Michigan Half Marathons to Love
So I kind of have the itch to sign up for a half marathon…I’m not going to do it…yet. But I have my eye on some for the late summer/early fall here in Michigan. So I thought I’d share my Michigan Half Marathons to love picks with you!
BorgessHalf Marathon (Kalamazoo)–There is something about a hometown race. I know this one is awesome, well run, and has tons of great Kalamazoo energy! Plus there is something fun about running into (pun intended) friends and neighbors while taking on YOUR streets.
Traverse City Bayshore Half Marathon–I may be biased because this is the race that was not to be last year, but I really really still want to run the half. (Although it is already sold out and there are 540 people on the waiting list!) It’s flat and fast and has beautiful scenery alongside the Grand Traverse Bay. Plus you can stay up North for a great mini-vacation!
Michigan Wine Trail Half (Baroda, MI, Southwest MI)—Wine and running—what more could you want? This trail run is pretty high on my list of potential halves. The timing is right (late August), it’s not too far, the course sounds challenging, and I mean there’s a wine tasting at the end! It is pretty hilly, but not more so than where I would be doing most of my training anyways. This would also be a fun race to run with your girlfriends!
Detroit Free Press Half—This race looks really fun! You cross international borders, run an underwater mile, plus there seems to be lots of crowd support and encouragement. The mid-October date would also be gorgeous as far as fall foliage! The slight negative is that although they do have a U.S. only half, the “true” half requires a passport, but hey I should probably get a new one anyways, just in case!
Gazelle Girl Half Marathon (Grand Rapids)—No way I’d be ready for this one, but it looks awesome! Gazelle Girl is put on by my favorite running store Gazelle Sports and it supports women’s charities like Girls on the Run and the YWCA! Love all the girl power!
North Country Run (Near Manistee, MI)—Located way up North, I hear this is the trail run to be at in Michigan! You know because all of the races are already filled up! What?!? It’s supposed to be beautiful—mark your calendars for next year to get in early!
Laughing Gull Half Marathon (Augusta, MI)—So this half is basically in my back yard! And it fits with the training schedule (mid September) so it is DEFINITE possibility. The run is mostly around Gull Lake which is absolutely beautiful—there are lots of rolling hills though. My personal drawback to this race is it may be too convenient; it’s not as fun to run your race the same place you train, but convenience may win out—plus it is just one I feel like I should do. Any one want to sleep over and run it with me?
So my top three (not in any order) are: Wine Trail, Detroit, and Laughing Gull. (Or I could do all three. Ha!) And the Borgess for 2015…maybe the full..…maybe not… 
Which one of these would you sign up for?
What is one of your favorite Michigan races (if you’re local)?
(All photos from race websites.)
I’m running Gazelle Girl this year. I ran the Lansing Half last year and it was great (although I got a huge PR there, so I might be biased).
Nice! Was it flat? I noticed I picked a lot of hilly ones for some reason…#suckerforpain Good luck at Gazelle Girl!!
Great list and hello from a fellow Michigander! I have done North Country it is a must do! The course is very hard but it it very scenic and well run. I have done the Freep relay which is good if you like big races. I have heard lots of great things about Bayshore but I haven’t yet done it.
Hey! Yay Michigan! Yeah, North Country does look like fun–it and Bayshore seem really popular, hence the sell-outs! I’ve never heard of the Freep relay, I’ll have to look into it. 🙂
Great list! Running Bayshore, Gazelle and North Country this year. Hurt the Dirt in GR is a fun one too!
Great choices!! I love all the Michigan love going on today! 😀 I’ll have to check into Hurt the Dirt. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m doing Hurt the Dirt again this year. It’s a great race. Also I agree North Mitten is a must do!
I wanted to run 13.wine this past year but it was too close to another half that I was doing. Definitely on the bucket list, although maybe not this year. I think I’m in for some chilly fall races this year, which actually sounds fun!
…if you run 13.wine, you must let me know. It’s literally in my backyard!
For sure!!
I am planning to run a half in Newaygo, MI called Son of a Sailor in July. I did the 10K last year and they are adding a half this year!
That sounds fun! I like that it’s for charity too. Good luck!
One you missed – the Sleeping Bear half (and full) in Empire in the fall. The dunes and M-22 – what could be better??? Plus fun swag and a small crowd.