Hometown Half Marathon Kansas City
Parkville, MO
- Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 1 Miler, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Join the annual Hometown Half Marathon & 5K & 10K at English Landing! A run local-themed event that is perfect for the whole family. The fun includes great swag (designer shirt, custom medal), chip-timing, live results and awards, pacers for half marathon free photos, a kids’ dash, great post-race food, … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 23):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 77 | 70 | 83 | 82 | 68 |
| L (°F) | 61 | 50 | 55 | 59 | 48 |
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Summer Miles = Fall Victories, right?
Summer is officially upon us and Hometown Half became the second race to welcome the heat, humidity, and hills. Some may even add humility to the mix. While it was … MORE
Summer is officially upon us and Hometown Half became the second race to welcome the heat, humidity, and hills. Some may even add humility to the mix. While it was a tad disappointing to not run Hometown Half in Parkville, I am in the minority to welcome a rarely used course for an traditional race. And traditional race it was: BIG swaggy metal, nicely designed t-shirt, goodies for the final runner (me) and a good ol’ time with friends and the running family.
The Hometown Half was everything you can come to expect from a Bodies Race: 5k, 10k and half marathon distances. The 5k/10k medal was a smaller version of the half marathon’s license plate-sized medal. The t-shirts were different colors to annotate the different race distance. Once again, the 5k and 10k shared a design, while the half marathon sported a navy blue shirt.
As for the course itself, it varied from the “Running from Yeti” course (yes, I have slacked on that review…it’s coming…I promise). We started at the Frank Vaydik Park and veered to the hilly right side of things. If you are familiar with the area, which I am not entirely, the half marathon stayed on the paved trail until we reached the back side of Costco. The unmanned aid station, one of three, served as the turnaround. Half marathons ultimately had seven aid stations, after hitting each one twice. The course itself lacked race-supported portajohns on the course (typical of Bodies’ races), but I was able to sneak into one at the local park along the way. It did land me a final place finish, but more on that later.
The out and back route may not entice many people, but for the half marathon, I enjoyed this course. Yes, we had the dreadful hills, but for the scenery, trees provided needed shade at the beginning and end. Running alongside the highway gave some needed white noise distraction. The occasional neighbor gave us runners that internal ego boast of “yes, I’m running in this heat and I’m awesome for it”. Meanwhile the strip mall near the turnaround brought me back to reality and reminded me that I had things to return to the store. All in all, while the crowd support was minimal, the changing scenery gave enough of a distraction to stay focused and enjoy the run. Heck, even a sprint may have been done in the tunnels. (Thankfully, jkelling wasn’t next to me because I would have lost our tunnel challenge. whew! )
Now, to be clear, I have no shame to be the final runner. It is always a friendly competition for me with my fellow runners. If I do end up rubber-banding with a runner, I make it a point to thank them at the finish line. While jkelling gives me the mental motivation I so desperately need, sometimes, the stranger runner pushes me. At Hometown Half it was my friend, Sarah, the turtle, and Jessie, a first-time half marathoner. Prior to my break, I was a decent distance ahead of them. Even afterwards, I was able to catch up and pass them. But Sarah and Jessie had other plans. Sarah knew I would and could finish. Our sights were set on Jessie completing her first half marathon. I fell to a walk and I was 100% okay with it, while jkelling assured Sarah she was doing the right thing by sticking with Jessie. They finished minutes before me and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Jessie finished her first half marathon and Bodies gave her the finisher treatment they give EVERYONE!
The KC running community is on the verge of some changes. Bodies has expanded, the race director for another race company retired, and some races are going away. I’m not sure what is going to happen, but I’m glad to see the sense of community that embraced me as a runner is still alive and well. We go out, we chit-chat at the start, we run our race and we celebrate each other. Some of us qualify for Boston (here’s looking at you Becky), other ruck their way through the ruckery (yup, that’s you jkelling) and then there it the cloud counter and tree-namer (yes, I am raising my hand), yet, we all support each. Bodies supports us all equally. Do I wish there was more crowd support on the course? Sure. An extra aid station would be nice, but I keep coming back because when I cross the finish line I know I am greeted with a cheer, cool beverage and a genuine friendly smile and congratulations. Hills with always humble me, but Bodies? They honor every runner. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Ran Somewhere New and Loved Every Step
I’ve run this race at both the previous location and the new course this year, and while each has its strengths, the new venue really stands out. The old course—running … MORE
I’ve run this race at both the previous location and the new course this year, and while each has its strengths, the new venue really stands out.
The old course—running along the river—was flat and scenic, with some cooling effect from the water. That said, it could feel a bit repetitive, with long stretches of similar views and limited tree cover, which made hotter days feel even more intense.
The new course was a completely different experience—in the best way. It’s almost entirely wooded, with beautiful surroundings and constant changes in scenery that kept it interesting from start to finish. The rolling, undulating hills added a great challenge and did a nice job engaging different muscle groups without feeling overly punishing. It was a more dynamic and rewarding course overall.
A few areas for improvement: there were very few porta potties available, and the lack of trash cans was noticeable. Also, my watch measured the 10K course at 6.5 miles, so it may benefit from a quick course verification.
Overall, though, the new location offers a more engaging and memorable race experience—I’d definitely run it again.
Not ready for summer
So this is a modified version of the Running From Yeti route, which is pretty much only for that route, so chances are you haven't heard of it. It's at … MORE
So this is a modified version of the Running From Yeti route, which is pretty much only for that route, so chances are you haven’t heard of it. It’s at Line Creek Trail this year instead of English Landing Park, which I think is a massive downgrade, but I like the path (paved 100%) even if there are huge sections at with no shade. I think it’d be a great course for autumn or early spring, but on a hot and muggy day it was rough. I started walking at the end due to a weird knee pain, and with my 50-miler right around the corner, honestly I was just not willing to risk injury on this course. The aid station at the turnaround was unmanned, and pretty much all of the mile flags were off by as much as .25 (and not even in the same direction) so they were just there for added scenery I suppose. The tshirt was a decent cotton and the medal was a near-life-size automobile license plate. I think a real opportunity was missed to have the name of the hometown on the plates. The DJ was great for when you were near enough to hear on this out-and-back, and the packaged snacks at the end included cups of chopped peaches and ice cold soda, neither of which I’d had in about a year, so that was a nice change of pace from the same old chips and bars, but there wasn’t anything more substantial to be had here, and with nothing around, the loss of English Landing Park and all the eateries of Parkville across the way from the finish line was sorely missed. Would I do it again? Sure. Would I be upset if they moved it back to the traditional site? Absolutely not. Do I expect my time will suck again next year without any shade? Sure do. As always, Bodies Race Company provides great energy at the finish line though, and I applaud them for making the absolute most out of a race that could have ended with a lot of sadness afterwards.
Punishing weather but Bodies delivers
This has been the hottest course of the year, bar none. This is a frequently used course, but it's so much easier in autumn/spring than summer. Three people were taken … MORE
This has been the hottest course of the year, bar none. This is a frequently used course, but it’s so much easier in autumn/spring than summer. Three people were taken away in rescue squads. There’s not a lot of shade and the heat index was shooting up. Bodies Race Co had water and some Gatorade out there, but really in these conditions there should have been gatorade at every aid station. Nonetheless, Bodies kept the music moving and we pushed through. The course is pretty flat until about mile 5, where you go up onto the levy, for a mile and a half out to the turnaround. There are some gradual hills and one or two quick short inclines for crossings over streams, but for the most part you can consider this all but pancake flat.
The tshirt was a nicely designed cotton T and the medal was a huge 6in with a 3in spinner in the middle. As always with Bodies races, whether you’re first or dead last, there is always fanfare at the end, and back-of-the-packers like me still have tons of support at the end.
The weather was crushing and were it not for ccruiz03 I would have had a much slower time. There are races where you get done and high five and there are races where you get done and really feel accomplished. This course in the summer? Overwhelmingly the latter.
Additional props to the great folks at Bodies. A very good friend of mine was one of the ones who went down and they watched her dog until we finished and could take the little guy home. I would expect nothing less from them, honestly, because they really do care about their runners. 5min miles or 20min miles…you’re all family with them.
Killer finisher medal
Given how many race locations this company operates, I was a little shocked at how little amenities were available to runners. Apart from one of the best finisher medals I … MORE
Given how many race locations this company operates, I was a little shocked at how little amenities were available to runners. Apart from one of the best finisher medals I have ever received in my 10+ year career, there was really nothing at all, no local companies, nothing at all in the swag bag, just a shirt, medal, and that’s about it. I know how difficult these productions must be, especially in so many different cities, but this stop on the tour was just mildly unorganized.
Special race
This race will always have a special place in my heart. Despite the name, it's actually in Parkville (the town that motivated me to move from the coast, and goes … MORE
This race will always have a special place in my heart. Despite the name, it’s actually in Parkville (the town that motivated me to move from the coast, and goes to Riverside). When I had my heart attack it looked like I was never going to get to do this race. First, because it was dicey I was coming home, and two because after I did go home, nobody was really considering that a possibility because of the damage done. Despite the fact that I did a full marathon before I did a half marathon (long story), and my cardica team had blessed off on it, it’s hot this time of year, I’d be doing it wearing body armor, and I’m not going to say I wasn’t cognizant that a great many things could go wrong.
The course is out and back from English Landing Park (the common race start location) out to the casino and back. Mile 1 and 2 have no shade which means mile 25 and 26 don’t either, a reality that was crushing my morale on the way back. The first roughly 3-3.5 miles are at the park by the river, then you slip behind some oil/water/gas/something storage tanks into a wooded park’s wide trail which provides some much needed shade for a couple miles until you make it down to “the berm” by the amazon facility. Climb up that steep but brief hill (yay!) and take the top of the berm a couple miles down to the casino and back. There’s quite the view from up there and it looked like a storm was rolling in, which would have done wonders to cool the day, but alas it was not to be. The medal is really big, especially for a half, and has a classy and classic design to it. You are literally 200 meters if that from downtown Parkville when you finish, so stop by the converted Train car for some GREAT coffee, bespoke house beverages (their version of an Arnold Palmer is amazing) and their doughnuts will taste like mana from heaven after the race.
Beautiful Riverside Course
This was my first time running the Hometown Half Marathon Kansas City and it was a very fun run. Course was relatively flat, with slight inclines and only one short, … MORE
This was my first time running the Hometown Half Marathon Kansas City and it was a very fun run. Course was relatively flat, with slight inclines and only one short, but steep hill. The course also consisted of mostly chat with a few asphalt and cement portions. Start & finish of the 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon are in English Landing Park which abuts up to the Missouri River in the little town of Parkville, MO. The town offers shops and a few fun places to grab a bite after a well earned appetite from running. The weather today was off to 70° and was very humid. This is typical weather for the part of the state & country. Just hydrate a few days ahead and all should be fine. There were plenty of aid stations passing out water & Powerade, which I availed myself of each passing. The course is an out-n-back course with the outer most portion seemingly being in a desolate area void of much scenery. Out in the open and all sun. All in all, this is an easy run and more than likely you can gain a PR for yourself.