Miles in Martinsville Presents the 11th Annual Martinsville Half Marathon & 5K

Miles in Martinsville, is very excited to announce the 11th annual running of the MARTINSVILLE HALF MARATHON & 5K. Both races are scheduled for April 3, 2021. The half marathon will start at 8:00 AM and the 5K will follow at 8:15 AM

This event represents the capstone event of the Miles in Martinsville Race Series. This year’s race is presented by Visit Martinsville, the Tourism Division of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation.

Organizers are excited to see a return to in-person racing with a number of COVID protocols in place to insure compliance with the latest Virginia Governor’s Executive orders. In addition to typical masking and social distancing before and after the race, the race start will consist of waves (corrals) of socially distanced small groups of 10-12 runners every 15 seconds. Runners will self-seed into designated corrals based on expected race pace with instructions to be given at start line prior to race. Details are available at www.milesinmartinsville.com/races/martinsville-half-marathon.cfm

Both races start and finish in front of the Virginia Museum of Natural History, adjacent to the Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA.

The early of miles of the Half Marathon follows city streets through uptown Martinsville. Here, the course provides an excellent warmup to racers as they descend some 75 feet before connecting to the area’s paved trail system. Much of the Half Marathon is run on the scenic Uptown Connection Trail and the Dick & Willie Passage Trail. Both are smooth paved trails which run through Martinsville and Henry County. Once runners enter the trails, they navigate miles of great scenery, rolling hills and smooth paved running surface. They cruise by wooded glades, industrial sites, idyllic creeks before returning to Uptown Martinsville for the final two miles as runners make their way to the finish line adjacent to the YMCA.

The 5K along with the early miles of the Half Marathon is run on the streets of uptown Martinsville, taking participants past a number of community landmarks, including the Martinsville-Henry County Visitor Center, Virginia Museum of Natural History, the Uptown Farmers Market, the New College Institute and the historic Henry County Courthouse.

Race organizers report registrations from states across the country and throughout Virginia. This is attributed to there being fewer in-person races due to the continuing COVID pandemic.

Participants may pick up their packets with race bibs at the Martinsville YMCA at 3 Starling Avenue, on Friday, April 2, from Noon - 6:00 PM; and on race day at the Martinsville YMCA from 6:30-7:30 AM.

Deadline for registration is midnight, March 31, 2021. Due to COVID protocols, no in-person paper registrations will be accepted on Friday, April 2 or Saturday, April 3. Details and online registration can be found by visiting WWW.MILESINMARTINSVILLE.COM. Online registration is strongly encouraged. Runners may submit paper registration forms by downloading from race website and submitting by mail or at YMCA front desk. Paper registrations must be received at the YMCA, no later than 6:00 PM, March 31, 2021.

Miles in Martinsville conducts a series of seven races throughout the year with this effort being supported by numerous community sponsors. Title sponsors include VisitMartinsville, SOVAH Health, and Friedrichs Family Eye Center.