| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| H (°F) | 37 | 45 | 59 | 59 | 39 |
| L (°F) | 24 | 31 | 39 | 47 | 31 |
I did enjoy this half, ran it with a two college running friends. It snowed the whole time and was very cold. I didn't run a PR, but came close. … MORE
I did enjoy this half, ran it with a two college running friends. It snowed the whole time and was very cold. I didn’t run a PR, but came close. I would recommend this race to others for sure!
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Registration/packet pick-up: Reasonable entry fee. Plenty of options for packet pick-up; runners can get their bib any of the three days prior to the race if they do not want … MORE
Registration/packet pick-up: Reasonable entry fee. Plenty of options for packet pick-up; runners can get their bib any of the three days prior to the race if they do not want to be wait until the last minute. For runners coming into town the night before, pick-up is available the morning of the race. It was organized and there was great energy at pick-up.
Swag: I have only run one other half-marathon. In comparison to my previous race, Syracuse does not offer a lot of swag. You just get a nice hoodie. This was not a problem for me since the registration fee was so low, but if you’re hoping to bring home a lot of goodies, this may not be the race for you.
Weather: There was a light snow fall the entire race. I believe the temp was around 31 degrees. Wind was around 9 mph. The snow made visibility a little tough but the course was not slippery.
Location: Syracuse is easily accessible from the 90, the main east-west thruway in New York state. There are plenty of lodging options in and around Syracuse.
Parking: There were plenty of parking options. I chose to park at Destiny USA and take the shuttle. My family had no trouble parking closer to the OnCenter to come cheer me on.
Aid/water stations: There were plenty of stations throughout the course. It seemed like every turn, there were more people handing out water/gu/tissues, etc.
Course: I live and train in a very flat city. This course was more hilly than I am used to, but I still achieved a 13 minute PR, so clearly it is do-able. There was a long (not very steep) hill at the beginning of the course and a couple more smaller hills toward the middle/end.
Scenery: It is an urban course. We ran through quite a few residential neighborhoods, some industrial areas, and downtown. If you prefer more nature, this may not be the course for you, but personally I enjoyed it because there was so much to soak in and be distracted by.
Pre and post-race: Orange theory fitness did a warm up routine before we started the race. There was plenty of room inside the heated convention center to warm up or just hang out before the race. After the race, there was plenty of food and beverage. Live music, rescue animals from a local shelter, and a lot of other activity going on made it a fun post-race party.
Overall: I would recommend this race, and I would register for it again.
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Moderate size race (about 5000). All paved streets of downtown Syracuse. Moderate hill b/w mile 1.5-3 does take a bit out of you. Few small hills after that though much … MORE
Moderate size race (about 5000). All paved streets of downtown Syracuse. Moderate hill b/w mile 1.5-3 does take a bit out of you. Few small hills after that though much flatter. Production and schwag very good- nice hoodie! Temp low 30’s with drizzle so not bad. However, I heard last year very snowy and single digit wind chills. Nice to run once, not sure Inwould do again.
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Twice now I have made the 5 hour drive to the Syracuse Half Marathon. Why? Because it's great. I've done this race in 2014 and 2015, and the half marathon … MORE
Twice now I have made the 5 hour drive to the Syracuse Half Marathon. Why? Because it’s great. I’ve done this race in 2014 and 2015, and the half marathon is one of the best-run events I have ever done. You can tell this is a race put on by runners for runners.
First, parking is free and convenient. You park in the garage outside the Oncenter, where the packet pickup and expo are held on Sunday. The expo booths and vendors are there on race day morning, so you don’t miss out on visiting the booths. If you buy something at the expo, you can bag check it there instead of going back to your car. The pre-race waiting area is inside the convention center, so you can stay warm before the start (and go to the bathroom indoors).
Twice now the race directors have had to deal with race-morning snow, and they pulled off the event without issues. The course has flat and hilly sections, and it takes you on a tour of Syracuse, through neighborhoods and to downtown. The aide stations are adequately stocked, and locals come out to cheer (even in the cold!) The course is almost entirely closed to traffic, and the four-hour time limit welcomes walkers.
What makes this race so awesome is what you get for your money. In 2014, you had a choice of swag: t-shirt, beer mug or hat, plus the medal, plus the great post-race food party. In 2015, our swag was an awesome warm Brooks running jacket (plus medal and party). The race is extremely reasonably priced for what you get.
And can you say post-race food goodness? Finishers come back into the convention center to three buffet-line tables with: pancakes, sausage, bacon, toast, cookies, bananas, yogurt, and more. Go through the food line and sit down on at one of the 20+ round tables set up so you can sit and enjoy your food. The race does cool things like set up a display board with the race logo and a computer where you can walk up with your bib and your name and finish time displays (a great photo op).
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Cold and Snowy!
I did enjoy this half, ran it with a two college running friends. It snowed the whole time and was very cold. I didn't run a PR, but came close. … MORE
I did enjoy this half, ran it with a two college running friends. It snowed the whole time and was very cold. I didn’t run a PR, but came close. I would recommend this race to others for sure!
Awesome fall race!
Registration/packet pick-up: Reasonable entry fee. Plenty of options for packet pick-up; runners can get their bib any of the three days prior to the race if they do not want … MORE
Registration/packet pick-up: Reasonable entry fee. Plenty of options for packet pick-up; runners can get their bib any of the three days prior to the race if they do not want to be wait until the last minute. For runners coming into town the night before, pick-up is available the morning of the race. It was organized and there was great energy at pick-up.
Swag: I have only run one other half-marathon. In comparison to my previous race, Syracuse does not offer a lot of swag. You just get a nice hoodie. This was not a problem for me since the registration fee was so low, but if you’re hoping to bring home a lot of goodies, this may not be the race for you.
Weather: There was a light snow fall the entire race. I believe the temp was around 31 degrees. Wind was around 9 mph. The snow made visibility a little tough but the course was not slippery.
Location: Syracuse is easily accessible from the 90, the main east-west thruway in New York state. There are plenty of lodging options in and around Syracuse.
Parking: There were plenty of parking options. I chose to park at Destiny USA and take the shuttle. My family had no trouble parking closer to the OnCenter to come cheer me on.
Aid/water stations: There were plenty of stations throughout the course. It seemed like every turn, there were more people handing out water/gu/tissues, etc.
Course: I live and train in a very flat city. This course was more hilly than I am used to, but I still achieved a 13 minute PR, so clearly it is do-able. There was a long (not very steep) hill at the beginning of the course and a couple more smaller hills toward the middle/end.
Scenery: It is an urban course. We ran through quite a few residential neighborhoods, some industrial areas, and downtown. If you prefer more nature, this may not be the course for you, but personally I enjoyed it because there was so much to soak in and be distracted by.
Pre and post-race: Orange theory fitness did a warm up routine before we started the race. There was plenty of room inside the heated convention center to warm up or just hang out before the race. After the race, there was plenty of food and beverage. Live music, rescue animals from a local shelter, and a lot of other activity going on made it a fun post-race party.
Overall: I would recommend this race, and I would register for it again.
Nice tour of Syracuse
Moderate size race (about 5000). All paved streets of downtown Syracuse. Moderate hill b/w mile 1.5-3 does take a bit out of you. Few small hills after that though much … MORE
Moderate size race (about 5000). All paved streets of downtown Syracuse. Moderate hill b/w mile 1.5-3 does take a bit out of you. Few small hills after that though much flatter. Production and schwag very good- nice hoodie! Temp low 30’s with drizzle so not bad. However, I heard last year very snowy and single digit wind chills. Nice to run once, not sure Inwould do again.
Run the Cuse!
Twice now I have made the 5 hour drive to the Syracuse Half Marathon. Why? Because it's great. I've done this race in 2014 and 2015, and the half marathon … MORE
Twice now I have made the 5 hour drive to the Syracuse Half Marathon. Why? Because it’s great. I’ve done this race in 2014 and 2015, and the half marathon is one of the best-run events I have ever done. You can tell this is a race put on by runners for runners.
First, parking is free and convenient. You park in the garage outside the Oncenter, where the packet pickup and expo are held on Sunday. The expo booths and vendors are there on race day morning, so you don’t miss out on visiting the booths. If you buy something at the expo, you can bag check it there instead of going back to your car. The pre-race waiting area is inside the convention center, so you can stay warm before the start (and go to the bathroom indoors).
Twice now the race directors have had to deal with race-morning snow, and they pulled off the event without issues. The course has flat and hilly sections, and it takes you on a tour of Syracuse, through neighborhoods and to downtown. The aide stations are adequately stocked, and locals come out to cheer (even in the cold!) The course is almost entirely closed to traffic, and the four-hour time limit welcomes walkers.
What makes this race so awesome is what you get for your money. In 2014, you had a choice of swag: t-shirt, beer mug or hat, plus the medal, plus the great post-race food party. In 2015, our swag was an awesome warm Brooks running jacket (plus medal and party). The race is extremely reasonably priced for what you get.
And can you say post-race food goodness? Finishers come back into the convention center to three buffet-line tables with: pancakes, sausage, bacon, toast, cookies, bananas, yogurt, and more. Go through the food line and sit down on at one of the 20+ round tables set up so you can sit and enjoy your food. The race does cool things like set up a display board with the race logo and a computer where you can walk up with your bib and your name and finish time displays (a great photo op).