St. Luke's FitOne Half Marathon

FitOne is a health-system event first and a race second, which shows up in the size and mix of the field. Thousands turn out across the three distances, and the half is the one that actually tours the city rather than staying in the park. For runners, the appeal is a September date in dry high-desert air with a downtown road closure to run on.

The half starts at Capitol Boulevard and Bannock Street downtown and finishes in Ann Morrison Park. In between it passes the Idaho State Capitol, the Old Idaho Penitentiary, the Idaho Botanical Garden, and the Boise Depot, which means a stretch of climbing on the east side before the return toward the river. Roads reopen at 11 a.m., giving roughly a 3 hour 45 minute window. The course does not carry USATF certification.

Late September in the Treasure Valley usually means a 7:15 a.m. start in the 40s or low 50s with very low humidity, warming into the 70s by late morning. Cool mornings and dry air make it easy to underdrink.