Illinois Half Marathon
The half marathon takes places on the same day as the full marathon.
Date and time
Saturday, April 25, 2026
7:33am
We are using a wave start.
Entry fees
Your entry fee entitles all in-person entrants to race photos.
Visit the registration page to see fee details based on chosen race and registration date.
Packet pickup
You will need to pickup your packet prior to your race. Please see the packet pickup page for more details on when and how to do this.
The course
The race starts near the State Farm Center on First Street, runs through the University of Illinois campus, heads into east Urbana, including a tour through Meadowbrook Park, comes back onto campus, and then finishes at the 50 yard line of historic Memorial Stadium.
The course will be closed to traffic for participants who are on pace to finish in 3:30 or less (roughly 16 minutes per mile). Slower participants may continue after traffic is allowed onto the race course, but they do so at their own risk and must follow pedestrian statutes.
The course is USATF-certified. IL20002DT. (valid until 12/31/2029). Our 2026 USATF sanction # is TBD.
Goodies & Shirts
Half Marathon entrants will receive a gender-specific short-sleeve shirt and a drawstring backpack. Finishers get a great medal, a commemorative heatsheet, food and drink after the race, and one beverage at the 27th-Mile Celebrate Victory Bash on Saturday April 25. (Entrants must display their race bib to receive the beverage).
The half marathon shirt is TBD.
Awards
Prize money will be given out to the top three female and male participants. Prize money winners are not eligible for individual awards. Prize money awards are based on gun time.
| Place | Male overall | Female overall |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | $750 | $750 |
| 2nd | $500 | $500 |
| 3rd | $300 | $300 |
In addition to the prize money, there will be first, second, and third place awards for each of the age groups. Age group awards are based on chip time. Please note that half marathon participants must be at least 12 years old on race day.
Age groups
- 12-14
- 15-19
- 20-24
- 25-29
- 30-34
- 35-39
- 40-44
- 45-49
- 50-54
- 55-59
- 60-64
- 65-69
- 70-74
- 75-79
- 80+
The men’s half marathon course record is 1:03:50 (Panuel Mkungo, 2019) and the women’s is 1:12:45 (Lanni Marchant, 2025). A bonus of $100 will be awarded to the athlete who breaks the course record AND wins the race.