We’ll see you in Springfield!
You know that Happy Half as a point-to-point race that runs along the Little Miami Scenic Trail from Springfield High School to Yellow Springs. The course has been great for us and we had so many successful events over the years. While we enjoy hosting the race on the trail, we have long dreamed of something bigger. Since the return of the Happy Half in 2017, we have discussed the possibility of hosting the race exclusively in Springfield.
Our ties to the city are strong. All three of our Race Directors (Adam and Alex Maloney and myself) were born and raised in Springfield and our family’s history spans generations. We have always believed in what Springfield has to offer and fascinated over the rich history. Recently, the resurgence of businesses in town, specifically the downtown area, captured our attention and we knew it was something that we wanted to be a part of. This year felt like the perfect time to go forward with the transition and on August 14, 2021 - the Happy Half Marathon will take place on a new 13.1 mile course through Springfield!
We began working with the City of Springfield in December of 2020 to come up with a plan. Together, we created multiple iterations of what our course could look like until we finally landed on one that works for everyone. We wanted to showcase the history of Springfield that we grew up learning about as well as the exciting things that are going on in town. Our goal from the start of this project has been to be an asset to our community. We want to host an event that the entire city can rally around and that runners from out of town can’t wait to travel to.
This new course will certainly bring us new challenges, but also incredible opportunities to grow and improve upon what we have already accomplished. It takes an army to organize any race and this will be our biggest undertaking to date, but we are optimistic about the possibility of making the race something really special for the city of Springfield.
We hope that you are as excited as we are and that you will help us spread the word and make this a great year!
Keep following along for more exciting updates and plans for this year’s race!
