Looking for a marathon that offers fast, picturesque trails? Need a fast course to qualify for Boston? Want a race with a fun post-race party? Tobacco Road Marathon is all that and more!
The Allscripts Tobacco Road Marathon features over 20 miles of the American Tobacco Trail. The rest of the course is flat and fast with a downhill finish.Up to 10 percent of our runners qualify for the legendary Boston Marathon! Less experienced runners benefit too as the fast, flat, energy absorbing course and ideal temperatures (averaging in the 40’s and 50’s Fahrenheit) make it a great setting for your personal record. There is even a bell for you to ring and celebrate at the end.
Steady growth has drawn sponsors to both races and enabled the all-volunteer TRM staff to steadily increase charitable contributions with cumulative giving exceeding one half million dollars ($500,000) to outstanding charities such as Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, various military veterans organizations, and the American Red Cross. The fast, flat nature of the course combined with ideal running temperatures found during Carolina Springs make running this a very attractive event to those seeking to qualify for the Boston Marathon or simply achieve a new personal record.
The races begin at 7:00AM and the course closes at 2:00PM. Up to 4,500 participants will be registered (2,800 half marathon runners and 1,700 full marathon runners).
Both USATF-certified races begin on Brooks Park Lane and head towards the entrance of Thomas Brooks Park on paved roadways. At Green Level Church Road, runners make a right and follow Green Level Church Road past Green Hope School Road to Morrisville Parkway. At Morrisville Parkway, runners make a left and proceed for a little over 1 mile to the American Tobacco Trail then continue on crushed granite “compacted screenings” along the ATT.
Marathon runners make a right on the ATT and go north to a u-turn, proceed down the ATT to the southern end and u-turn at Olive Chapel. To return to the park runners will exit the ATT at Morrisville Parkway and retrace their steps to the Thomas Brooks Park. Half Marathon Runners have a simple out-and-back course. From Morrisville Parkway runners make a left on the ATT and go south to a u-turn point just past the Highway 64 under path.
The expo and packet pick-up takes place on Friday, March 17 from 3-8pm and Saturday, March 18 from 10am-6pm. Both Races Start Sunday, March 19 at 7am.
Trail History
The American Tobacco Trail is a recreational rail-trail located on an abandoned railroad corridor of the Norfolk Southern Railroad. Constructed in 1906, the original railroad traveled from Duncan to Durham near the New Hope River, transporting tobacco leaf from farming communities in Wake, Chatham and Durham counties for processing at the American Tobacco Company in Durham. Construction of Jordan Lake in 1971 necessitated moving a section of the railroad corridor (from Bonsal to southern Durham County) several miles eastward, onto higher ground. Railroad traffic decreased after this time due to competition from interstate trucking. One of the last major uses of the railroad was to haul materials for the construction of the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant near New Hill. With the railroad no longer in use, the tracks were removed in 1987.
Local residents began using the rail corridor as an informal recreational trail, and in 1989, a group of citizens organized the nonprofit Triangle Rails To Trails Conservancy to promote the development of the corridor into a managed rail-trail. The N.C. Department of Transportation purchased the corridor from the railroad company in 1995 and subsequently leased the corridor to the counties to be developed and operated as a recreational trail open to the public.
It was officially named the American Tobacco Trail to reflect its historical roots, and planning and construction of the trail began. The trail is being built in sections, the first of which opened in 2001 in downtown Durham. Wake County opened its first, 3.75-mile section, from New Hill-Olive Chapel Road to Wimberly Road, in 2003. Wake County opened Phase II of the American Tobacco Trail in July 2005, extending the length from 3.75 miles to 5.5 miles. In 2006, the remaining one-mile section in Wake County was completed to fully extend Wake County’s portion of the trail to 6.5 miles. Additionally, Wake County added a trailhead that accommodates 45 vehicle and 10 horse trailer spaces. Two restroom facilities were added to New Hill and White Oak trailheads.
For more information and to register, please visit www.TobaccoRoadMarathon.com.
