Here's what you need to know about Sunday's Tallahassee Marathon, road closures

The 48th annual Tallahassee Marathon, half marathon and relay will be held Sunday beginning at 7:30 a.m. More than one thousand runners have entered.

DESCRIPTION

The Tallahassee Marathon began in 1975 with just two participants. From there, it has grown to a first-class event showcasing Florida’s capital city like no other race. The Tallahassee Marathon is an all-volunteer event organized by the Gulf Winds Track Club, a local non-profit dedicated to advancing the sport of running, whether for competition, physical fitness, or pleasure.

COURSE CERTIFICATION/BOSTON QUALIFYING

Both the marathon and half marathon races are run on USATF certified courses. The Tallahassee Marathon is a qualifying course for the Boston Marathon.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon begins on Monroe Street across the street from the Florida Capitol. Runners begin travelling north through Downtown before turning onto the rolling hills of the Glenview Drive residential area, through trendy Midtown, and on the tree-lined Calhoun Street and Franklin Boulevard.

After passing the Smoky Hollow Commemoration, runners loop around Cascades Park beside ponds and open green spaces, then climb the Lafayette Street hill to pass through the beautiful Myers Park neighborhood.

The runners next enjoy a long downhill as they cross the Capital Cascades Crossing pedestrian bridge and run along FAMU Way, getting into the Rattler spirit with Florida A&M University to the left and the funky Railroad Square Art Park to the right.

The half marathon runners head toward Florida State University, and the full marathon runners turn onto the pancake-flat St. Marks Trail, a paved footpath in a former railroad bed with sections of tree canopy to enjoy. In the middle of the St. Marks Trail section, the course runs alongside Lake Henrietta and through the Jake Gaither neighborhood, so-named for the legendary Florida A&M University football coach.

The full marathon runners then re-join the half marathon course and make their way to Florida State University, passing through the Stadium Drive pedestrian tunnel leading past Doak Campbell Stadium and Dick Howser Stadium. The course then crosses through the southwestern end of campus and through the CollegeTown district’s Madison Mile to the finish line.

The course is on completely paved surfaces except for a 0.1 mile dirt access path on the full marathon route only.

RELAY

Teams of 4 may participate in the race relay-style, with each team member covering a different section of the course. The relay is held on the full marathon course only. There is a 6-hour cutoff, which means all relay members must be able to run 13:44 per mile or faster.

There will be 3 divisions: men, women and co-ed.  Men’s and women’s teams must include members of a single gender only. Co-ed teams must include at least one member of each gender. Team members must register separately.

Leg 1 – About 6 miles.Leg 2 – About 6 miles.Leg 3 – About 9 miles.Leg 4 – About 5 miles.

ROAD CLOSURES

The city of Tallahassee announced temporary road closures for the 48th annual Tallahassee Marathon, half marathon and relay that will be held Sunday beginning at 7:30 a.m.

For the entire marathon, Woodward Avenue from Gaines Street to St. Augustine Street along with Madison Street from Woodward Avenue to Railroad Avenue will be closed from 5 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Temporary road closures from 6:30-9 a.m. Sunday:

• Monroe Street from Apalachee Parkway to Tennessee Street

• East Pensacola Street-Calhoun Street to Adams Street

• Jefferson Street-Calhoun Street to Adams Street

• College Avenue-Calhoun Street to Adams Street

• Park Avenue-Calhoun Street to Adams Street

• No traffic north on Thomasville Road from Monroe Street (7-9 a.m.)

• No traffic south on Calhoun Street from Thomasville Road to Tennessee Street. (7-9 a.m.)

Temporary road closures from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sunday:

• Robert & Trudie Perkins Way – Robert & Trudie Perkins Way (FAMU Way to Disston Street)

• FAMU Way (westbound) from Adams Street to Lake Bradford Street

• FAMU Way (eastbound) from Lake Bradford Road to Robert & Trudie Perkins Way

• Ridge Road will be closed from Springsax Road to Sunnyside Drive

Information from the Tallahassee Marathon's website was used in this report

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee Marathon 2023: What you need to know, road closures