First Heartland Half Marathon and 5K to be held Labor Day Weekend

The race course in and around Jasper, Indiana has been described as “very fast” which should make the inaugural running of the Heartland Half Marathon nothing less than exciting! This new Half Marathon and 5K Run/Walk event is slated for Sunday, September 2 – during the middle of Labor Day Weekend – in Dubois County, just west of the Hoosier National Forest in southwestern Indiana.

The half marathon race begins in the shadow of the Jasper Train Depot along the banks of the Patoka River and finishes in the shade along the same river just a stone’s throw away. From the starting line elevation of just over 450 feet above sea level, the course rarely rises much throughout the 13.1 miles of half marathon, with the exception being a few hilly stretches just after the midway point along St. Charles Street.

After runners pass through the middle section of the race, the course largely flattens out on the way to the finish line. While the first half of the race features a number of stretches past residential neighborhoods, the second half offers the more scenic terrain as the course takes runners along the Jasper Riverwalk.

The scheduled starting time for both the half marathon and 5K races is 7:00 a.m ET. The registration fee for the half marathon is $45 if registered by June 24, increasing to $55 between June 25 and September 1. The 5K registration fee is $20 by June 24, increasing to $25 between June 25 and September 1. Pre-registrants for both races will receive a technical shirt, and the first 500 half marathoners that preregister will also receive a cool running hat along with an additional inaugural race gift. Registration can be completed online at active.com or at heartlandhalfmarathon.com.

Race organizers, Kenny Hochgesang and Philip Wolf, are more than excited about bringing a half marathon to Dubois County. Hochgesang, Jasper Fire Chief and long-time runner, noted, “Bringing a race of this caliber to Dubois County is something we’ve talked about for a couple years. The exciting part of having a half marathon will be watching everyone prepare and achieve their individual goals. As always, the training can sometimes be the hardest part, with the actual 13.1 miles being the fun part.”

Wolf, a college cross country/track athlete and cross country coach at Forest Park High School, added, “I know some local people who train and run together, but they have to leave the area to compete in half marathons. It would be great to see more people from the Dubois County region get involved in distance running. You can run or walk in this race, but the main thing is to cross the finish line and know that you just completed a half marathon.”

The Southern Indiana Wolfpack, based in Jasper, is sponsoring a free 13-week program for anyone interested in training with others in preparation for the Heartland Half Marathon. Each workout will begin with basic stretching, plus a few short core drills prior to beginning the run/walk route. The Southern Indiana Wolfpack has runners at various paces — from a 6-minute mile to more than a 10-minute mile. However, there are no pace requirements for this training group as participants are free to run/walk at their own pace. The training program will begin Sunday, June 3 at 7:00 a.m. ET in front of the Jasper Fire Station, located at 309 East Sixth Street.

The Heartland Half Marathon & 5K is being coordinated by DC Multisport, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting running, biking, and other sports among adults in the Dubois County region. Lodging information and race-day event volunteers are being coordinated by the Dubois County Visitors Center staff.

The event corporate sponsor is Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center. Proceeds from this year’s race will be given to the Philip R. Dawkins Heart & Vascular Center at Memorial Hospital to be utilized for new integrative medicine services provided to cardiac patients.

For more information, visit http://www.heartlandhalfmarathon or call Dubois County Visitors Center at 800/968-4578.

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