Tie up your laces for a wild race in the Cornhusker state
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Why run the Good Life Halfsy?
With 13.1 miles of parks, water features, tree-lined boulevards and Lincoln’s most notable landmarks, this point-to-point, net downhill course begs to be run. Add 15,000 adoring fans, 5 Cheer Stations, over twenty-course entertainment acts and an epic downtown finish. The Good Life Halfsy in the Cornhusker state may just be your new favorite half marathon.
The sixth annual race featured 6,500+ runners from all 50 states taking to the streets in Lincoln. This half marathon is a unique and friendly race, with surprises waiting on every corner while offering a tour of Lincoln’s greatest sights.
One of the better highlights (personally) was having the ability to see my friend, Nathaniel Matya, run his first ever half marathon!
What is the Good Life Halfsy race course all about?
Miles 1-3: High energy is an understatement!
Let the Cornhusker games begin!
The music is rocking, the atmosphere is hyped up, and runners pour out of the starting gate eager to tackle the city of Lincoln. The Good Life Halfsy begins at Seacrest Field, located adjacent to Lincoln East High School, with the Pink Gorilla monkey leading the way.
The race then continues south along South 70th street for two miles after starting the course around the campus.
Mile 4-6:Endless community support and waterfront views.
As runners make their way toward the second quarter of the race, the local neighborhoods are packed with supporters. I was blown away by the energy provided by these folks despite the noticeably chilly weather (20-ish with windchill).
The Lincoln supporters have a great sense of humor!
The next turn on the course takes runners around Holmes Lake Dog Park and the surrounding roads over the next few miles. The half marathon really starts going downhill at this point as runners continue north along South 70th street.
This section of the course comes with waterfront views of the lake before turning onto Normal Boulevard.
Mile 7-12: Selfie meet-ups and Trago Park.
Get used to Normal Boulevard because the next several miles consist of running northwest along this road, connecting several Lincoln neighborhoods and passing the Sunken Gardens and Neighbors Park, among other local attractions. One of the best parts of running a race is seeing people you know. A huge shoutout to Karla Mayta (a diehard Cornhusker for life) along with my father who navigated around the entire course to catch Nathaniel and I running at different points in time.
Left to right: Dad, Karla and Jason taking a mini pitstop for a selfie around Mile 7.
As we snapped this picture, Nathaniel was hot on my heels and actually ran right past us. He looked as if he had run a million of these before and was on pace to finish in just over two hours!
At this point in time, I picked up my pace as over eight miles had elapsed on the course. The course continues north for two more miles on the Rock Island Trail, now running through Trago Park. This stretch wraps around for several miles and takes runners into the homestretch.
There is no shortage of kids ready to uplift each and every runner in Trago Park.
Miles 11-13.1: University of Lincoln campus and Haymarket Park.
The final stretch took runners through parts of the University of Nebraska Lincoln campus which gives you chills; the campus is iconic. I’ve had the luxury to tailgate and watch a game at Memorial Stadium and the fans are nothing but friendly and welcoming. They love showing off their city and want you to return. I could say the exact same for the race today. Once runners pass by this area, they are treated to a panoramic visual of the Lincoln Bridge.
Top: Memorial Stadium, home of the Nebraska Cornhusker football team. Below: Lincoln Bridge.
As runners make their way across the Lincoln Bridge and into Haymarket Park, they will coast their way to the finish line. Be sure to watch for yourself on the Cube, where the race organizers display each finisher as they complete the course and get the post-race party started.
If you PR at this race, which I did not, you have the opportunity to hit the Pink Gorilla PR gong.
I was proud to knock off half marathon #23 in the Cornhusker state. And in case you were wondering how Nathaniel did, he finished in a remarkable 2:08:47! He motivated me to run faster moving forward, and I promised the next time I visit, we can just drive 13.1 miles to watch some Cornhusker football.
Thank you to Nathaniel, Karla, Milo and Annie for providing the best Cornhusker hospitality!
To view more Run4Papa photos of this race, go to Good Life Halfsy photo album
Thank you ABC 8 and 1011 and ABC 8 News stations for sharing the Run4Papa mission with your audiences!
1011 News