Run Hard Half MarathonThe Run Hard Half Marathon will start and finish at Lexington County Baseball Stadium, home of the Lexington County Blowfish. The course is fully certified from the USATF. All half marathon finishers will receive a custom finisher medal. Run Hard 10KThe Run Hard 10k is just the …
MORE
Run Hard Half Marathon
The Run Hard Half Marathon will start and finish at Lexington County Baseball Stadium, home of the Lexington County Blowfish. The course is fully certified from the USATF.
All half marathon finishers will receive a custom finisher medal.
Run Hard 10K
The Run Hard 10k is just the right distance for those wanting to challenge themselves to conquer a distance a little farther than a 5k but not quite ready for the half marathon. The course is fully certified from the USATF.
All 10k finishers will receive a medal!
Toby K 5K
We’re back with the Toby K 5K! His legacy and race continue! Thank you to everyone who supports #TeamKirkland.
Toby Kirkland was a great man in our community and one who was involved in Run Hard from day one as a volunteer, a staff member, a board member, and so much more. Unexpectedly, on March 19, 2020, Toby Kirkland passed away. Toby loved people and dedicated his life to making other people better by constantly challenging them to live, work, and serve with PURPOSE. Toby saw potential in people and pushed them to be their best. If you knew Toby, then you can say you are better because of it. We honor his life and legacy by running, walking, or serving with purpose!
Bring the family and have fun on this 3.1-mile route! The course will have the same start/finish as the half marathon (just not as many miles in between). So, join and support the Lexington community and the Run Hard Running Teams!
LESS
Fairly Flat, Not Much to Look At
Packet pick up is the day before at a local Fleet Feet (with like no parking, so heads up that you'll probably have to circle the lot a few times) … MORE
Packet pick up is the day before at a local Fleet Feet (with like no parking, so heads up that you’ll probably have to circle the lot a few times) several miles away from the race location. They do offer race day packet pick up, but be sure to get there early.
The race itself has a fair amount of parking. It’s at a baseball stadium, so get there early if you want to park in the actual paved parking lot. If you don’t, you’ll park in a nearby grassy field, which is fine if things have been dry but problematic if it has been rainy. The race site isn’t near a hotel, so if you fly in you’ll need to figure out transportation. Not 100% if Uber/Lyft would be an option at 7am.
Lots of indoor bathrooms as well as a row of portajohns near the start. The Half, 10K, and 5K all have different start times. No corrals, but there are pacers so that helps with figuring out where to line up.
The half marathon course itself is fine – it runs through a new build neighborhood, around the local high school, and down some major roads/four lane highways. They close off the far right lane on the highways for runners and have orange cones/heavy police presence to separate runners from the traffic. Personally, I hate it because the traffic is coming up BEHIND us and I spend those miles absolutely terrified someone in a lifted pickup truck is going to give into their intrusive thoughts/frustration with traffic being slow, but I 100% know that’s a me problem and (probably?) irrational. But I’ve heard other people mention they share the same fear. Sharing because it’s a real mood killer if you’re not expecting it.
The course used to run further into town and around an athletics complex (youth sports ball fields), but they changed the course in 2024 due to a tournament and now it runs through the new build neighborhood again. Which is a mixed bag – flat and you know the terrain, so it helps if you’re chasing a PR, but also a bit of a mental “ah come on” to do the same thing again around miles 10-12. Finish line is different than the start, which is also a mental “….” – you turn into the grassy parking lot and run over some mixed terrain (rocks and gravel), onto the baseball field, and round the bases on the … clay? dirt? … to the finish line. It’s a fun finish line experience and looks cool for the photos, but it adds to the race (13.2 or more) and by that point I’m ready to be done.
The finishers medals are really nice (hefty, good size) and the shirt quality has consistently improved over the last three years. Different shirt/color for each distance, so it’s fun to see them in the community. Not a lot of post race food – a few granola bars and fruit and then food trucks with the option to purchase.
Does it feel like you’re running in SC/the South? No. The area is overgrown and you run past a lot of thrown up neighborhoods and businesses. No Spanish moss, antebellum houses, or rocking chairs on this course. Not a lot of spectators, but the people at the water stops are happy to be there and encouraging. But it’s flat-ish and is historically the best option for a PR of the few half marathons we have in Columbia.
Great course
10K course was great, nice and flat with only a few turns! I look forward to running it again next year. Participation medals are great but OA winners trophy was … MORE
10K course was great, nice and flat with only a few turns! I look forward to running it again next year. Participation medals are great but OA winners trophy was beyond terrible, just a cheap plastic trophy, age award prize is good, a Christmas ornament.