Named in honor of this North Carolina city’s distinctive and abundant oak trees as well as the natural beauty that surrounds the state’s capital city, Raleigh’s City of Oaks Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K saw just over 4,000 runners cross the finish line in all three races combined in 2016. The 2022 event marks its 16th annual running since its revival in 2007 after a five-year absence.

The race takes runners on an out-and-back loop course through the city, starting near the northern edge of the North Carolina State University campus, along Hillsborough Street.

From there, runners in both the full and the half marathons share the same route for the first nine miles of the race, until they reach the split near the Meredith College of Art campus on Hillsborough. There, those running the full continue north along the trail that parallels I-440, while those running the 13.1-mile race make a turn toward the south.

All four races — the 26.2-mile, 13.1-mile, 10K & 5K races — start on Hillsborough, and from there the course takes runners first into downtown Raleigh and features a stretch that takes them past the state capitol building and the state government buildings along Wilmington and Salisbury Streets downtown. From there, the course heads next into the Cameron Park, Brooklyn Hill, and Fairmont neighborhoods, along mostly tree-lined residential streets.

The course has plenty of gently rolling hills and a few steeper hills, particularly in the stretch around the mid-way point of the race, between mile markers 5 and 7 along Peace Street, as the route is leaving downtown and heading into the residential neighborhoods to the west.

The last couple of miles of the race are overall downhill and have gently rolling hills throughout, finishing on Hillsborough back where the race started, at historic N.C. State University Bell Tower.

Runners are encouraged to sign up early, as previous races have sold out. The number of entrants will be limited to the first 1,500 for the full marathon; the first 3,000 for the half marathon; the first 1,000 for the 10K; and the first 1,000 for the 5K. The race also hosts a full marathon relay that’s open to 150 4-person teams and a kids’ marathon mile that’s open to 250 children.

11-06-2022, 07:30 am - 01:30 pm