Omaha’s Heartland Marathon is a great local marathon presented by the Omaha Running Club in the 9th best running city in the USA according to Runners’ World Magazine. Please join us for our marathon, marathon relay, half marathon or 10K. Our unique routes have you running through both Nebraska and …
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Omaha’s Heartland Marathon is a great local marathon presented by the Omaha Running Club in the 9th best running city in the USA according to Runners’ World Magazine. Please join us for our marathon, marathon relay, half marathon or 10K.
Our unique routes have you running through both Nebraska and Iowa. The marathon and half marathon start at the riverfront in downtown Omaha and take you through historic South Omaha where you will cross the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge into Iowa. The marathoners will continue on an out and back route by the beautiful Lake Manawa and rejoin the half marathon route heading north up the trail and crossing back into Nebraska via the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge to the Lewis and Clark Landing.
The Heartland Marathon race course will be open for six hours closing at 1:00 pm.
The Omaha Running Club has been supporting the Omaha running and walking communities since the early 1970’s. We are a non-profit community service organization with vast variety of race events, free fun-runs, training programs and community service opportunities.
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Down and back torture
The people who ran this race did a good job, and the volunteers were wonderful!! The reason I rated this race so low was because of the course itself. The … MORE
The people who ran this race did a good job, and the volunteers were wonderful!!
The reason I rated this race so low was because of the course itself. The mental struggle is already strong in a marathon, but having do go down and back TWICE was torture. This was my first race, and I would never recommend this race to first timers. Maybe if you’re a seasoned marathoner, you would be ok with going down and back two times; I was not ok as a first time marathoner on this course.
Overall smooth flat race
Pretty easy course. This was my first race since high school and my longest distance ever run. Enjoyed it very much and plan to run the full marathon next year. … MORE
Pretty easy course. This was my first race since high school and my longest distance ever run. Enjoyed it very much and plan to run the full marathon next year. Would highly recommend if your going for an easy flat course and trying to qualify for the big races
Very well-run race
Smaller race that was very well run. Expo is basically a packet pick up with friendly volunteers. Race course is through a lovely recreation area, the jewel of which is … MORE
Smaller race that was very well run. Expo is basically a packet pick up with friendly volunteers. Race course is through a lovely recreation area, the jewel of which is a unique pedestrian bridge over the river to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Excellent course support with plentiful bike support. Very well-marked course. Lots of food and drink at the end. I loved the long-sleeved tech shirt with a V-neck collar! If this was not 6.5 hours from my hone, I’d definitely do this event again.
Heartland Didn't Disappoint
Ran the Heartland Half Marathon in Omaha, NE. The course was mostly flat, but did include an over and back across the pedestrian bridge over the Missouri River. The race … MORE
Ran the Heartland Half Marathon in Omaha, NE. The course was mostly flat, but did include an over and back across the pedestrian bridge over the Missouri River. The race started and finished on the Nebraska side of the river, but the majority of the course was on the Iowa side. Custom race face masks were provided to all runners, which was a nice touch. Overall race organization was very professional. Race shirt was very nice, but the finisher medal was nothing special. Overall was happy I traveled from Ohio to run in the race and will likely return in the future,
An actual live race during 2020!
It was so great to run an actual live race again. I so missed the joy and anxiety and expectations at the starting line. This review, obviously, is for the … MORE
It was so great to run an actual live race again. I so missed the joy and anxiety and expectations at the starting line.
This review, obviously, is for the race as it was held in 2020, during the ongoing COVID crisis. My understanding is that some things (including the course) were different this year. So, some of these points may not be valid for the future running of this race.
I do have to start with how well the organizers and volunteers did managing this race during a pandemic. Race swag did include a branded face mask and all runners were required to wear a mask in the starting area (most runners followed this rule). There were no high fives; water & Gatorade were in bottles instead of cups and you grabbed them yourself as opposed to the volunteer handing to you; volunteers wore masks. These precautions in no way diminished the enjoyment of the race. It felt safe at all times.
There was a 20 minute delay at the start due to lightning. Cause…2020…am I right? Luckily, we were able to run the race as scheduled once it started. I’m not sure I’ve ever rated “course difficulty” a “1 shoe” before because every marathon course feels hard in its own way! But, this course was one of the flattest ones I’ve run (there was one bridge that we had to cross multiple times) and there were no elevation issues. The rain/thunder/lightning kept the morning cooler and overcast, which was great.
I stayed at the host hotel. The bib pick-up (that’s all it was–no expo) was also there. This was a mile and a half from the start/finish. Per normal, I didn’t have a car, so I had to walk this. Felt good pre-race, liked it less post-race.
Swag: As mentioned above, there was a branded face mask. Race shirt was long sleeve tech shirt in purple. Medal was disappointing in that it was rubbery plastic.
For those runners looking to tick Nebraska off their list, I would highly recommend this race.
Great race considering covid times
Very well organized! Clever marathon mask in swag. Did well with safety measures. Had to adapt the course to 2 loops of out and backs but they did great with … MORE
Very well organized! Clever marathon mask in swag. Did well with safety measures. Had to adapt the course to 2 loops of out and backs but they did great with bottled water & Gatorade. Great local people supportive and just all around excited to actually hold a race!!!
Awesome race put on by great local club
The 2019 Heartland Half marathon was a little different than other years considering it was cancelled within the first 3 miles due to extreme weather conditions. I have raced dozens … MORE
The 2019 Heartland Half marathon was a little different than other years considering it was cancelled within the first 3 miles due to extreme weather conditions. I have raced dozens of races over the years and never experienced this type of situation especially with the flooding and storm that happened. It was pretty insane but the race management handled it so well. They tried their best in a crazy situation. The 5k that I did get to run of the course was fabulous despite the downpour. The run club putting it on was excellent and so kind! We stayed in a hotel right near the start and people could not have been nicer. Omaha is such a fun hidden gem of a town and we made an entire weekend out of it. Easy access from the airport via a tram and plenty to do! Definitely check this one off the list. It is a smaller race with all the good aspects!
Fun! I love Omaha!
I really enjoyed this race. There were not a lot of 10K runners so no need to weave and dodge other runners on the course. The sun was coming up … MORE
I really enjoyed this race. There were not a lot of 10K runners so no need to weave and dodge other runners on the course. The sun was coming up just as we crossed the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian bridge – very pretty. Weather was absolutely perfect. Race was well organized, friendly volunteers and the medal was nice. Thumbs up – I would do this one again if I’m in Omaha at the right time.
This race started mostly uphill.
It's a good race. Very well organized. Volunteers, Cyclists, and Staff do care about their runners. I was very impressed. First 4 miles are mostly uphill. After you reach mile … MORE
It’s a good race. Very well organized. Volunteers, Cyclists, and Staff do care about their runners. I was very impressed.
First 4 miles are mostly uphill. After you reach mile 2 it gets harder until mile 5.
After you are done in Nebraska. You go to Iowa. Very flat (mile 5-mile 12) mile 12 gets you back to Nebraska on the pedestrian bridge and you can see the finish line up top the bridge.
It wasn’t easy when it got to mile 9 because it was severely hot, yes in September.
But the medal when you finish and when you know you finished is a good feeling because it’s party time to celebrate the wonderful success.
Hosted by Omaha Running Club. A well organized group.