Scott continues to dig up more information on the new City of Oaks Marathon. Below is a written description of the proposed course. Someone found the map, and these are his comments: This is not going to be an easy marathon, but the half-marathon looks very nice. The race starts at the RBC Center and follows Hillsborough Street to the new Fayetteville Street, then it circles the Capitol and goes out Glenwood South to Peace Street and back towards Cameron Village. (It's like they stole my 7-mile downtown loop! :-) Then it goes by the Rose Garden on Clark Avenue back out to Hillsborough and a return around the fairgrounds to the RBC Center.
OK, tighten those shoelaces, cause here's where it gets tough. You go out Trinity Road, up that hill to the intersection with Nowell Road and on out Trinity past the farms and the SAS back-door to the Umstead entrance on Reedy Creek. (Very similar to when the Carabba/Stonewood Classic left the RBC Center on its way to Umstead.) You go on into Umstead, down a gradual downhill, then up Five Curve Hill, to the intersection with Graylyn Trail and up Powerline Hill to the Umstead entrance on Graylyn Road. At least you get to come down a long downhill on Ebenezer Church Road all the way back to Edwards Mill and the RBC Center. That's a tough second-half to the marathon, with some long, long uphills. (I would have suggested incorporating Schenck Forest, and please, please find a way to include the pedestrian bridge over 440.) I can't wait to see a course profile, because those hills in Umstead are not going to be fun in the second half of a marathon.
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