The weekend of October 20 will see Athens overrun by runners for Sunday’s 9th Annual AthHalf Half Marathon and the AthFest Educates 5K on Saturday.
A Health and Fitness Expo, open to all and free of charge, also features as part of the event from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Classic Center Pavilion.
The half marathon starts in downtown Athens, and runs through the historic neighborhoods of Boulevard, Cobbham, Normaltown and Five Points. Riverbend Parkway is no longer a part of the course, and organizers say the first part of the course is less hilly than years past.
There are hydration stations every even mile marker, and live music every odd mile. Dawgtown DJ will be playing tunes at the starting line, with bands along the course including DJ Chief Rocka, The Flamethrowers Surf Band, The King Avenue Experience, Stag Horn, The Voltures, Jester, and The Original Splitz Band at the finish line.
The race finishes with the ever-popular run through the UGA stadium that was absent last year to due to construction. Post-race celebrations will be on the Tate Center West Lawn.
The AthHalf is AthFest Educates’ largest fundraising event. Proceeds go towards advancing music and arts education for local youth through support of school and community-based programs and experiences.
Online registration, information, race maps, and volunteer sign ups are on athhalf.com. Online registration ends at 5pm on October 17th.