Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic
Wheeling, WV
- Half Marathon, 5K, 1 Miler, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic Run features a challenging, Ohio Valley course, well known for its changes in elevation. The Half Marathon Run will have prize categories (for male and female) for the Open division. Race towels, bottled water and fresh fruit will be available to participants. Participants will … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 23):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 71 | 55 | 76 | 77 | 62 |
| L (°F) | 54 | 45 | 66 | 59 | 50 |
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This is my favorite race! 7th Time!
I love this race! The difficulty and the scenery keep me coming back! The finisher medal is always high quality. The volunteers and spectators are amazing! I would prefer a … MORE
I love this race! The difficulty and the scenery keep me coming back! The finisher medal is always high quality. The volunteers and spectators are amazing! I would prefer a cotton shirt but I will never complain about a free shirt.
Holy Hills
I've heard this referred to as the hardest half in the country, and I don't doubt it. The hills on this course are insane, and they just keep coming. It's … MORE
I’ve heard this referred to as the hardest half in the country, and I don’t doubt it. The hills on this course are insane, and they just keep coming. It’s a great challenge for all and so rewarding to cross that finish line!
Hard but worth it!!
What an amazing race! On the smaller side but no time limit so that helped with my coming off an injury. Definitely train hills and inclines! Crowd support was amazing … MORE
What an amazing race! On the smaller side but no time limit so that helped with my coming off an injury. Definitely train hills and inclines! Crowd support was amazing along course, people all along to push you to keep going esp in hard parts. Lots of water stops. Beautiful scenery. Overall really enjoyed!
TOUGH! TOUGH! TOUGH!
I have run marathons easier than this half-marathons! There is a long 2-mile elevation gain (over 500 ft) from miles 3-5, so I was tired at the beginning of the … MORE
I have run marathons easier than this half-marathons! There is a long 2-mile elevation gain (over 500 ft) from miles 3-5, so I was tired at the beginning of the race! It was also HOT, so I went slower and stayed hydrated as much as possible! Wheeling isn’t that pretty of a city since it was filled with roads and buildings (not like we ran in the suburbs or parks).
Surprisingly lots of the townspeople came out to see and support us, so I felt welcomed! And some of them at alcohol!
You will not PR for this race! I did it just as a challenge!
TOUGH
I signed up for this race with plans of it being my second half. When the Disney half marathon was cut in half in Jan, it quickly became my first … MORE
I signed up for this race with plans of it being my second half. When the Disney half marathon was cut in half in Jan, it quickly became my first half. Let me tell you, this course is KILLER. I have already signed up for next year for redemption. I found there to be ample aid and water stations.
Challenging but satisfying
I’ve signed up for this race before reading the reviews and then I was prepared to die on the course. Mile 4 is where the endless elevation started and I … MORE
I’ve signed up for this race before reading the reviews and then I was prepared to die on the course. Mile 4 is where the endless elevation started and I could only walk up the hill.
There was a lot of water stations and just people cheering you up. Only wish they had some ice 🧊 to go along with water and Gatorade.
The hills of West Virginia
Let's be clear--this race is hilly. The first hill is around 600ft of elevation gain, the last is ~200ft, with rolling hills completing the total elevation gain to around 1100ft. … MORE
Let’s be clear–this race is hilly. The first hill is around 600ft of elevation gain, the last is ~200ft, with rolling hills completing the total elevation gain to around 1100ft. I would highly recommend sticking with the pacers for your preferred finish time, as they will help you manage the hills and stay within pace (trust me–my pacer group finished ahead of me, even though I tried to pound through the hills). Still, the race was surprisingly enjoyable. It was an easy drive in from Pittsburgh, day of packet pick-up, and a nice tour of Wheeling and its nearby neighborhoods in some good, cool weather. Crowd support was really good, and aid-stations were sufficient. The pictures are also free, and given the race size are framed well enough that you will get at least one good one. The after-race pasta lunch was perfect, and beers and snacks were a nice treat. The price is also good for all of the benefits–if memory serves, it was ~$70-80 dollars for week-of registrations. In short, horrible hills but well-done race and treats.
Tough challenge for this Mountaineer!
A fellow beginner runner asked me if I would like to run this race, and since I survived the GRTM half-marathon, I said, sure, why not! Friends of mine who … MORE
A fellow beginner runner asked me if I would like to run this race, and since I survived the GRTM half-marathon, I said, sure, why not! Friends of mine who ran the old 20K here warned me ahead of time about the hills, 29th St in particular, so I prepped here in Chas. on some of the CDR course. The Ogden half was one of the toughest challenges I have faced in life (and that includes childbirth and a brain tumor!), but I met that beast, ran those hills, & beat my first half marathon’s time by 10 minutes! The community support was amazing with a lot of prep work & water stations. There were some areas that were not clearly marked, and that was disconcerting, but overall, this was an amazing adventure!!!
A family tradition ... for over 30 years
Our family has been participating for three decades. It started when my daughters (who are not runners) and I would run the 1-mile downhill race on the evening before my … MORE
Our family has been participating for three decades. It started when my daughters (who are not runners) and I would run the 1-mile downhill race on the evening before my half marathon. One year, my daughter won a cash prize of $150 in the race! When the Friday race was discontinued a few years ago, I said nothing about that year’s race to my daughters, didn’t want them to have the pressure of making the long trip to West Virginia just to see me run the half marathon. I was surprised to see that my daughter and her husband drove in the middle of the night just so that they could see me run the half marathon on Saturday morning! The weekend has become that special to my family! The 2-mile straight uphill in the half at the 3.5 mile marker is a killer, but not so bad when you know where it is and how long it will be. The reward is the 2-mile straight downhill that follows. By then you are delirious and it feels like you are flying! Have never experienced anything like it in any other race. A few more rolling hills, the toughest is a half-mile hill that comes right before the final mile, which is straight downhill (the site of the former Friday night race), and a finish in downtown Wheeling. Tough, challenging, and special. Our family would not start our summer without this race! Participation has dropped in recent years, but I hope the race can continue to be run until I no longer can.
Tough Event
Hills, many hills...this was the third time I participated in this event. For change the weather was cool. The support on course was very good.. There were water stations every … MORE
Hills, many hills…this was the third time I participated in this event. For change the weather was cool. The support on course was very good.. There were water stations every mile or so. The swag is nothing special, just a shirt. At end of race you get a nice medal and towel. It is my hometown race, so I support it. It is also the toughest 1/2 marathon I have ever entered by far. If you are looking for a WV race to add to your list of races this is definitely one to consider.
Great challenge!
This is a TOUGH one!! But great course support along the way! It was fun to wind through the town and see a new place plus the challenge of the … MORE
This is a TOUGH one!! But great course support along the way! It was fun to wind through the town and see a new place plus the challenge of the hills. They have real bathrooms to use before and after which is nice. Well organized and well done. I would defintely do it again just for the challenge. Nice medal as well! I really enjoyed it and feel like it showcased the terrain of WV well.
Tough Course
This course has a reputation of being tough and it is. Normally I can run, between 1:50 and 2:00. I have run twice and can't come close to breaking two … MORE
This course has a reputation of being tough and it is. Normally I can run, between 1:50 and 2:00. I have run twice and can’t come close to breaking two hours. Between the heat (Memorial Day Weekend) and the elevation changes you will be challenged. Support for the race is great. I will be back again to finally break my barrier. Wish they held it during a cooler time of year, otherwise a great race to try.
Yes, it really is one of the toughest
The combination of heat, humidity and hills made this one of my slowest half marathons ever. I realized early on that this was not going to be a fast race … MORE
The combination of heat, humidity and hills made this one of my slowest half marathons ever. I realized early on that this was not going to be a fast race for me, so I concentrated on enjoying what I could. There was surprisingly excellent course support, and lots and lots of water and Gatorade on such a hot, humid day. Did I mention it was hot?
HILLS! & in 2010, this race was a 20K
2010 was the last year that this race was run as a 20K. It is a sister race to the Parkersburg News & Sentinel Half Marathon. Both races are held … MORE
2010 was the last year that this race was run as a 20K. It is a sister race to the Parkersburg News & Sentinel Half Marathon. Both races are held in WV.
Ogden is held in Wheeling, WV at the end of May.
Parkersburg is held in Parkersburg, WV in August.
If a person runs both races in the same calendar year, they receive a special t-shirt. Having run Parkersburg many times, I decided that I wanted to run Ogden so that I could earn that extra shirt. So, I registered for the 2010 race. Ogden ended up being the most DIFFICULT race I have ever run (and I have run over 60 half marathons!!) There is a KILLER hill. It keeps going for over 2 miles, and gains 650′ elevation!! It is located in the first few miles of the race!! This Hill (which others may describe more like a mountain) demands respect.
By the way, the race organizers changed this race to a Half Marathon in 2011, and it has been a Half Marathon since. But the Hill remains a challenge on the course!
Gotta Do it for the Hill
Love the course. Learned a lot as a young runner. Gotta check it out now in its half-marathon configuration. Looks like they kept the beast of a hill, and the … MORE
Love the course. Learned a lot as a young runner. Gotta check it out now in its half-marathon configuration. Looks like they kept the beast of a hill, and the loop in and out of downtown. Dig that there’s a finisher medal now.
Stay for the Banquet
Back in the Elby's Big Boy 20K days, the big highlight was the awards banquet afterward. Really taught me the meaning of a 20K being a good, manageable day's race, … MORE
Back in the Elby’s Big Boy 20K days, the big highlight was the awards banquet afterward. Really taught me the meaning of a 20K being a good, manageable day’s race, enough to earn that chicken afterward! Beast of a course in the days with no finisher’s medal.
Cherished Classic With a Legendary Hill
I first ran this as a high-schooler back in the 20K days. Coming from a hilly part of the state, I used to eat up that 3-mile incline. Was one … MORE
I first ran this as a high-schooler back in the 20K days. Coming from a hilly part of the state, I used to eat up that 3-mile incline. Was one of my first big races so loved the crowd support and streaming downhill into downtown, and the banquet, after.