The USATF Half Marathon Championships are coming to Jasper County on Dec. 5 as part of the Mortgage Network Road Races series, Hardeeville Mayor Harry Williams officially announced at his State of the County address last week.
The schedule will include a 5K race open to all runners in addition to the invitation-only elite and national championship races. The USATF Half Marathon Championship races will include a $20,000 purse per gender with the first man and woman across the line earning $7,000 each.
The races will take place in and around Sgt. Jasper Park in Hardeeville, and the half marathon races will be held on the same course where the organizers staged the Mortgage Network Half Marathon last December. This is notable because the flat, fast track produced numerous records when Emile Kearney ran 1:12:21 to win the women’s race and Ben Flanagan blazed to a 1:03:19 in the men’s race.
“We are extremely pleased to bring these races to the Lowcountry and being awarded the USATF National Half Marathon Championships is really icing on the cake,” said David Crowell, Southeast Regional Manager for Mortgage Network and one of the race’s organizers.
The schedule on Dec. 5 will open with the 5K at 7:45 a.m., followed by the Women’s Elite and USATF Women’s Championship at 8:51 a.m. The Men’s Championship and Elite races will begin at 9 a.m. For more information, visit the race website at www.mortgagenetworkroadraces.com. Registration will open on May 1.