AthHalf: The Athens Georgia Half Marathon & 5K
- Athens, GA 30601
- Presented By: AthFest - Every June!
- Dates: October 24, 2020 - October 25, 2020
- Recurrence: Recurring daily
- Location: AthFest - Every June!
- Time:
- Price: Prices vary - see website; register early to save!
AthHalf packs all that Athens has to offer all in one exciting half marathon course, including a run through Athens’ historic districts and the UGA campus, and live music from local Athens bands throughout the course! And it’s all to help raise money to support music and arts education for K – 8 youth.
2020 Race Update:
August 19, 2020: AthFest Educates announced today that the 2020 AthHalf Half Marathon & 5K, scheduled for October 24-25, would move to virtual race formats. As virtual races, individual participants will complete either a Half Marathon or 5K distance on a route of their own choosing by October 25th and submit their documented time to the race director.
“We were really, really hopeful we would be able to host the AthHalf Half Marathon & 5K together in person this fall,” said AthFest Educates Executive Director Jill Helme. “Annually these events bring together thousands of participants, volunteers, and staff in support of music and arts education for Athens youth.”
“However, in talking with local and University officials, who provide access to the courses and help us manage and staff the courses, it became clear that the in-person races as planned would not be possible,” Helme said. “The virtual format helps us best protect the health and safety of all of our runners, volunteers, and staff in this most unusual year. We are so grateful for the understanding and commitment of our strong running community who support the AthHalf each year. We expect to be back together in person in Athens for the 2021 AthHalf race weekend.”
On submitting their completion times, all registered participants will receive a race t-shirt and half marathon runners will also receive a finisher’s medal in the mail. Legacy Runners who have run the AthHalf every year, who register as virtual this year, will continue their streak.
As health circumstances allow, event planners still hope to have a “Finish Line” event to celebrate local runners who complete the race. “Hopefully we can still safely gather in some capacity to celebrate with our runner friends and supporters,” Helme added. "We are so grateful for the understanding of our runners and supporters.”
Helme also noted that she herself plans to run the races for the first time. “People have been asking me for years why I don't run it with them, and the answer has always been, 'I'm too busy working at it,' so now I can run it and finally be an official AthHalf-er. I hope others will join me who may not have been able to in the past as well."
AthHalf is produced annually by the nonprofit organization, AthFest Educates, supporting its mission of funding high-quality music and arts programming for youth. When you run the AthHalf, you are directly impacting a child’s access to music and the arts.
The AthHalf is AthFest Educates’ largest fundraising event, raising tens of thousands of dollars to advance high-quality music and arts education for local youth through direct support of school and community-based programs and experiences. More on AthFest Educates at http://athfesteducates.org/
AthHalf packs all that Athens has to offer all in one exciting half marathon course, including a run through Athens’ historic districts and the UGA campus, and live music from local Athens bands throughout the course! And it’s all to help raise money to support music and arts education for K – 8 youth.
2020 Race Update:
August 19, 2020: AthFest Educates announced today that the 2020 AthHalf Half Marathon & 5K, scheduled for October 24-25, would move to virtual race formats. As virtual races, individual participants will complete either a Half Marathon or 5K distance on a route of their own choosing by October 25th and submit their documented time to the race director.
“We were really, really hopeful we would be able to host the AthHalf Half Marathon & 5K together in person this fall,” said AthFest Educates Executive Director Jill Helme. “Annually these events bring together thousands of participants, volunteers, and staff in support of music and arts education for Athens youth.”
“However, in talking with local and University officials, who provide access to the courses and help us manage and staff the courses, it became clear that the in-person races as planned would not be possible,” Helme said. “The virtual format helps us best protect the health and safety of all of our runners, volunteers, and staff in this most unusual year. We are so grateful for the understanding and commitment of our strong running community who support the AthHalf each year. We expect to be back together in person in Athens for the 2021 AthHalf race weekend.”
On submitting their completion times, all registered participants will receive a race t-shirt and half marathon runners will also receive a finisher’s medal in the mail. Legacy Runners who have run the AthHalf every year, who register as virtual this year, will continue their streak.
As health circumstances allow, event planners still hope to have a “Finish Line” event to celebrate local runners who complete the race. “Hopefully we can still safely gather in some capacity to celebrate with our runner friends and supporters,” Helme added. "We are so grateful for the understanding of our runners and supporters.”
Helme also noted that she herself plans to run the races for the first time. “People have been asking me for years why I don't run it with them, and the answer has always been, 'I'm too busy working at it,' so now I can run it and finally be an official AthHalf-er. I hope others will join me who may not have been able to in the past as well."
AthHalf is produced annually by the nonprofit organization, AthFest Educates, supporting its mission of funding high-quality music and arts programming for youth. When you run the AthHalf, you are directly impacting a child’s access to music and the arts.
The AthHalf is AthFest Educates’ largest fundraising event, raising tens of thousands of dollars to advance high-quality music and arts education for local youth through direct support of school and community-based programs and experiences. More on AthFest Educates at http://athfesteducates.org/
