Bull City Race Fest Half Marathon
Durham, NC
- Half Marathon, 5 Miler
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Bull City Race Fest has something for the fastest runners and families alike. Choose from half-marathon, five-mile and one-mile distances and enjoy a fall morning of running and post-race food. The Bull City Race Fest is the culmination of a world-class running experience in the world-class city of Durham! … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Oct 19):
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| H (°F) | 71 | 72 | 58 | 73 | 73 |
| L (°F) | 41 | 46 | 33 | 41 | 50 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Rolling hills...until they weren't
My main takeaway from this race is that it had gentle, rolling hills...until they weren't. The first 8-9 miles were not that difficult, then came the steeper hills late in … MORE
My main takeaway from this race is that it had gentle, rolling hills…until they weren’t. The first 8-9 miles were not that difficult, then came the steeper hills late in the race. I understand the course was changed a little bit this year to eliminate a couple of the out and back portions, so there was just one. The rest of the course was basically a loop.
The start/finish was just outside the Durham Bulls baseball park. This meant that there was ample parking in the parking decks only a 5-minute walk from the start/finish line. Although I didn’t stick around after, there was beer and food available.
The finisher’s medal was decent, and the t-shirt was a tech material. Bib mailing eliminated the need to go to packet pickup. The shirts were picked up on race day.
HILLS FOR THAT ASS!! TRY IT. I DARE U
THIS IS A VERY TOUGH COURSE. IT SEEMS AS IF THE HILLS DON'T END. THIS RACE WAS VERY WELL ORGANIZED. PARKING WAS GREAT AND FREE. BIB PICK UP WAS SMOOTH/EASY. … MORE
THIS IS A VERY TOUGH COURSE. IT SEEMS AS IF THE HILLS DON’T END. THIS RACE WAS VERY WELL ORGANIZED. PARKING WAS GREAT AND FREE. BIB PICK UP WAS SMOOTH/EASY. THE VOLUNTEERS DID A GREAT JOB FOR THIS EVENT.
If you love hills, this race is for you!
The unique part of this race is capturing the essence of Downtown Durham and the surrounding areas. This race was my first half marathon, and I was very excited to … MORE
The unique part of this race is capturing the essence of Downtown Durham and the surrounding areas. This race was my first half marathon, and I was very excited to be running in the Durham area. The start-up to the race was very commendable, and the water stations were split apart every two and a half miles or so. At the end of the race, the swag was fantastic, and the event stations were unique with Durham local businesses. However, if this is your first time, I would not recommend this race in particular because of the evaluation. My NRC app tracked 1,118 ft. of elevation by the end of the race. As a person that didn’t run, I spent four months trading for this event. If this is your first race, like mine, good luck and enjoy the thrill of finishing.
ROLLING HILLS!
First time doing this race but not a first time runner. I did not look at the course presign up by choice - the hills killed my legs but I … MORE
First time doing this race but not a first time runner.
I did not look at the course presign up by choice – the hills killed my legs but I survived. The prerace music and atmosphere was fine. It was great that the parking deck was close so easy to get back to your car. The music and dj was great. Plenty of water stations. No pacers. Barely any gu — only saw 1 station where a water person had 2 in her hand, fortunately i brought my own. I did hate that the hills were never end– literally throughout the whole race were rolling hills. Shirt was great. Medal was fine. I didn’t stay post the race or look for food. I got the water and left so I have no idea what they had available. Overall, Im glad I did it and don’t regret it.
Oh- packet pickup was a bit annoying but I’ve given my feedback to them. The instructions said down under on tobacco campus. But if you don’t go there, you’d never know what they meant by down under. There were a few of us that walked way further than needed looking for a sign that said down under. They should’ve just said what store they were in front of.
Mixed Experience
Great town, and a fun hilly run. Unfortunately, there were a ton of race management issues on this one: - Packet pickup: Was just your shirt and bib. Somehow they … MORE
Great town, and a fun hilly run. Unfortunately, there were a ton of race management issues on this one:
– Packet pickup: Was just your shirt and bib. Somehow they didn’t give me safety pins for the bib. I asked some people around the starting line, and I wasn’t the only one who didn’t get pins.
– Post Race Food: Depending on when you finished, there was zero post race food. The volunteers said people running the shorter races raided the food tents and took multiple of everything. No chocolate milk or recovery food for you!
– Medical, wake up! Someone collapsed at the finish line and the announcer was calling the medical team multiple times and they just didn’t come immediately even though they were within line of sight. Thankfully some spectators were able to provide immediate first aid
Great turnout, fun course
I am reviewing this race as a volunteer, and not a participant. Although, I did run an earlier iteration of this race (when it was still the Ramblin' Rose Women's … MORE
I am reviewing this race as a volunteer, and not a participant. Although, I did run an earlier iteration of this race (when it was still the Ramblin’ Rose Women’s Half Marathon – same course, same event coordinator).
Endurance does get somethings done right: There is always a good turnout, good crowd support for a smaller event, plenty of volunteers – And as a volunteer, they make it super easy. We always know what we’re supposed to do, and feel valued.
2013 was the inaugural year for the Bull City Race Fest, and it went off pretty well. I remember that the race shirt ran a little small – which was funny because the volunteer shirts ran a little big! The food truck rodeo at the finish is a great idea, but the better food trucks weren’t there in 2013. You can almost count on good weather in Durham in October. All in all, if I was still in NC, this would be on my calendar to run!