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The Tacoma Half Marathon: Here’s a run with a view

By Rick Walter

Tacoma Weekly
rwalter@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: July 24, 2008

A half-marathon, unlike a half of almost any other sporting event, is a substantial enterprise in its own right. The process of defying gravity one leap at a time for more than 13 miles in little more than an hour is an accomplishment not to be taken lightly. The challenge of the half-marathon is clearly capable of culling a herd of runners of its less practiced or fit members. But even to finish such a race in, say, two or three hours is an indication of fitness and endurance and a satisfying achievement by all accounts. The half-marathon has become a very popular race for both serious and recreational runners because the recovery time is shorter than that of a full marathon and the training is more do-able.

Tacoma is going to see its first half-marathon in several years on Aug. 2, when 1,000 runners start at the Gig Harbor side of the Narrows Bridges and take on the 2,097-meter route that continues across the bridge to the Scott Pierson Trail to Cheney Stadium, where the competitors will run the warning track of the baseball field, and then finishes in downtown Tacoma.

After crossing the bridges at the start of the race, runners climb the steepest part of the course up War Memorial Park to the site of the famous IRC Blues Brothers Aide Station at mile 4.5. Then it is over State Route 16’s pedestrian bridge from where the views of the bridges are spectacular, to a short tour of the Skyline neighborhood, then back across Route 16 and onto the Scott Pierson Trail.

At mile 8, runners arrive at Cheney Stadium, then head back out along the Scott Pierson Trail, where runners get to the easiest section of the course as they roll to downtown Tacoma through the University of Washington-Tacoma campus and to the finish line at Tollefson Plaza.

With the departure of the FSRC Pacific Rim Half Marathon in 2003, Tacoma has had a void in the race calendar in August, specifically in the half-marathon distance.

“We wanted to fill that void with the Inaugural Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon. For 2008, we are limited to 1,000 participants. But if all goes well, 2009 could see an increase in the field,” said race director Tony Phillipi, founder of the Marathon Maniacs.

Runners will receive a technical running shirt and custom finishers medal.

The race will be USATF certified and a New York City qualifier.

The race is scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to noon.

For more information visit www.tacomanarrowshalf.com.

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