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 …
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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!
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Always enjoyed going to this campus
I have visited ND many times to watch football games and this is the first time I ran this half marathon. Although I'm very familiar with the campus, it was … MORE
I have visited ND many times to watch football games and this is the first time I ran this half marathon. Although I’m very familiar with the campus, it was great to run through it. It’s a double loop, which I typically do not like, but I really enjoyed it. We had a nice sunny day as well.
Fun Race, Beautiful Campus
Notre Dame University is a beautiful campus, highlighted by this fun race! Packet pickup was at the University the day before, and every student I saw was super helpful and … MORE
Notre Dame University is a beautiful campus, highlighted by this fun race! Packet pickup was at the University the day before, and every student I saw was super helpful and friendly. We started at St Stefan Center, which was easy to find, ran past ornate buildings, tangled masses of pink and white spring flowers just bursting out of the trees, a scenic trail through a woodsy area passing by a beautiful lake, and passed “touchdown Jesus” on our way back! The atmosphere was friendly, fun and encouraging without being too crowded- they have a strict cut off number, so sign up early. The money goes to very worthwhile charities including Girls on the Run Michiana, a center for homeless teens, and a school in the Sudan. I stayed in a wonderful air B and B on washington street, just a few blocks from campus, which was super clean and decorated with an artist’s work and elegant old fashioned furniture- for much less than local hotels. Great vegan food selections at local restaurants also. Actually since the half runs the same route twice and the 10k once this would be a good race to try the 10k distance if you are so inclined. I got a PR even though I started out too fast and toasted my legs too early overall, lol. Highly recommended!
A bucket list for any ND fan
This race is a must for any Fighting Irish fan. This race is entirely put on by student volunteers. The course is through Notre Dame's beautiful campus, with the only … MORE
This race is a must for any Fighting Irish fan. This race is entirely put on by student volunteers. The course is through Notre Dame’s beautiful campus, with the only hill being a slight one by the grotto (it feels steeper the second time around). Be warned there’s a fairly strict three hour limit. My only real critic is that there’s only water at the water stations, so if you need electrolytes, bring your own.
Great Tour of Notre Dame Campus
Enjoy a great tour of Notre Dame. You'll be on concrete, pavement, and trails throughout the race. We experienced sun, rain, hail, snow, windstorms and still had a great time. MORE
Enjoy a great tour of Notre Dame. You’ll be on concrete, pavement, and trails throughout the race. We experienced sun, rain, hail, snow, windstorms and still had a great time.
Beautiful course on the ND campus
This is a student organized race that is 2 laps of the same course around campus. The course is lovely around 2 lakes and past Touchdown Jesus. There are a … MORE
This is a student organized race that is 2 laps of the same course around campus. The course is lovely around 2 lakes and past Touchdown Jesus. There are a lot of students running it. It’s not very friendly to anyone taking more than 3 hours to finish. There was little food let and they were cleaning up. It was fun to do once, but I don’t think it will be a repeated race.
cancelled due to weather
unfortunately due to snow, the race was cancelled 15 minutes after it was to begin. They had great snacks though. They updated everyone through social media and email. The t-shirt … MORE
unfortunately due to snow, the race was cancelled 15 minutes after it was to begin. They had great snacks though. They updated everyone through social media and email. The t-shirt was really nice. They stated they would be contacting everyone later to update, but i haven’t heard anything.