From the starting line on Elm, which is home to Manchester’s government and banking center and is known as a bustling area during both the daytime and evening, runners first head north for a couple of blocks and then cross the Merrimack River along West Bridge Street. This bridge crossing is the first of two in the half marathon, and it leads runners to the west side of the city through several of Manchester’s neighborhoods, beginning with Rimmon Heights.
Just past the second mile marker, runners turn onto the Piscataquog Trail, a paved multiuse trail on Manchester’s west side that runners follow back across the Piscataquog Bridge (or Piscat to the locals) and back toward downtown Manchester.
This time, runners will pass the start line and continue heading north along Canal Street and River Road, then cut east before heading south on Belmont Street. This next stretch of the race features some of the half marathon route’s larger hills.
Runners can expect the elevation to rise from roughly 200 feet above sea level near the starting line to around 400 feet near the mile 11 marker. Much of the race consists of gentle rolling (but not necessarily steep) hills.
The latter half of the race also features a mix of city blocks and streets with runs past some of its tree-lined parks, including Derryfield Park, and after a couple more turns there’s a last final and long straightaway stretch into the race finish area and Athlete’s Village at Veterans Park.
The scheduled starting time for the race is 8:45 AM, and runners will have 4 hours to complete the half marathon, while runners in the full marathon will have 7 hours to complete their race.
