Marion Arts Festival Half Marathon and 5K
Marion, IA
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Marion Arts Festival Half Marathon & 5K Run-Walk has long been a favorite season opener for many serious amateurs, recreational runners, and casual walkers. The Marion Arts Fest weekend is a great opportunity to explore the growing city of Marion and uptown shops/amenities. The Run/Walk features unique top awards … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 17):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 66 | 81 | 71 | 73 | 65 |
| L (°F) | 49 | 50 | 51 | 50 | 56 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Nothing fancy, but gets the job done.
I was looking for a 5K while visiting from out of town and stumbled on this one. *Course: Hills, but I've seen worse. Part of the course was through a … MORE
I was looking for a 5K while visiting from out of town and stumbled on this one.
*Course: Hills, but I’ve seen worse. Part of the course was through a park and a cemetery, which was unique. But otherwise, normal road race. Fairly well marked and wasn’t worried about getting lost ever.
*Race Management: I’m partial to @runsignup as a registration platform, b/c it’s just so easy for a person to use and this race used GetMeRegistered. So, it felt clunky and getting information wasn’t easy. Just classic management with communications, nothing flashy. Got the job done.
*Course Support: Good – 1 water stop on 5K. Only a handful of course volunteers, but felt supported even at the back of the pack.
*Swag – Shirt: Great tech shirt, long-sleeve and logo design. But it was white, which I’m not a fan of, so I gave it to my mom. But if it had been a different color, I’d have given it 5*
*Swag – Medal: This was outstanding. Handmade clay medal, stamped with the race details. Each was a different color. As a participant, this is one of the best medals I’ve received. So unique!
*Overall: solid 3.5-4