relay team stops, but the country side scenery makes up for it. It is really peaceful during the middle of the race which I particularly enjoy.
All finishers receive a high quality medal upon finishing. I set a half marathon PR on this course last year, and ran it this year for fun having just run a marathon PR 3 weeks prior. I plan on running it next year again and highly recommend it if you are looking to run a half marathon full of peaceful country scenery.
Lovely Local Half Marathon in Winchester
The race is held at the Kernstown Battlefield area just a bit south down Route 11 from the center of Winchester City. The race starts from the battlefield area, runs … MORE
The race is held at the Kernstown Battlefield area just a bit south down Route 11 from the center of Winchester City. The race starts from the battlefield area, runs through a nearby suburb, back through the battlefield on a trail, and then onto the back country roads before returning to the finish at Creekside Station (a local shopping complex).
I picked up my race packet the day before which was held at a facility close to the race location. The swag included a really nice racing athletic shirt and hat along with other goodies. It was one of the best race packets I’ve had the pleasure of receiving.
With a start time of 8 a.m., I arrived early the morning of the race around 6:45 a.m. anticipating parking challenges, however the organizers make TONS of parking available via a nearby field close to the start, so parking was not an issue.
The start of the race is really cool as they shoot off an actual civil war canon instead of using a starter pistol. It was pretty flat at the beginning of the race going through the suburb area and back across the battlefield, but once the course led onto the back roads through Frederick County, there were quite a few significant hills to battle. Each morning when I run I deal with fairly steep hills on my home course so I was thankful for being prepared for that.
Also there is not much crowd support along the race course aside from the volunteers at the various aide stations, so the mental challenge was significant too. I do remember one family sitting outside their home along one of the back roads saying “You are halfway there!” when we were only around mile 5 or so. Tricksters!
This was my first time running this local race and my first time doing a half-marathon distance for time, and I somehow, someway managed to exceed my goals and get a pretty decent time.
Post-race festivities included a finishers medal with music and plenty of the usual refreshments along with pizza. I think this race is one of the best that is offered in the Winchester area and I plan on definitely doing it again next year!