Run 4 the River Half Marathon
Rotterdam Junction, NY
- Half Marathon
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Run 4 The River Half Marathon initially launched in 2020 as a low-key pandemic event that ran along the Hudson River. With a host of fall marathons in early to mid October this is the perfect time for a FAST half marathon tune-up. We’re kicking things up several notches … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Sep 05):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 78 | 79 | 90 | 64 | 67 |
| L (°F) | 59 | 52 | 68 | 59 | 57 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Run like a River
I had plans Sunday night which I didn’t want sore legs for so I was looking for a half marathon relatively close on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and … MORE
I had plans Sunday night which I didn’t want sore legs for so I was looking for a half marathon relatively close on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and found this one. It is located by Albany, NY and is a 3ish hour drive and has race day packet pick up. I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Albany about 15 minutes from the race. There was fine pre race communication with all the info you need. It’s a pretty low budget race especially if you don’t purchase a shirt. The race is point to point and mostly along a paved bike path by the river. It starts at a farm and ends at a brewery. You can park at either the start or finish but the only shuttle option is to park at the finish and you can pay $10 to shuttle to the start. If you park at the start you need to figure out how to get back (may work fine if you have a friend or family member meeting you at the finish). I opted to park at the finish and take the shuttle. There was lots of parking at the finish and the shuttle was easy. I loved the start area. It was at a farm with some chickens, goats and sheep to entertain us until race time. Packet pick up was easy. I didn’t opt for the race shirt. The race started on time and had signs to line up by pace. I didn’t really like the slowest pace was 10 min/mile. The announcer reassured us the race was inclusive of slower paces and we just line up at the back but there is a big difference between an 11 minute mile and a 16 minute mile. I was planning to run around a 13 minute mile but line up soon after the 10 minute mile section since I knew it would be a hodge podge of paces and didn’t want to have to weave around groups. Other than that start was organized and the race was BOP friendly. I think it said there was a 3:30 time limit but I don’t think they were strict. It was a beautiful day and a fast course so I was a lot faster than 3:30 and nowhere near last so can’t comment on how walker friendly it was but it was fine for slow runners or run-walkers. The course is set up pretty smart as the first bit is on a large road closed off from traffic to spread us out so it didn’t matter the paces were a bit mixed. You go out about 3 miles out and turn around and go on the trail. Part of this was on a partially closed off road but the rest was on public paths so you didn’t really need to worry about traffic. The turnaround and any confusing sections of the river trail were clearly marked. The course was quite nice. Not extraordinary scenery but there were some very pretty views of the river. A lot was shaded and the weather was perfect in the shaded areas but a bit hot in the unshaded areas. There were 4 or 5 water stops with just water. This was discussed in the instructions but I left my honey stinger gummies in my car so I really could have used some Gatorade or nutrition but that’s a bit on me and I don’t necessarily expect low budget races to have aid stations with more than water. There were small mile markers and course marshals at every street crossing. The course is technically net downhill but it mostly feels flat with small ups and downs. I had a really strong start. I got a bit hot and electrolyte depleted at the end. It wasn’t as bad as the Boilermaker where I was having symptoms but I did slow a bit at the end. I still ended up about a minute faster than last week which I was happy with. At the end you are cheered on and there is a finishing arch on the road next the brewery. The medal is nice for a low budget race. I didn’t like how the end was set up. There is a really nice brunch in the brewery but the lines were a bit long (not longer than most races with a brunch option like this) and there was no other food at the end. I had plans with my mom and brother shortly after the race so didn’t have time to wait for the brunch and was starving. I think they should at least offer a granola bar or banana or something immediately after the race for those who don’t have time for the brunch. Overall I thought this was a really nice, affordable race. It’s not a must run but I’d recommend it to locals and semi-locals a few hours away. There are definitely more iconic NY half marathons for 50 staters (see my other reviews I’ve done a lot of half’s in NY) but this isn’t a bad option if it works with your schedule. It would also work excellent as a double or even triple with Swanzey Covered Bridge Half in NH on Sunday and/or New Haven Road Race in CT on Monday which are also both good races.