Mora Half Marathon

Vasaloppet USA is better known for the winter ski marathon that put Mora on the map, and it keeps this summer road race going in a town of a few thousand. The field is modest, usually around a hundred half marathoners, and the race still reads as a local tradition rather than a destination weekend. Plenty of runners use it as an early tune up for the fall marathon calendar in the Twin Cities.

Both distances run certified courses and the half is paved the whole way. After a couple of miles working through town the route heads out into Kanabec County, where rolling hills and open farmland make up most of the distance. Tree-lined stretches trade off with wide open horizon before the return to the start and finish at the school athletic complex.

Mid August mornings in central Minnesota often start near the mid 50s and climb toward 80 by late morning. The 7:30 start keeps most runners ahead of the worst of it, but humidity can build fast on the exposed rural miles where there is no shade.