Bluegrass Half Marathon
Johnson City, TN
- Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Join for one of the premier half marathons in the region. The Bluegrass Half Marathon start & finish will be located at or near the Farmer’s Market Pavilion at Founder’s Park. The parking area at the Pavilion will be closed for the staging of the finish area and post race … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Sep 27):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 76 | 82 | 79 | 67 | 78 |
| L (°F) | 63 | 69 | 58 | 43 | 47 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
The Hills Were Worth the Drive
I took a bit of a gamble with this half marathon - there weren't very reviews online and the half marathon doesn't have a huge social media presence (hot tip: … MORE
I took a bit of a gamble with this half marathon – there weren’t very reviews online and the half marathon doesn’t have a huge social media presence (hot tip: if you’re still on Facebook, follow both the Bluegrass Half Marathon and the Goose Chase – they don’t post anything about the race until about a month before, then suddenly both pages explode about the BG half marathon – they were good about answering my questions and giving info via email the week of the race), but it was a 3 hour drive from SC and I wanted to explore a new part of Tennessee / get my Tennessee half marathon knocked out in a different part of the state (I did my Tennessee marathon in Chattanooga). And it was only $45 to sign up, so I figured it would be worth the drive and if it was awful, I could always double back up and do another TN race for the memories.
-Quick packet pick up the day before, also available morning of – so if you find another race in NC/VA and want to double, that’s on the table
-Fair amount of parking near the start/finish, but good luck if you try to go out the night before. We circled the area for 20 minutes trying to find parking before my husband made a spot. The race is the same weekend as ETSU parent weekend (a choice) and Football Saturday in the South, so it was a smidge busy. But we ate at a German restaurant and it was super good.
-Nice cotton shirt – I’ll definitely be wearing mine
-Baby medal, but it fit the Bluegrass theme (a banjo in front of a wagon wheel) and for $45, it’s within the price point
-Race communication via email the week of the race. They just sent the same email out like four times, lol, but it was consistent and informative.
-Free race pics – more or less just someone randomly taking pics at a few points on the course, but it was nice to have a pic of us on the course and at the finish line
-Nice tour of Johnson City – it’s an old city, so it was through a few lower income areas (we may or may not have watched someone break into a house around mile 3 – seriously), nicer houses, ETSU, and a couple of the main roads. Traffic was okay, I didn’t feel unsafe at any point. Not every residential intersection was blocked, so we had to be aware but there weren’t any issues/we finished before the church crowd really hit the roads.
-Hilly, but not terrible for being in Eastern Tennessee. I was able to run all of them but lots of people walked and we all finished around the same time. So, you do you. It’s the next day and I’m walking normally/no issues on stairs. I’ll add my Garmin elevation chart to the pics.
It definitely felt like Tennessee. It was misty that morning, so it was nice to see “smoke” in the mountains while we were running. Heard Southern accents all around and the national anthem was a really stirring recording of a bluegrass cover. And I saw a baby black bear off the interstate when we left town, so 10/10 for Tennessee experience.
JC itself doesn’t have a ton to do, but it’s close to a lot of areas (Asheville, like ten nearby state parks), so it’d be easy to make a weekend or a few days out of it. Definitely worth the drive, maybe worth a flight if you want to explore Asheville, Smokey Mountain National Park, or Appalachia.
Surprisingly good race!
This race was surprisingly nice! Although I've lived in WNC and Eastern TN for most of my life I don't recall spending any time in Johnson City, TN. It's a … MORE
This race was surprisingly nice! Although I’ve lived in WNC and Eastern TN for most of my life I don’t recall spending any time in Johnson City, TN. It’s a cute town and worth finding a place to eat at after the race. The race was organized well, parking was plentiful and close to the start line, and the course was very nice. The only part of the course I didn’t care for was maybe a mile or two along a divided four-lane, but the rest of the course was through nice old neighborhoods with folks sitting out on their porches cheering runners on, through the ETSU campus, and through the downtown area. A charming course in a charming town. It was a three hour drive for me but I’d definitely do this one again.
The post-race food came from Publix. It wasn’t fancy… basically your typical post-race snacks, and the aid stations had water and Powerade. Certainly adequate, with plenty of volunteers.
We drove in from Chattanooga so I’m not sure what the hotel situation is like near the start line but the course starts right downtown and so I’m certain there would be a few options within easy walking distance.
Excellent in Every Way
I was expecting a scenic run on a beautiful fall morning. Johnson City sits below Buffalo Mountain, the end of an impressive series of Appalachian crests, it was 52 at … MORE
I was expecting a scenic run on a beautiful fall morning. Johnson City sits below Buffalo Mountain, the end of an impressive series of Appalachian crests, it was 52 at race start and clear, leaves were just starting to turn on some trees. What added so much to that was an impeccable race production.
So many volunteers at intersections, with police support. Marked off lanes where needed (some roads thru neighborhoods were very low traffic). Well stocked and spaced water stations. Start and finish at the Farmers Market in the old city, with plenty of parking and easy access. Bluegrass bands at the 3 relay team places. Great swag – nice cotton poly blend shirt, 2 note books, Blue Lizard sunscreen samples and this year the medal was a guitar pick theme, with the distance and date on the ribbon.
The course was thoughtfully laid out and again, well marked, supported, and separated from traffic. Probably enough hairpin bends to take it out of the really fast category but the turns kept it in the old city area and university district. My watch had 486 ft of ascent due to a couple hills, nothing too steep.
There were 240 finishers so it was a nice sized race. Post race was a generous layout of water, gatorade, fruit, and carb type stuff. Definitely a recommendable half marathon.
Nice early fall race
Race is mostly on asphalt roads with a few cement trails. A few hills on the course. Enough water/gatorade stops. Polyester shirt and nice medal. Usual refreshments afterwards. Miles are … MORE
Race is mostly on asphalt roads with a few cement trails. A few hills on the course. Enough water/gatorade stops. Polyester shirt and nice medal. Usual refreshments afterwards. Miles are marked and several places had time clocks also. Results posted fast. Free photos.