Hospital Hill Run
Kansas City, MO
- Half Marathon, 10K, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Take part in “The Kansas City Running Tradition,” and participate in the Grandfather of all Kansas City Road Races. Join the thousands of runners from across the country and the world who have Conquered the Hill! All participants receive one-of-a-kind swag, including a unique finisher’s medal, participant bib, and a … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 16):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 89 | 81 | 76 | 69 | 79 |
| L (°F) | 67 | 61 | 63 | 58 | 55 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Great every year!
Usually, I do the half, but the 10k was great too. I think the swag used to be better, they had duffel bags etc in the past, but tech shirts … MORE
Usually, I do the half, but the 10k was great too. I think the swag used to be better, they had duffel bags etc in the past, but tech shirts are great and the age group trophies are nice. The Crown Center area is perfect for post-race recovery and there are always tables and snacks on the lawn. It’s hilly but every race in this city is. One of KC’s best!
Triple H: Heat, Humidity and HILLS
Hospital Hill runners embarked on a different sport as they battled the triple H: heat, humidity and hills. Yet, as punishing as the race is, I'm sure I'll still sign … MORE
Hospital Hill runners embarked on a different sport as they battled the triple H: heat, humidity and hills. Yet, as punishing as the race is, I’m sure I’ll still sign up next year for the half with dreams of the 10k.
Due to Kansas City hosting World Cup games and a variety of other activities, the long-standing summer race was pushed up a few weeks. I foolishly thought we’d get nicer weather, but mother nature had different plans. We started with 70-degrees at 7am. Props to the race organizers for utilizing a colored-flag system. The race eventually progressed to the red flag, which justified my slower times and taking it easier. I’ve had heat exhaustion before, so I erred on the side of caution to avoid any issues. By mile 8, the red flag waved at the aid stations and the coolers with ice cold water and rags surfaced next to the lines of plentiful cups of water and gatorade. Somewhere around mile 10, even the EMTs on course had a case of bottled water available to the last runners.
Hospital Hill is known for its hills and they should not be taken lightly. Whether it’s the 5k, 10k or half – hills will be had for breakfast. It’s a good course through. We head north, turning short of entering downtown, and then head for the hills. One of the things that make this race difficult is that the hills are long. Technically, the Liberty Half has a greater elevation gain, but with short steep hills. HH has long hills with short downhill scattered throughout. The downhill finish is glorious and encouraging. I was able to run down more of it as I turned the last corner. As any runner knows, sprinting into the finish line with your favorite people by your side, cheering you on is the true victory of a good race.
Given the difficulty of this race, the lackluster medal was disheartening. It was round with the new logo in the middle. That is it. Nothing more, nothing less. With a race nearing 55 years, I hope the design department takes a hard look at past medals and see what they used to do. The same can be said for the expo. There is no same day packet pick-up, so all runners are ‘forced’ to go to the expo. For the past two years, the expo has consisted of 5 or 6 businesses, and half of them are not even race related. I did like the royal blue tech shirt. No women sizes, which can also be hit and miss. The finish line was a little better, but not by much. There was bananas, chips and snack size cookies, but no ice cream. Ice cream on a hot day would have been heaven.
I already knew this was not going to be a PR race and it definitely was not my best time, by a long shot. I finished the race with the satisfaction of finishing an extremely taxing race, with no injuries or injury flavor-ups. I walked the last three miles, and was okay with it. While my time was nine minutes slower than last year, I felt redeemed – and I have jkelling to thank for it. Last year, I was the final finisher and had serious doubts if I would even be able to finish. I remember ‘hating life’ at mile 10 and struggled to find the strength to stride out the final miles. Not this time around. I finished broken, but inspired. Despite the triple H features of the race, jkelling CRUSHED his previous course time, all while inspiring and motivating me. That’s what Hospital Hill is about: conquering whatever hill is ahead of you – whether it be physical or mental. This time around, a lot of my mental hills were overcome. Yup, it was a victory for me. Thanks jkelling for all the training miles, I could not do this without you.
Code Yellow
I would think that by moving the race to May, we would beat the heat. But it was a code yellow morning. I had to walk the hills a few … MORE
I would think that by moving the race to May, we would beat the heat. But it was a code yellow morning. I had to walk the hills a few times. it was still a well run race. only real complaint was the race shirts ran extremely small. I received the correct size, but it’s way too tight.
Hospital Hill, extra hospital
So this year was rough. Hot, muggy, and the black globe thermometer was just saying "your day is going to be horrible". Originally we'd been looking at possible T-storms at … MORE
So this year was rough. Hot, muggy, and the black globe thermometer was just saying “your day is going to be horrible”. Originally we’d been looking at possible T-storms at the start, but those bypassed or fizzled out, and instead we just got heat and humidity. To the RD’s credit, the aid stations had color coded flags that they updated Black, Red, Orange (and theoretically other colors but they wouldn’t be needed today) telling us exactly how bad it had gotten, and we’d been told to slow our pace by certain amounts at each one in one of the pre-race communications. It’s nice to see them go that extra mile when we all are going into it knowing this is going to be rough this year.
So…”this year”. Seems like their numbers took a pretty big hit. The start area was far less packed than it was for the 50th anniversary, but also less packed than last year. As this will probably be one of the last running of this course due to the start line being turned into a stadium, I’d hoped more people would come out. That said, it did feel a lot like running with family when you saw the people you recognize around every corner and at every aid station, the latter of which provided ice water and cold cooling towels as the day progressed. Big thanks for that. While prior years had far more crowd support and unofficial aid stations, massive appreciation for those who did come out to cheer us on. It was hot. It sucked. You kept us strong. With great sadness I saw several racers have issues that prevented them from continuing. Veterans of the sport, too, not people who overestimated what their first half is going to be like. That’s how hard it was. There were a few times when we had to encourage each other along, and come the last 2 miles, my vest got real heavy, and my pace tanked climbing the last mile of hill. We all did our best to stick it out, and I am profoundly proud of my race partner for digging deep in a tough race. ccruiz03, you are a machine.
Swag. The shirt was a decent tech shirt, but the medal came off as extremely generic. There was nothing aside from the name to really personalize it, and it could have just as easily been the larger version of some small-town PTA’s annual fundraiser 5k. It’s medal, so it’s not cheap, it’s just, not well-designed either.
Nobody ever says this is an easy course. It’s hilly. Some of the hills go on for over a mile, it’s hot. It’s ALWAYS hot, but sometimes it’s punitively hot. You will almost assuredly not PR here. That’s not what this race is about though, this race is about pulling up beside your buddy, a stranger, or your soon to be buddy and encouraging each other along. Maybe for a few strides, maybe for a few miles, then relaxing together at the end and commiserating on how rough it was. That said, the end of the race didn’t have as many goodies as before. Ice cream and milk was abundant in prior years, and I finished faster (and further up the list of finishers) and there was noticeably less at the end compared to prior years. Fortunately, there are a ton of great places to eat in the area, but I sure did miss that free ice cream sandwich of years past.
One of the best races I've ever run...
was my 100th Half. Organization, crowd, course support, after race party ALL were the best. Course is tough with hills but plenty of time to recover. I paced this race … MORE
was my 100th Half. Organization, crowd, course support, after race party ALL were the best. Course is tough with hills but plenty of time to recover. I paced this race & I had a fab group. I can’t say enough about the organizers. They understand running & how to put of a great show. BRAVO!
It was different this year
From packet pick up to the finish line it felt different this year. I wish they would change it so we can packet pick up the day of. Going to … MORE
From packet pick up to the finish line it felt different this year. I wish they would change it so we can packet pick up the day of. Going to crown center the day before is a hassle especially since the expo is now only a few booths.
It was super easy to park this year, and now I know why – their numbers took a big hit from the last few years. The starting chute was very narrow because of the road construction. We had a great pacer though. At the end the after party was good but it felt like people were leaving quickly.
Hopefully things pick up next year.
First time half, repeat racer
I've done the 10k twice because summer races are hard for me with body armor on. First time doing the half, and it won't be the last. The 10k was … MORE
I’ve done the 10k twice because summer races are hard for me with body armor on. First time doing the half, and it won’t be the last. The 10k was challenging because of the heat, the half brings with it several hills…steep and long that will absolutely put your climbing muscles to work.
Aid station volunteers are super motivated with water and powerade at every stop, with GU at the later ones. There were a couple places at the tops of hills I wish there’d been an aid station but for the most part they appeared when you needed them. The end is thankfully a long downhill stretch and the chute is lined with people cheering on even the back-of-the-packers. Chocolate milk, burritos, snow cones and some other things were available at the end.
The tshirt (for the half) was a nice dry-wick and the medal was nicely designed. Hard as it was, I’m already looking forward to next year.
Great First Race
This was a great race for a first timer. Very friendly and many people that were cheering us on. The volunteers were great and handled a couple situations great. MORE
This was a great race for a first timer. Very friendly and many people that were cheering us on. The volunteers were great and handled a couple situations great.
One of my favorite races
the weather was so nice this year! I ran 6 minutes faster than last year. There was plenty of shade but the hills are still there. I always look forward … MORE
the weather was so nice this year! I ran 6 minutes faster than last year. There was plenty of shade but the hills are still there. I always look forward to this race, hope to be back next year too.
Great Pacer
This was the first time in 34 half marathons that I stuck with my pacer from start to finish. he did a great job of coaching us through the hills … MORE
This was the first time in 34 half marathons that I stuck with my pacer from start to finish. he did a great job of coaching us through the hills and keeping us on an exact pace. he even did a 15 second count down at each water stop to keep us going. at the end i was able to pull away and beat my goal by 2 minutes.
How to handle the Hill...
...is do it a cool year. While it may not have been "cool," per se, it was 11 degrees cooler than last year, and I was thankful for that when … MORE
…is do it a cool year. While it may not have been “cool,” per se, it was 11 degrees cooler than last year, and I was thankful for that when tackling this notoriously hilly course. If you want a PR course, this isn’t it. If you want to be a part of a 51-year-old race that shares some key routes with a partially abridged KC Marathon route, here’s a great preview.
While there seemed a much smaller turnout than last year, that was the 50th running, so it is to be expected. The energy was up, before and during the race, and the post-race party area has a great band and plenty of seating. Massage tables AND IV were present. Usually, it’s one or the other if any, so having both there was wonderful. And the brisket burritoes had far more brisket in them this year if you got to partake. I had an ice cream sandwich (4g sat.fat) so that was my fat for the morning, because I love when my cardiologists are happy with me. I heard some complains about the shirt, a light cotton long sleeve pullover hoodie. I actually liked it. Not too heavy, lighter than the one I usually use in the winter. I can see it getting some use on those days when you don’t really know how the temperature is going to FEEL until you get to the site. The medal was a cut out medal with the skyline and a nice ribbon. There were complaints that last year was better. Well last year had the big 50 on there, of course it was better. I thought it was a nice medal.
I was half-marathoned out and had some medical issues crop up, so I did the 10k, but I will be happily doing the half marathon for the 52nd running in 2025. I heard the course extension has a lot of shade at least.
Bottom line, until we get the KC marathon in October this is the most iconic race in KC and possibly the area. Do not miss this one.
Great energy at the after party
This review is going to be somewhat tainted by the fact that I was actually IN the hospital until late the night before (Rockey Mountain Spotted Fever sucks!) and had … MORE
This review is going to be somewhat tainted by the fact that I was actually IN the hospital until late the night before (Rockey Mountain Spotted Fever sucks!) and had begged so much to get out and do the race that I’m sure they were happy to discharge me. It was my worst pace all year and the heat felt 10 degrees higher than it was….and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. I obviously have no idea what the expo was like, but the parking was very close if you get there early enough, the prerace energy was popping and you could tell that everybody had been looking forward to what was the 50th running of this iconic race.
Going through multiple neighborhoods with their own individual character always provided something to look at, and for the most part there was never more than 200m between groups of people out there to cheer everyone on. The chute was lined with spectators, even for the back-of-the-packers like me. I do wish that company that gives IVs was out there, because I couldn’t drink fast enough to get rehydrated, but that may have at least in part have been due to my illness. I had debated between doing the 10k again or the half, and while I cannot wait to do the half and see how that extra section of course goes, I decided to redo the 10k this year to see what my real performance on the 10k is. 2025 I’ll be out there on the half for sure. I’m the guy wearing body armor. Feel free to say hi as you pass me.
Hot and humid and hilly
Per usual in KC this was a humid June run. We had to walk a few times. the post-race fuel kind of made up for it. we were sweaty and … MORE
Per usual in KC this was a humid June run. We had to walk a few times. the post-race fuel kind of made up for it. we were sweaty and miserable afterward. 3 days later i signed up for 2024.
Always a great race, hills and heat too!
Lots of parking, plenty of restrooms too. The jacket was very nice. The course is hilly but lots of water stops although I did not see any with gels only … MORE
Lots of parking, plenty of restrooms too. The jacket was very nice. The course is hilly but lots of water stops although I did not see any with gels only Gatorade. Probably won’t get a PR but plan on having lots of fun!
50th Anniversary was uneventful
This was my third time at this event. 5K, then 10K, and now half marathon. It was advertised this would be a big event... with music spanning the 50 years … MORE
This was my third time at this event. 5K, then 10K, and now half marathon. It was advertised this would be a big event… with music spanning the 50 years since the run started, and lots of crowd and neighborhood support. That DID NOT happen. There was minimal support by anyone outside of the volunteers. Water stations were plentiful, but one of the stations in the middle was already putting their tables away when I came through… and there were still lots of people behind me. The hills, heat, and humidity really got to me this year. The medal and the commemorative jacket were nice, but I was definitely disappointed in the lack of neighborhood support and the snacks post-race. Don’t know that I will do this run anymore.
CRAZY HOT AND HUMID
Course is fairly hilly, nothing that will decimate you, but paired with the heat that was in 2023, made the course very difficult for me. Last year i managed a … MORE
Course is fairly hilly, nothing that will decimate you, but paired with the heat that was in 2023, made the course very difficult for me. Last year i managed a 2:07, this year post-achilles tear surgery i was lucky to get a 3:25 (earlier this year i have been back to 2:45ish times). Not enough crowd support along route, and just too hot.
Quiet Race
As one of the music capitals, I expected more on the course. With it being the 50th Anniversary, I expected more of a production. The crowd support was boring and … MORE
As one of the music capitals, I expected more on the course. With it being the 50th Anniversary, I expected more of a production. The crowd support was boring and it rarely music or photographers on the course.
a runner from Allen community college
That I’m very competitive and I don’t give that easy. I have only been running for 2 years but that doesn’t mean anything because I have worked hard. MORE
That I’m very competitive and I don’t give that easy. I have only been running for 2 years but that doesn’t mean anything because I have worked hard.
Very nice time, will repeat
I don't think the hills were all that hard. It was hot and a little humid. Good water support on course and a very nice route. Much prefer running along … MORE
I don’t think the hills were all that hard. It was hot and a little humid. Good water support on course and a very nice route. Much prefer running along the waterfront.
Love the new course
I have not run HH for a few years, so glad I came back. the new course is still very hilly but I love the change of scenery. Great run … MORE
I have not run HH for a few years, so glad I came back. the new course is still very hilly but I love the change of scenery. Great run from packet pick up to the finish line.