Notre Dame Holy Half

The Holy Half course runs along the beautiful campus of the University of Notre Dame passing iconic attractions including the Golden Dome, Grotto, Touchdown Jesus, and campus lakes. There is a strict cap of 1,700 runners.

The start/finish line is at the Stepan Center, located on the northeast corner of campus. 10k runs 1 lap and the Half runs 2 laps. Water stations are marked by blue dots and mile markers are numbered.

Annually held in the spring of each year, the Holy Half Marathon tradition began in 2004. A few students wanted to see if they could run 13.1-miles and decided to make a campus race. That year, eighty runners participated, raising $1,000 for the Louis J. Acompora Foundation. Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, proceeds from the consecutive Holy Half Marathons were donated to relief efforts in New Orleans. As the race garnered followers both on campus and nationwide, the number of participants and the amount of money raised for charity continued to grow.

In 2011, the Holy Half turned its attention to the surrounding area of South Bend. The campaign elicited an overwhelmingly positive response from locals, prompting a shift in focus to a new partnership with the adjacent community. From 2011-2014, the Holy Half Marathon raised over $140,000 for various South Bend organizations. In 2017, the race was expanded to include 1,700 runners. In that year alone, the race raised over $50,000 to support four local charities.

The Holy Half has truly become one of the greatest traditions at the University of Notre Dame. Runners take pride not only in training for and completing a 13.1-mile race, but also in making a difference to South Bend on behalf of the University. As a club that is entirely student lead, the Holy Half seeks to grow as a student club, allowing more women and men from Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s, and Holy Cross to be active in the planning and execution of the race. We are looking forward to many more years of running, community, and fun!