Rutgers Unite Half Marathon & 8K
Piscataway, NJ
- Half Marathon, 8K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Rutgers Unite Half Marathon is New Jersey’s premier spring half marathon. Ever been to a college football game? The spirit and enthusiasm is contagious. The Rutgers Unite Half Marathon embodies this feeling from the Scarlet Knight mascot kicking off the race to the thousands of fans lining the finish … MORE
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Humid Race
Course: Campus looks far nicer than what I thought Rutgers would look like. Course was a constant onslaught of small hills throughout. Humidity sucked the life out of me. There … MORE
Course: Campus looks far nicer than what I thought Rutgers would look like. Course was a constant onslaught of small hills throughout. Humidity sucked the life out of me. There were numerous aid stations throughout but I don’t think the drink of choice (Nuun) really gets it done. Course was well marked and marshalled.
Swag: T-shirt and medal. Expo bib pickup is MANDATORY so you need to either go there before race day, get a friend to go there before race day or cough up $22 for your packet to be mailed.
RU ready for a GREAT RUn?
This race is well organized and fun! My husband is a Rutgers alumni which is why we originally ran this race but had such a great experience we keep coming … MORE
This race is well organized and fun! My husband is a Rutgers alumni which is why we originally ran this race but had such a great experience we keep coming back. We’ve run it twice. I ran a PR in 2016 and ran 2018 at marathon pace in preparation for the NJ marathon. We had an issue with our registrations but the staff quickly identified the issue and rectified it and were very helpful.
The expo is good for a smaller race. Easy packet pick up. We travel to this race and appreciate that this year they added a mail out option for race packets. We are RU fans so the race swag is GREAT! The race shirts and the mugs are very nice. I enjoy that the swag isn’t filled with sponsor logos – thumbs up to that decision. We even won RU gloves at the expo. The race logistics getting to the race start were smooth. My husband jokes that the Rutgers bus system is second to none. Lots of port o potties available (use the ones right at the bus drop for the shortest lines). The start of the race is well organized and it’s much appreciated that the race has separate start times for the half and 8K. It prevents a log jam at the start. It would be helpful to have runners corralled at the start by finish time but it’s not a huge race so not a huge problem. Well supported aid stations and aid stations were plentiful. Enjoyed that Nuun was available on course as I’m not a Gatorade fan. Great volunteers! Good number of spectators (more than the NJ marathon) and finish, despite ending with the only significant hill, was energy filled. Post race was well organized too with snack bags prepared for runners and heat sheets. The race bling, if you’re into that, is nice and good quality, its a joint medal for 1/2 and 8K participants. We really enjoyed that this year’s race coincided with the Rutgers Spring Football Game. It was great to pick up our packets and then walk right over to the stadium for a preview of the Scarlet Knights 2018 team. Really enjoy this race.
You'll be a Rutgers fan after this one..
For more details about race shirts, finisher medals, post-race party, accommodations, places to eat, and photos of it all, visit https://www.serialrunner.com/half-marathon-race-recaps/rutgers-unite-half-marathon. MORE
For more details about race shirts, finisher medals, post-race party, accommodations, places to eat, and photos of it all, visit https://www.serialrunner.com/half-marathon-race-recaps/rutgers-unite-half-marathon.
Run through Rutgers
I picked this race because it was only a two hour drive away. The course takes runners through three different Rutgers’ campuses. It had a variety of elevations throughout the … MORE
I picked this race because it was only a two hour drive away. The course takes runners through three different Rutgers’ campuses. It had a variety of elevations throughout the course. Near the halfway point of the race we ran through a park along a river. It was a nice change of scenery and a good way to break things up. After the park we ran over a bridge to another park. We ran about a mile loop in the second park. The race finished on the main college ave.
There was also live music along the course.
If you are looking for a race in April in New Jersey. This is one option. It wasn’t the best race I’ve run, but it also wasn’t the worst.