Bill Snyder Highway Half Marathon & 5K
Manhattan, KS
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Bill Snyder Highway Half and 5K presented by Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center is Manhattan’s only half marathon. The Bill Snyder Highway Half features a beautiful point-to-point route taking you from the rolling Flint Hills into Manhattan and through Campus to finish in front of the Bill Snyder Family … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 23):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 77 | 65 | 82 | 80 | 65 |
| L (°F) | 52 | 48 | 53 | 53 | 51 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
There is reason I keep doing this race
Packet pick-up is super easy. There are a lot of runners doing this race so getting your bib early is key because the store and event pick-up can get crowded. … MORE
Packet pick-up is super easy. There are a lot of runners doing this race so getting your bib early is key because the store and event pick-up can get crowded.
The course is always nice because it has no loops and no repeats. There were a lot more spectators than usual (at least to me) which was super cool to see.
The weather was nice and it was actually pretty warm to start, and it didn’t get too hot as the day went on. As one that has allergies, I can’t say that the weather didn’t do much for me there. I was a mess at mile 10.
This year the finishers had a Bill Snyder bobblehead which I found to be a fantastic alternative to a medal. AND I’M A KU FAN.
The events at the finish line were super great. Seeing yourself on the stadium big screen as you finish on the 50-yard line on the football field is always fun.
One of my Faves
Parking at the stadium is easy. Makes for a very early morning as participants are bussed to the start line far in advance of the start of the race. This … MORE
Parking at the stadium is easy. Makes for a very early morning as participants are bussed to the start line far in advance of the start of the race. This also means you start at one side of town and finish at the other which in turn (pun intended) means there is no point where you turn around to finish. Which is different than a lot of races and I appreciate.
Plenty of water stations with water and Gatorade and even some handing out GU.
The first eight miles is a straight run with minor hills (I don’t even feel the hills) through the pretty Flint Hills. There is an entire lane blocked off for runners so it is not cramped. After the eight miles, you hit civilization and crowds as you hit downtown.
The last couple miles are at a steady incline which if you are not ready for can take a lot out of you. Finishing on the 50 yard line is a really cool feature but that means you gotta climb the stairs to get out of the stadium. Because the parking is right outside the stadium means you don’t have far to go back to your vehicle.
There are a lot of photographers throughout the race and the quality of photos are very good.
There were a few vendors at the finish line but I am surprised there aren’t more.
Did not expect the PR here
...but somehow got it. 8 Miles down the highway (one lane) got a little rough with cross/head wind, but the occasional berm broke it up. Water and Gatorade every two … MORE
…but somehow got it.
8 Miles down the highway (one lane) got a little rough with cross/head wind, but the occasional berm broke it up. Water and Gatorade every two miles just about right at the aid station, with those final miles going through the outskirts of town into Manhattan, KS. About another 2-3 miles through town, a mile or so on the campus followed by a mile 12 that was almost entirely uphill until you arrive at K-State’s Bill Snyder stadium.
Coming into the stadium and finishing on the 50-yard line was a great experience, even if you don’t care for football. Not a lot of crowd support, shockingly, but the court marshals were great and the aid stations volunteers were mostly pretty well motivated but always quick to get a cup out regardless. I signed up for this race because everybody’s done it here and I was going to do it as a one-and-done to check that box. This, despite the fact that if you do it 3 years in a row your medals link up to say KSU (University initials) and I’m a sucker for medals that link or make a series or something. The tshirt was pretty mid but they had a nice shoe bag as well for putting muddy shoes in, so you don’t mess up your car. Too bad I’m usually in combat boots. Well, the race was great despite a brutal Mile 13 – uphill nearly the whole way with one really rough hill towards the front. If I hadn’t had an amazingly motivating race buddy there (shout out to ccruiz03!) I likely would have let the hills get to me at the end and lost pace on the monotony of the highway. It’s a good course though, despite how this review sounds. I can already see myself doing it next year. Be warned though, there’s not a bit of shade for 10-11 of these miles, so it can get punishing in the wrong weather.
Hooked on medal series, decent race
Due to roadwork the course was changed to run from the stadium, flat course, a mile of gravel, windy through campus, needs better food after, just had bananas and granola … MORE
Due to roadwork the course was changed to run from the stadium, flat course, a mile of gravel, windy through campus, needs better food after, just had bananas and granola bars. Packet was great and flexible.
Nice mix of environments, will run again
Board a bus to be taken 13.1 miles outside of town, near the interstate, see a beautiful sunrise, then like ~8 miles of perfectly straight rolling highway miles until civilization. … MORE
Board a bus to be taken 13.1 miles outside of town, near the interstate, see a beautiful sunrise, then like ~8 miles of perfectly straight rolling highway miles until civilization. Nice run through town, around a park and finish on the 50 yard line (on the practice field, as there were technical issues), nice swag, part of a three year medal series, so will come back next year and the year after that. Very nice participants ~600 or so i think. They do offer a 5k as well
Highway Man
Watch the sunrise on the highway in the town. Lots if down hill the first half in the highway then leads into town through some neighborhoods and would normally finish … MORE
Watch the sunrise on the highway in the town.
Lots if down hill the first half in the highway then leads into town through some neighborhoods and would normally finish on K-State football field but COVID changed it this year. I think it has since returned to that finish.
Plenty of aid stations
COVID effected post race activities
Decent swag dr-fit shirt and medal
I would recommend this race
First 5 miles set the tone
Atmosphere: The fellow runners were great and supportive. I really enjoyed my pacer. He gave a pep talk before the race and I think his general attitude helped reassure my … MORE
Atmosphere: The fellow runners were great and supportive. I really enjoyed my pacer. He gave a pep talk before the race and I think his general attitude helped reassure my worries as this was my first race. I wish every pacer did this. Because the first 8 miles are on the highway, there wasn’t really spectator support at the beginning which was a little daunting. Getting into town though, there were people cheering racers on which was really nice.
Course layout: You get shuttled out to the highway start line. My friend convinced me to race this half by saying it was all downhill. lol. the first five miles were pretty much uphill. Add that on top of no spectators and it really sucked. If you get through it, I am sure you will have a great rest of the race. If not, it can be real demoralizing. Then you have a huge drop down for 2ish miles. Definitely practice hills. You run through part of KSU’s campus which is nice. And then you see the stadium where you finish. But you have run around the entire parking lot to get there. 1 mile. It sucked. Maybe if I was an avid runner it would have been fine. But it was my first half, I was a little underprepared and it sucked to know I was so close yet so far away at the same time. Then you finish on the field which is awesome. Until you realize you have to walk up the stadium stairs to get out. Not fun at all.
Swag and such: I don’t remember if there was food at the end. I think I was so exhausted because I ran faster than I trained for. But after I got out of the stadium, I was handed a chick-fil-a sandwich. My husband still mentions that to this day when I tell him about other races. He expects it every time lol. This was pre-covid and Bill Snyder was still the coach at the time (I think) so things may be different now but I got to take a picture with him and he signed my medal (really cool medal). They had socks this year which was cool.
Personal best 5K
Not a hard course. Manhattan KS starting and ending in the parking lot at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. In conjunction with the half marathon. Which I have not run yet... MORE
Not a hard course. Manhattan KS starting and ending in the parking lot at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. In conjunction with the half marathon. Which I have not run yet…