Big time race. Small town charm. Set in the scenic waterfront towns of Havre de Grace and Perryville, MD, the SRRF features Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K races. Stunning waterfront views, great SWAG, and local hospitality make this event one of the area’s best. You’ll get your chance to run …
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Big time race. Small town charm. Set in the scenic waterfront towns of Havre de Grace and Perryville, MD, the SRRF features Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K races. Stunning waterfront views, great SWAG, and local hospitality make this event one of the area’s best.
You’ll get your chance to run through Havre de Grace, MD, one of the nation’s “best small towns to visit,” according to Smithsonian Magazine, at the Susquehanna River Running Festival, which follows a point-to-point route that features a pair of bridge crossings over the river it’s named for, and plentiful scenic views of the river, Chesapeake Bay and the parks along it throughout the course.
The race starts in the small Maryland shore town of Havre de Grace, which has a history that dates all the way back to the nation’s founding — in fact, historical figures from General Lafayette to George Washington spent time here back during the Revolutionary War.
From the starting line Tydings Park, the race heads north through town up Union Avenue, lined with mature trees and grand 19th century architecture.
Then you’ll head onto the 1.2 mile Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge, which will carry runners across the Susquehanna to another historic town of Perryville.
Once across the river and through Perryville, you’ll run a loop around Perry Point, running through Susquehanna Point and Perryville Park along the shores of the upper Chesapeake Bay before heading back to the bridge, which you’ll cross again to go back into Havre de Grace.
Then, the course heads back along the waterfront again, through downtown Havre de Grace, past the Concord Point Lighthouse to the race finish line, in front of Millard Tydings Memorial Park. You will have lots of spectators cheering you on and boosting your spirits as you travel through Havre de Grace and Perryville.
Awaiting you will be a finisher’s medal and a great after-party with food, one beer (included in fee) and live music. For our out of town guests, we arranged blocks of hotel rooms at group rates with shuttle bus service to and from the event.
All net proceeds go to the Al Cesky Scholarship Fund, Inc., a local 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization which awards $54,000 annually to local scholar-athletes.
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Personal Best in a Small Town Race
This race was awesome! And I got a personal best - finally getting that elusive sub 2 hour half marathon. Packet pick up was easy and there were many options … MORE
This race was awesome! And I got a personal best – finally getting that elusive sub 2 hour half marathon.
Packet pick up was easy and there were many options throughout the week to pick up your packet. I opted to pick up my packet Monday before the race at 5th Company Brewing. There was limited day of packet pick up available for those who needed it.
This race runs across the Hatem Bridge, so if you needed to drive across the bridge to get into town you needed to get there early because the bridge was being shut down for the race. I am pretty sure that they still had traffic on the bridge, but it was the westbound side of the bridge – don’t hold me too that though! I got there early (ish) around 6:30 am for the 8:00 am start. Parking was a disaster. Because Havre de Grace is a small town there are any parking garages, so it was parking along neighborhood side streets. I grew up in the area, so I knew how to get around, but if you don’t know the town well it would be challenging to find parking.
The start and end area was at Tydings Park, so there was plenty of space pre and post race with ample bathrooms. There were pacers for the half marathon which I loved, and it was what helped me secure my sub 2 hour goal.
The course takes you over the bridge from Havre de Grace into Perryville. There were water stops before and after the bridge, and no water cups were allowed on the bridge. The views of the Susquehanna River were amazing when running across the bridge. The course winds it’s way through Perryville, and that part wasn’t very scenic and was a little boring.
Coming back over the bridge and through the town of Havre de Grace you ran next to the river where there was a photographer there to get an awesome shot of you running with the bridge in the background. One of the best parts of the race was that the race photos were free!!
The afterparty was nice. I didn’t eat any of the food, but you were provided with a meal ticket for a pulled pork (?) sandwich, chips, a side, and a soda. You also got beer tickets and had the option to purchase additional beer from 5th Company Brewing.
I saved the best for last… Olympian Deena Castor was there! It was so unbelievably cool to meet her. She announced the start of the race and handed out the awards (I did not win an award but they were duck decoys – that’s what Havre de Grace is known for!).
Great Race in Havre de Grace
This is a wonderful event hosted by the delightful town of Havre de Grace, Maryland. Asics sponsors this event. For this race, Deena Kastor (Olympic Marathon Bronze Medalist) was present … MORE
This is a wonderful event hosted by the delightful town of Havre de Grace, Maryland. Asics sponsors this event. For this race, Deena Kastor (Olympic Marathon Bronze Medalist) was present to cheer on the runners!! It was an honor to meet her. The race itself is a very well organized event. The course is one of the better ones I have run…. runners cross over the Hatem Memorial Bridge (a 1.4-mile, four-lane bridge that spans the Susquehanna on US 40 between Havre de Grace and Perryville in northeast Maryland) and run through the town of Perryville. Sections of the race run on paths next to the Susquehanna River. The finisher medal is very nice, and the finish line celebration is enjoyable. All of the volunteers were great! With about 700 runners in the half marathon, it is a very nice size (and a refreshing change from the monster-sized events hosted by some of the larger cities).
Small Town Charm
This race made me think about the word “nice.” It has become a pejorative. What is nice isn’t well regarded. But that is what this event is, and that’s perfectly … MORE
This race made me think about the word “nice.” It has become a pejorative. What is nice isn’t well regarded. But that is what this event is, and that’s perfectly fine. The charm is of a small town on the East Coat. Everyone was friendly. There were enough porta potties. The weather was perfect, not yet quite “crisp.” It warmed up a bit, but not to the point of being hot. There were 300 participants. They had pacers to 2:40.
The route was mostly flat. It crossed a bridge shrouded in fog, which was literally cool and figuratively as well. If I were in the area, I’d run it again.
The bonus is a local seafood festival that occurs the same weekend. So if you like crab, you will enjoy a feast.
Must do race!
Really enjoyed the 10K and look forward to trying the HM next year. Great weather and awesome medals. Ideal for people who like the seaside and running across bridges. Festive … MORE
Really enjoyed the 10K and look forward to trying the HM next year. Great weather and awesome medals. Ideal for people who like the seaside and running across bridges. Festive atmosphere.