Red Baron Running Festival
Corning, NY
- 8 hr, 7 hr, 6 hr, 5 hr, 4 hr, 3 hr, 2 hr, 2.5 hr, 1 hr
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Red Baron Half Marathon is a challenging and fast course starting on the campus of Corning Community College and finishing at the Corning American Legion.
Local Historical Weather (Nov 02):
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| H (°F) | 50 | 48 | 65 | 48 | 42 |
| L (°F) | 28 | 28 | 40 | 38 | 29 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Gorgeous, Hilly Road Race
I ran this race November, 2022. The weather was an unusual 70 degrees with slight breeze, and it rained for about 20 minutes late in the race (just when I … MORE
I ran this race November, 2022. The weather was an unusual 70 degrees with slight breeze, and it rained for about 20 minutes late in the race (just when I needed it). This was not typical weather for the Finger Lakes this time of year. So that was lucky, and if you do this race, be prepared for chillier weather. This is a well-produced, organized race, with good swag (nice jacket and medal), and no frills.
This race is put on by Southern Tier Running Club (STRC). The course starts at SUNY Corning Community College, runs two loops around the campus buildings and parking lots, then proceeds through some lovely mountaintop neighborhoods with distant views of hills and foliage. Miles 1-4 are easy for spectators to get to. The last several miles are on country roads with some traffic, including the last two and a half miles along West Caton Road, which was pretty busy.
This course is hilly. Mile 7-8, along Spencer Hill Road, is the most significant hill, with a mile-long, steep incline. Some runners call it “religion hill,” I heard, because it is so challenging that “runners will find religion,” I guess, lol. Before mile 7, there are also lots of shorter, tough hills as well. After mile 8, it is almost (but not all) downhill. While the official description on the race website minimizes the hills, “The course has rolling hills with an overall elevation loss of 701 feet,” this belies the fact that so many hills makes for a challenging race, even if there are lots of accompanying downhills.
For a smaller race, there was solid on-course support and aid stations with water, Gatorade, and gels. Packet pick up (once we found it) was easy, indoor bathrooms at the start and finish were convenient, and race officials did a good job directing runners and holding off traffic.
Other than the nice swag, this is a no-frills race. The start line consisted of two orange cones with a starting chip pad, and there is not a pre-race expo, or music. It is a smallish local race that is well organized by STRC. A post-event celebration inside the American Legion adjacent to the race finish had food, which was mostly gone pretty quick. Family and guests of the runners were welcome to the celebration, too, which was nice. Afterwards, we went to the Corning Museum of Glass which was phenomenal. I highly recommend going there if you are in the area.
Overall, I wouldn’t run this race again, but probably would do another produced by Southern Tier Running Club (with fewer hills, lol).