2nd annual Pearland Half Marathon coming in March – Houston Chronicle

Pearland will get a running start on spring this March when hundred of runners are expected to converge on the town for a long-distance road race.

The Pearland Half Marathon will return for its second running March 22. The 2019 edition was a success from the get-go.

“Last year was the first year and had over 1,200 runners,” co-race director Randi Schooley said. “It was great. We actually sold out.”

Registration is $50 through March 15 and $65 from then until race day.

Partnering with Schooley to helm the race is Lauren Smith. The pair also own race management company iRun Productions.

The event, which is certified through USA Track & Field, started off hot for a couple of reasons.

“We’ve kind of tapped into Pearland as a running scene,” Schooley said. “Pearland has a very large running community, and it’s kind of an untapped area. Also, a lot of the runners are tired of running the same routes in Houston, and they’re looking to break away from the monotony of all the same stuff.”

The late March run date also comes at a sweet spot in the calendar. Once April hits, temperatures start warming up rapidly and the Texas long-distance season pretty much comes to a close. There also are few other runs at that time.

Last year’s half marathon started at The Rig in Pearland. The 2020 edition will have a different starting point, which will allow the event to grow, Schooley said.

“We’ve moved the start and finish over to Independence Park, (3449 Pearland Parkway); so we have a much larger venue so we can accommodate a lot more runners and we expect to see 1,500 to 1,800 runners this year.”

The course for this year’s event has not been finalized, but the 2019 version had runners traveling on Pearland Parkway before heading down Magnolia for a few miles. Then they turned around and retraced their steps.

“We are utilizing about 90 percent of the course we used last year,” Schooley said. “There are some small changes that we are making because of the additional growth we are seeing in Pearland.

“We’re working closely with the city and traffic control department to come up with a course that is exciting and appealing to the runners, but also keeping in mind the community and the impact that it has on normal traffic patterns.”

This year’s course will remain and out-and-back affair, which is beneficial to spectators.

“You can absolutely see somebody twice,” Schooley said. “You can kind of prop yourself up in the median and see them a couple of times.”

The course is largely flat, which will make for some fleet times, but there are a couple of inclines to contend with, too.

“There are some hills there going up over (the railroad tracks) on Magnolia,” Schooley said. “It’s no joke for sure.”

Runners will contend with that bridge twice.

“You hit the first one between miles one-and-half and two,” Schooley said. “Then on the way back you are hitting it just before mile 11.”

Putting on an event as large as a half marathon takes a lot of helping hands, Schooley said.

“Our event requires about 150 volunteers on race day we also have (12 to 15) committee positions to fill,” she said.

Volunteer information can be found at the race website.

John DeLapp is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at texdelapp@gmail.com.