Augusta Half Marathon

The Augusta Sports Council has produced this race since 2008 and uses it to fund scholarships for local high school athletes. For Georgia runners the practical draw is the Peachtree Road Race qualifying time, which pulls a sharper front end than a race of this size would otherwise get, and gives the late February calendar slot a clear purpose.

Start and finish sit on the Augusta University Summerville campus near Walker Street. The route pushes up into the Summerville neighborhood on a long, gradual climb, works down toward downtown and the medical district, and returns to campus by way of Taylor Street. It is not a flat course and it is not a brutal one; the grade is steady enough that runners who go out on downhill feel tend to pay for it on the way back up. Mile 8 is run as a Wear Blue Mile, lined with flags and posters honoring fallen service members.

Late February in Augusta usually means a cold start and a mild finish, with morning temperatures near freezing to the low 40s and afternoon highs in the 60s. Humidity is low by Georgia standards, so the main call is how much to wear for a start that will feel overdressed by the second half.