Purdue Boilermaker Half Marathon & 5K
West Lafayette, IN
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
BOILER UP this October at the annual Purdue Boilermaker Half-Marathon & 5K! Join the crowd of 5,000+ competitors at this classic event outside of Ross-Ade Stadium, the home for Purdue football! The thrilling half-marathon course travels through the gorgeous Purdue University Campus and parts of West Lafayette! While the 5k … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Oct 24):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 55 | 64 | 79 | 76 | 57 |
| L (°F) | 28 | 32 | 48 | 58 | 48 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Boiler Up, Hammer Down
Course scenery was really lovely--nothing like a college campus in the fall! I expected parking to be an issue, but it wasn't. I'd like to go back for the half … MORE
Course scenery was really lovely–nothing like a college campus in the fall! I expected parking to be an issue, but it wasn’t. I’d like to go back for the half marathon.
A HILL of a race
Being a Purdue alum, I was VERY excited about this race! Course: Start at Ross-Ade and head out through areas of WL then heading across the river to Lafayette, coming … MORE
Being a Purdue alum, I was VERY excited about this race!
Course: Start at Ross-Ade and head out through areas of WL then heading across the river to Lafayette, coming back and going through campus. The finish line is back at Ross-Ade. For someone who hasn’t really seen much of campus in a few years, it was an enjoyable way to see it. But dang…there were HILLS!!! I’m not used to so many…especially late in the race which were KILLERS! There were plenty of water stops, but port-a-pots were few and far between!
Course support: What can I say. I hoped for more from the students, but it was 8:00 on a Saturday morning. They were still sleeping.
Swag: Loved the shirts, but definitely men’s sizes. For a size small woman I swim in it.
Production: The race and on-site packet pick-up were very well organized. Snacks at the end were hit and miss. I got the last cookies and the water was not bottled (BUT available in cups). It was pretty much a help yourself to goodies atmosphere.
Like I said, I was VERY excited about this race. While it wasn’t my favorite (and it definitely isn’t a PR course), it was fun and I would probably run it again.
Limited runner support; beautiful course
This is a hillier course than I thought it would be, and I know the area well. You get to see many great sights, but spectators and encouragement are limited. … MORE
This is a hillier course than I thought it would be, and I know the area well. You get to see many great sights, but spectators and encouragement are limited. I saw one place with a porta potty on the whole route. Volunteers on route couldn’t answer questions. After the first 8 miles or so route guidance was sparse which is a problem if you’re in the tail end. I came in in 3:00 and they we’re out of bottled water, many support tables were already being packed up, no after party. Unisex sizes on shirts meant men’s sizes which were huge. None available for exchange. No sizes available for the small women or youth. For a runner like me, I give it a 2 of 5 overall. For a man running a fast race, it’s fine.
Small Town, Rolling Hills, Cool Weather
The weather was a cool fall morning, perfect for running. The course does have some hills - I would describe them as rolling and the toughest one is at mile … MORE
The weather was a cool fall morning, perfect for running. The course does have some hills – I would describe them as rolling and the toughest one is at mile 11 – not because it’s the biggest, but because it is mile 11. It is a smaller race and was nice in terms of not running in a pack and not having to weave around runners.