The Garden Spot Village Half Marathon is a race unlike any other. Taking place in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the Garden Spot Village Half Marathon offers runners an opportunity to run through the beautiful Amish farmlands of Pennsylvania. This is a beautiful course through country farmlands. Traffic is …
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The Garden Spot Village Half Marathon is a race unlike any other. Taking place in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the Garden Spot Village Half Marathon offers runners an opportunity to run through the beautiful Amish farmlands of Pennsylvania.
This is a beautiful course through country farmlands. Traffic is expected to be minimal, but we will be sharing the roads with traffic. Expect to see horse and buggies. Please run on the left side of the road facing oncoming traffic. Every precaution is being taken for runner and traffic safety. There will be cones marking the course every 2/10ths of a mile. Every turn will be clearly marked. Fire police will be slowing traffic at the more significant intersections however you may have to stop and briefly wait for traffic.
The race starts on the Garden Spot Village Campus by the Legacy Garden and travels southwest for about 6 miles. The 10K turnaround will be shortly after mile marker 3 on Horning Road. The Half Marathon continues west and makes a sharp left onto Centerville Road and loops around back to Zeltenreich Road and heads back to campus. During this time of year the scenery is amazing, the farmers are tilling the fields with horse-drawn plows and there are sure to be horse and buggies about.
This is a run for everyone whether you are a beginner, experienced, leisure or competitive runner. There is plenty of space available for family, friends and spectators. Don’t miss this exciting time!
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Beautiful run, but rainy
Would do this run again. It was well organized, great course, and a nice two-sided finisher medal. It rained the entire race but it was fun!! MORE
Would do this run again. It was well organized, great course, and a nice two-sided finisher medal. It rained the entire race but it was fun!!
Don't want to miss it!
This is such a nicely run race. It benefits the benevolent fund at the Garden Spot Village community, ensuring no resident has to worry about having to leave their community … MORE
This is such a nicely run race. It benefits the benevolent fund at the Garden Spot Village community, ensuring no resident has to worry about having to leave their community if a medical emergency or other issues prevents them from paying for the care they need. Their race staff and volunteers are enthusiastic and supportive and organized. The course has gorgeous scenery with rolling hills, beautiful farmland views, and quiet roads. The medal and shirt are always nice. If you do this race and its sister race, Bird in Hand Half, in the same calendar year, you’re eligible to receive the coveted Road Apple Award, which is an added plus!
Great race and organized well
Super hilly. Rained, windy but great race. Nice scenery. Loved the support along the way. Water/food was along the route. Great support by other runners. Hills were tough MORE
Super hilly. Rained, windy but great race. Nice scenery. Loved the support along the way. Water/food was along the route. Great support by other runners. Hills were tough
Hills and lots of them
So my time sucked, it really did. When they said "it's very hilly" oh please believe them. I thought I trained enough for the hills I was wrong. The route … MORE
So my time sucked, it really did. When they said “it’s very hilly” oh please believe them. I thought I trained enough for the hills I was wrong. The route was beautiful, you even got to run with some of the Amish Folk. Everyone was so friendly. The voluteers were awesome, the food after at the recovery tent was great! They even had vegan choices! The medal is one of the best ones I’ve gotten so far. Overall it was great I would totally do it again and be more prepared this time!
Unique venue
This was a very special place to run. The race wound through beautiful Amish country with entire Amish families lining the road and cheering the runners along. It was hilly … MORE
This was a very special place to run. The race wound through beautiful Amish country with entire Amish families lining the road and cheering the runners along. It was hilly and snowing which was challenging, but created a beautiful landscape.
This is a MUST DO RACE!!!
The pre-race dinner is AWESOME on Friday night. They served sweet potatoes among other delicious choices. Plus the after race meal on Saturday AM is equally as delicious with a … MORE
The pre-race dinner is AWESOME on Friday night. They served sweet potatoes among other delicious choices. Plus the after race meal on Saturday AM is equally as delicious with a person making omelets for each runner if they would like one, plus many other choices. Seeing Amish runners who are fast, running the race in regular street clothes, plus Amish families coming out to watch and cheer the runners! This race will take you to a step back in time but offers up-to-date technology for the race.
Tough, hilly race in beautiful Amish
They only talk about 2 big hills at 5 and 22 miles but beware all the "rolling hills" in between. Although realistic from start that this is not a race … MORE
They only talk about 2 big hills at 5 and 22 miles but beware all the “rolling hills” in between. Although realistic from start that this is not a race to PR in, it was still the toughest marathon I’ve run (out of 7)- a strong constant headwind didn’t help either.
Nice race
Garden Spot Village Marathon is in beautiful rolling hills in Amish country. It's not a huge event, but very well done. The weather in 2013 was beautiful (blue skies, cool … MORE
Garden Spot Village Marathon is in beautiful rolling hills in Amish country. It’s not a huge event, but very well done. The weather in 2013 was beautiful (blue skies, cool temperatures) but windy, combined with a pretty hilly route, so I wouldn’t call it a fast course. It is scenic if you like country views, farmers, cattle, horses and buggies, and farmhouses. If you want big crowds and tons of support, it’s not a good choice. Personally, though, I liked it a lot, and really enjoyed the “valley of no wires”…not a power line within view! The medal was nice, and the shirt decent. I stayed at a B&B that had a runners’ breakfast and was walkable to the expo and pasta dinner, as well as the start/finish. It’s been a few years since I ran it, but I’d recommend it, and I’d also suggest running the other race they put on, a half marathon called Bird in Hand Half (the medal is a horseshoe, very cool). If you do both in the same year, you get the Road Apple Award, which is just pure awesomeness.