As you’ve no doubt heard, the race course winds through the historic Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park in Northwest Georgia. It’s one of the most unique race venues you’ll … MORE
As you’ve no doubt heard, the race course winds through the historic Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park in Northwest Georgia. It’s one of the most unique race venues you’ll ever get to run.
On a rainy November morning, we set off at the sound of the starting cannon. A one mile loop to begin the race gives friends and family a chance to cheer you on near the starting line before runners head off into the park. I drove down solo from Charlotte, so I just enjoyed the cheers of strangers.
Paved woodland trails guide you the rest of the way. It’s a two-loop course. You’re in the company of other runners most of the way, especially before the half marathoners peel away. Battlefields and monuments stretch throughout the route.
I wanted to get photos and video of the historic monuments while running, but I was on a good pace and didn’t want to slow down, so I drove through the park the next day to get some pics.
If you like crowd support, you won’t find much during this race. Start line, finish line, and not much on the miles in between.
Pre-race expo was nothing special. Packet pickup was at a church across from the park. Small-town vice. No swag. Long-sleeve quarter zip race shirt was nice though.
Post-race food was…okay. Cheap pizza, banana, granola bar. MoonPies, too. That was cool. Didn’t realize they were invented in Chattanooga, about half an hour away.
The medal is special. This year’s medal honored those who served from Illinois. Each year they honor a different state with the medal. Pretty cool.
One nice touch: As you approach the finish line, they look up your bib number and the emcee gives you a shoutout. After falling off my pace and dragging myself to the finish, the personal recognition was a nice way to mark 26.2 miles.
While I wouldn’t rank Chickamauga as one of my favorite races, it’s a unique setting. Reflecting on our nation’s history during a run through a Civil War battlefield park is an experience you won’t find at most other marathons. For that alone, it’s worth running this one if you’re looking for a Georgia marathon.
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A run through history
As you’ve no doubt heard, the race course winds through the historic Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park in Northwest Georgia. It’s one of the most unique race venues you’ll … MORE
As you’ve no doubt heard, the race course winds through the historic Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park in Northwest Georgia. It’s one of the most unique race venues you’ll ever get to run.
On a rainy November morning, we set off at the sound of the starting cannon. A one mile loop to begin the race gives friends and family a chance to cheer you on near the starting line before runners head off into the park. I drove down solo from Charlotte, so I just enjoyed the cheers of strangers.
Paved woodland trails guide you the rest of the way. It’s a two-loop course. You’re in the company of other runners most of the way, especially before the half marathoners peel away. Battlefields and monuments stretch throughout the route.
I wanted to get photos and video of the historic monuments while running, but I was on a good pace and didn’t want to slow down, so I drove through the park the next day to get some pics.
If you like crowd support, you won’t find much during this race. Start line, finish line, and not much on the miles in between.
Pre-race expo was nothing special. Packet pickup was at a church across from the park. Small-town vice. No swag. Long-sleeve quarter zip race shirt was nice though.
Post-race food was…okay. Cheap pizza, banana, granola bar. MoonPies, too. That was cool. Didn’t realize they were invented in Chattanooga, about half an hour away.
The medal is special. This year’s medal honored those who served from Illinois. Each year they honor a different state with the medal. Pretty cool.
One nice touch: As you approach the finish line, they look up your bib number and the emcee gives you a shoutout. After falling off my pace and dragging myself to the finish, the personal recognition was a nice way to mark 26.2 miles.
While I wouldn’t rank Chickamauga as one of my favorite races, it’s a unique setting. Reflecting on our nation’s history during a run through a Civil War battlefield park is an experience you won’t find at most other marathons. For that alone, it’s worth running this one if you’re looking for a Georgia marathon.
Must run
Despite having lived in the area for years, and running on the Chickamauga Battlefield a couple of times a week most months of the year, I've never run this race. … MORE
Despite having lived in the area for years, and running on the Chickamauga Battlefield a couple of times a week most months of the year, I’ve never run this race. But I finally ran it this year. The race production is good, the post-race food is great, and the course is even better. Such a pretty race and put together production. I’ll be back next year.
Beautiful, well organized race
Loved the history and scenery throughout the race. The course is very well marked, and the race is very organized. Would love to come back and run it again! MORE
Loved the history and scenery throughout the race. The course is very well marked, and the race is very organized. Would love to come back and run it again!
Flat, fast, and scenic race!
For starters, I think the reviews here are either full of misinformation or just really outdated. This course was extremely flat, fast, and had maybe a handful of very very … MORE
For starters, I think the reviews here are either full of misinformation or just really outdated. This course was extremely flat, fast, and had maybe a handful of very very short inclines. There was water/Powerade/gel every 2 miles and there were portalets throughout the course as well. The swag was awesome and the BOOMING cannon start rattled my insides, so dang cool! A couple things about the race really need to be fixed though. There was no 4 hour pacer for the marathon, which honestly blew me away. Additionally, the course bottlenecked really badly within the first mile while we were all still packed like a buncha sardines. It went from 2 lanes down to a beaten up and pothole ridden 1 lane road, which made it incredibly difficult to maneuver during an early stage of the race. Thankfully that road was only about a mile, but overall this was a wonderful race and I would highly recommend to anyone! Can’t wait to do it again someday.
Great Race!!
Running through the Battlefield is surreal. It is amazingly beautiful and a bit sad at the same time. Sad in the sense of what happened there during the Civil War. … MORE
Running through the Battlefield is surreal. It is amazingly beautiful and a bit sad at the same time. Sad in the sense of what happened there during the Civil War. The event is very well run by the Chattanooga Running Club. Course was accurate in length. The pacers were great. Packet pickup was quick and easy. Food at the end was great including the hot soup and Moonpies!! Even though this was a medium sized event it really had a small event feel. I mean that in a good way. This was my first half marathon and I am considering going back to do my first marathon. Do this race!!! You will be glad you did!!!
Very historic race
Very historic race. You spend about 90% of the race running through the park. It’s basically two loops around the park. The first loop you will be with half marathoners … MORE
Very historic race. You spend about 90% of the race running through the park. It’s basically two loops around the park. The first loop you will be with half marathoners and will have a good amount of people around you. The second loop really thins out. I had large amount of times especially in the more wooded areas were I’d not see anyone for a mile plus. There some spectators, but not many. It was very cool running through the park with no one on site for over a mile at time. Very well organized and put together race. It was decently hilly though. So parts of it are a challenge. However, weather should be good and not to hot. Would recommend.
Awesome little race!
Very well-organized race in a beautiful setting. I'm a history geek so this run was right up my alley. Loved the canon start and running through the park and seeing … MORE
Very well-organized race in a beautiful setting. I’m a history geek so this run was right up my alley. Loved the canon start and running through the park and seeing monuments and canons throughout. Perfect running weather (mid 40s, sunny, not windy) this year. There are some hills but nothing scary – I think they helped keep my legs fresh because I finished strong and felt pretty good after the race. Smaller race of about 250-300 full marathoners, so it never felt crowded and gave opportunity for reflection when running through a place where men gave their lives 150+ years ago. Highly recommend this race!
Historic AND scenic
Cannon start kicks off this historical half marathon. The leaves were just past prime but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the scenic woodsy course. The entire path is paved. … MORE
Cannon start kicks off this historical half marathon. The leaves were just past prime but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the scenic woodsy course. The entire path is paved. I loved the monuments and memorials and mini tours. The miles ticked by quickly. Nice sized crowd/group of fellow runners. Enough for camaraderie without feeling bottlenecked. The banana puddin’ was a great post race touch for an upper Midwestern gal like myself.
First time running this course
Great running through trails and woods. Pavement will keep you on your toes in places, and the cannon will catch you off guard at times which adds to the fun. … MORE
Great running through trails and woods. Pavement will keep you on your toes in places, and the cannon will catch you off guard at times which adds to the fun. Friendly and upbeat volunteers.
Loved this course !
Beautiful place to run a marathon! The pacers were helpful as well . I chose to run without the pacing group and it became tough to maintain the pace . … MORE
Beautiful place to run a marathon! The pacers were helpful as well . I chose to run without the pacing group and it became tough to maintain the pace . I wanted to qualify for Boston and I’m glad I chose this gentle rolling course . The organizers and volunteers were great!
Nice race.
Most of the course is shaded by trees. No need for sunscreen. Two loops through the battlefield with reasonable crowd support. Beautiful and fairly flat. MORE
Most of the course is shaded by trees. No need for sunscreen. Two loops through the battlefield with reasonable crowd support. Beautiful and fairly flat.
Beautiful Battlefield Run
I quite enjoyed this race (despite the cold! Don't let GA fool you - November can be quite chilly). It's run through a national military park that was a Civil … MORE
I quite enjoyed this race (despite the cold! Don’t let GA fool you – November can be quite chilly). It’s run through a national military park that was a Civil War battlefield, so you’re surrounded by history and quiet, natural beauty. As a result, there aren’t really any spectators cheering you on, so if you’re looking for that sort of course support this isn’t the race for you. It’s also quite hilly, so be prepared for tired legs toward the end. They do such a great job with the swag and the post-race celebration (literal trays of homemade foods, soups, desserts – I’ve never been so impressed with a post-race spread). Packet pickup was easy too. Overall, would definitely recommend this race and would love to run it again!
Beautiful course / high quality run
This is the exact opposite of a big city major marathon experience, and I absolutely loved it. I stayed in a nice downtown Chattanooga hotel at a very affordable rate, … MORE
This is the exact opposite of a big city major marathon experience, and I absolutely loved it. I stayed in a nice downtown Chattanooga hotel at a very affordable rate, and in under 20 minutes was parked, incredibly, less than 150 yards from both the start and finish lines. No need for a bag check! 1,100 at the start self-corralled with no issues (~300 Marathoners and 800+ Half’ers). The weather in 2018 was perfect for me, blue skies and temps in the hi 30s at the start and pushing 50 toward mid-day…a just reward for training in the heat of a Georgia summer.
Pros
– Double loop course through the beautiful Chickamauga Military Park. Mainly flat with a few sections of rolling hills. I appreciated knowing what was coming the second time around as I had a goal time in mind.
– Course is very fair, with nothing too challenging, but I prefer rolling hills to the monotony of flat pavement. All small 2-lane national park asphalt, open to traffic, but I can’t remember more than a handful of cars passing by during the entire 26.2.
– Well supported with aid stations and enthusiastic volunteers. Water and Powerade every 2 miles plus occasional fruit/gels.
– Quick and easy bib pick up in small expo environment. Pasta dinner available but I didn’t participate.
– Family friendly start/finish area, 5k and kids run occur during Marathon, shuttle available for spectators to several viewing points throughout course
Cons
– Advertised as having eight pacing teams from 3:15 to 5:00. I looked everywhere for the 4:00 at the start and only saw the 4:15 pacer. He didn’t know where anyone else was. I never saw any other pacer the entire day.
– The course crosses a railroad track (2x because 2 loops). I heard a train whistle at one point, and understand that some marathoners were blocked by a train for some period of time. If that had happened to me, I’d have been livid.
Even still, I can’t wait to do this one again. If you don’t like running alone for periods of time, this probably isn’t for you. But if you like small community races that are produced just as well, if not better than major events, I highly recommend the Chickamauga Battlefield marathon. It’s 20 minutes from Chattanooga and ~2 hours from downtown Atlanta, so you could make a long weekend out of it really easily.
Nice mostly flat
Pre race bugle plays National anthem then a cannon shoots. Mile markers and plenty of water/Powerade stations. A few inclines. Some portapots on course. Course is mostly on asphalt with … MORE
Pre race bugle plays National anthem then a cannon shoots. Mile markers and plenty of water/Powerade stations. A few inclines. Some portapots on course. Course is mostly on asphalt with a few loose gravel and grassy spots. Some spectator signs and folks cheering. Long sleeve shirt and nice medal. Some hot food after race. Results posted quickly. It was cold and windy this year.
Nice race
Plenty of aid stations along the route. Mostly on asphalt through the battlefield memorial. Nice medal and technical long sleeve shirt. Also got choice of blanket or arm sleeves. Good … MORE
Plenty of aid stations along the route. Mostly on asphalt through the battlefield memorial. Nice medal and technical long sleeve shirt. Also got choice of blanket or arm sleeves. Good refreshments after the race. Results posted quickly.
Beautiful course-awesome finisher gift
Long steady hills; choppy uneven start and finish but otherwise nice running surface. They gave the Marathon finishers a really great thin fleece blanket-my fave gift this year!!!! MORE
Long steady hills; choppy uneven start and finish but otherwise nice running surface. They gave the Marathon finishers a really great thin fleece blanket-my fave gift this year!!!!
My Hometown Track Club Marathon
Two 11+ mile loops inside Chickamauga Battlefield National Park plus and entrance and exit for 26.2 miles. Also a half marathon same day. Great paved running surface with lots of … MORE
Two 11+ mile loops inside Chickamauga Battlefield National Park plus and entrance and exit for 26.2 miles. Also a half marathon same day. Great paved running surface with lots of deer standing around watching you pass by.