[RACE REPORT] Kansas City (Half-) Marathon, Pt.I: Course Preview (with Virtual Run)

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This post is part one in a three-part series on the 2014 Kansas City Half Marathon. Part one covers the course preview, including Virtual Run feature. Other posts in this series include...

• Part II (Expo & Packet Pick-Up): HERE
• Part III (Race Day): [to be posted week of 10/20]

The event's official site can be found HERE.

If you're looking for a great run that tours the city's best, this is it. With either the full or half-marathon iterations, the Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon Weekend gives participants a tour on-foot of the neighborhoods and landmarks that puts KC on the map. With the half-marathon alone, runners get to trot through the Power & Lights District, Crossroads Arts District, Crown Center, the World War II Memorial, Old Westport, the Country Club Plaza, Nelson-Atkins Art Museum and Frank A. Theis Park, Hyde Park, Beacon Hill, and the 18th & Vine Jazz District. All in the half-marathon! The full marathon travels further south, including parts of Loose Park, Ward Parkway, Mission Hills, Historic Brookside, and UMKC Campus central to Kauffman Legacy Lake. And, of course, all runners get a healthy dose of the Paris-of-the-Midwest's many fountains. And yes, there will be barbecue/BBQ afterwards.

On to the course preview!

Course Preview
The Google Maps route can be found HERE.

The 2014 half-marathon route, with major climbs noted (image courtesy of Google Earth).

          Intro
For this course preview specifically, the half-marathon distance will be covered. Maps for the full marathon course, full marathon relay course, and even 5k course can be found using the links right here, or at the marathon's official website, which is linked at the top of the page.

Of important note, this year's course has been altered due to construction downtown. The changes are minor, but if you're used to running the 2013-and-previous route, you'd be tempted to take a wrong turn. Beyond the downtown sections, the southern half of the full and half courses are pretty much the same as before.

Also of note, and I've noticed this in the past, though the "shortest route around the course" method produces something lik 13.1 miles (for ex., the full marathon is actually a Boston Qualifier), this course -- out of all of the half-marathons I've done just this year alone -- is the furthest from 13.1 on-foot. By the map, this course runs 13.41 miles. On foot (last year), the course ran closer to 13.5. Be expecting that going in. The following stats also reflect the "by-the-map" metrics.

          Course Basics/Metrics
Here are the basics for the 2014 half-marathon route...

• Distance: 13.40mi
• Route Type: Loop
• Terrain Type: City Streets (Blacktop, Concrete)
• Start Location: Kansas City, Missouri at 22nd & Grand (next to Washington Square Park, one block west of the Sheraton Hotel)
• Finish Location: Kansas City, Missouri at 22nd & McGee (at the Sheraton Hotel, one block north of Crown Center Plaza)
• Start Elevation: 810ft
• # Major Climbs: 7
• Tot. Elevation Gain: 852ft

          Climbs

There are 7 climbs on-route that are "rated" (I use my own rating system for running climbs), which basically means seven climbs that are over 30 feet of climbing. Here's how they stack up.

• Grand to PNL: 0.92mi (0.1-1.02mi), 2.3% average grade (6.1% max), +106.2ft (784-891ft), 4/10 rating
• Hospital Hill: 0.56mi (1.82-2.39mi), 3.4% average grade (7.4% max), +105ft (846-947ft), 4/10 rating
• Memorial Hill: 0.33mi (2.76-3.09mi), 3.2% average grade (6.2% max), +50.9ft (884-935ft), 2/10 rating
• Penn Valley Hill: 0.34mi (3.43-3.77mi), 3.3% average grade (9.5% max), +67ft (932-998ft), 2/10 rating
• Old Westport: 0.34mi (5.50-5.84mi), 2.7% average grade (4.1% max), +52.4ft (914-966ft), 2/10 rating
• Harrison Boulevard: 1.82mi (8.00-9.82mi), 1.4% average grade (3.9% max), +137ft (818-950ft), 4/10 rating
• Armour to The Paseo: 0.62mi (9.88-10.50mi), 1.4% average garde (3.2% max), +47ft (944-991ft), 1/10 rating

          Virtual Run (All Images Courtesy of Google Earth Street View)

Again, this covers the half-marathon. The full marathon, including marathon relay, has the same northern half as the half-marathon. The only difference is further runs along the Plaza and south on Ward Parkway. Once making the way back up, the full marathon route meets back up with the half-marathon route. Click on any of the links provided above for the full marathon map.

For the 5k, the route is completely different. A link for that map is provided above as well.

Start to Mile 1.00 -- All routes start in the same location (although, the 5k starts later in the morning), just North of Crown Center Plaza, on Grand, in front of Washington Square Park.

What would be the view from the start line, looking north on Grand towards downtown.
Washington Square Park is on the left

The course begins North on Grand Boulevard towards the Power & Lights District. Right ahead of the start chute is the City's main railroad tracks. 

Said bridge. Really climbing begins here, as the bridge has a natural bow to it. But just beyond the bridge
you can see how the road picks up.

Once that bridge is crossed, the very first climb begins ("Grand to PNL"), a mile-long, gradual, 2.3% grade ascent up to the Power & Lights District and around the North side of the Sprint Center, where it peaks out at 13th & Oak, about 1 mile in to the race.

Nearing the top of the Grand to PNL climb. From this view, we're only about 0.70mi in to the route.
The 1-mile marker would be on the opposite side of the Sprint Center, caddy-corner from this view.

Miles 1.00 to 3 -- Of equal descent is the run South on Oak back towards Crown Center, passing first through the Crossroads Arts District centered at Oak and 18th Street. Once the bridge over the same train tracks is crossed (at Oak and about 20th), the second major climb begins up the famed Hospital Hill.

At 1.75 miles, just past the Crossroads Arts District, the next climb begins, which includes bits of Hospital Hill.

Although this section technically runs up over Hospital Hill, the alternate entrance on to the hill cuts down the overall climb -- usually the climb begins out of Crown Center and on to Pershing Road. Either way the hill remains steep, and is bound to wear ambitious runners a bit thin. Hospital Hill peaks at Longfellow Park, after over half a mile and 104 feet of climbing.

A right-hand turn pushes runners West along 27th Street, eventually spilling on to Memorial Drive, and another famed climb, Memorial Hill. This route puts runners already halfway up the climb, which normally also begins down on Pershing Road. The 3-mile marker hits at the entrance to Liberty Memorial Park. Take a deep breath and enjoy the view -- at this point on course, the sun is just now showing its colors, and with the panorama of downtown Kansas City behind the Liberty Memorial, provides an absolutely picture-perfect backdrop.

Mile marker 3 comes up right as runners enter Liberty Memorial Mall. Included will be Liberty Memorial,
and a hill-top view of the Kansas City Skyline, just in time for the colors of the morning.

Miles 3 to 5 -- Liberty Memorial Park provides one of the few truly flat spots on course. Half and full marathon participants will run the entirety of Liberty Memorial Drive, a 0.40-mile flat trek towards and then away from Liberty Memorial. On exit from the park, the climb up South on Wyandotte Street past Penn Valley Park provides the next major climb. At first only 2.5% grade, the latter half of this 0.34-mile climb pitches upwards at a consistent 9.5% grade. Though short, this hill sees many walkers. The descent down Penn Valley Hill, off of Wyandotte, and on to Eastbound 31st Street sees mile marker 4 at Main Street.

3.6mi in, the short-yet-nasty climb up Wyandotte St. It's nastier coming from the opposite side (as you do in the
Hospital Hill 10k/HM), but still steep from the North, too. Penn Valley Park is on the right.

At 31st, runners turn right heading South on Main Street, which provides a fast and easy descent for three-quarters of a mile. Main Street pitches back upwards at 27th, however, before hitting mile marker 5 and turning right on to Westport Road.

Miles 5 to 8 -- Half- and full-marathon'ers descend on to Westport Road around mile 5. The 'descend on' is short-lived, as not long after the turn the next climb in-to and out-of Old Westport begins (for those familiar with Westport, runners enter in through the Northeast, from the side where the Riot Room and The Foundry are). The 2.7% and 0.34-mile short climb out of Westport ends as runners turn West on to 43rd Street.

The center of historic Old Westport, about 5.25mi in. Off in the distance you can see the next climb out of Old Westport.

Things speed up at 43rd Westbound, as the route descends, seemingly in preparation for the last set of long climbs. A turn left off of 43rd on to Southeast Roanoke Parkway drops participants in to the Western edges of historic Country Club Plaza along 47th/Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard.

Just short of the 6-mile marker, runners will foot over the roads of beautiful Country Club Plaza.

Once again, enjoy the scenery, as the route flattens out all the way through to the front lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (with Frank A. Theis Park opposite).

7 1/2 miles in, the Nelson-Atkins' famous front sculpture garden makes an appearance.

Just short of mile-marker 8, half-marathoners will turn off of Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard on to Troost. Marathoners will stay straight on Cleaver II until turning south on The Paseo. Given the late-race location, I have seen many-a-half-marathoners miss the turn and continue straight (and many marathoners make the turn instead of going straight). Half-marathoners turn left on to Troost! Full marathoners keep straight until The Paseo!

Emanuel Cleaver II looking east. This is where the route splits: the half-marathon route (in red) turns right
at the traffic lights on to Northbound Troost, while the full marathoners continue on
straight through the lights until reaching The Paseo.

Miles 8 to 10.50 -- This entire section - all 2.5 miles of it - is made up of hill. Off of Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard, runners hit a quick road-change combination: North on Troost, followed by a next-left going West on Brush Creek Boulevard, and an immediate right on to Gillam Road going North and Northwest. This combination marks the beginning of the Harrison Boulevard Climb, a massive 1.82-mile ascent up 137 feet -- not steep, but quite long. Along the ascent, runners are privy to miles of parkway, including Gillam Park and -- once Gillam forks eastward on to Harrison Parkway -- Hyde Park.

About where mile marker 9 would be, with Gillham park on the right, and Hyde Park just past the building ahead.
This is about halfway up the Gillham-Harrison climb, which though shallow, runs long.

The Harrison Parkway climb peaks at the intersection of Harrison and Armour, although, in reality, this entire section is really one longer hill. The second half of the incline begins nearly immediately once runners are turned Eastward on Armour, followed by a left-hand turn heading north on The Paseo. If history proves correct, for me at least, it's around here that attention wanes, legs cramp, and motivation suffers. But at the top of this Gillam-to-Harrison-to-Armour-to-Paseo climb, only 2.5 miles remain -- all of which are downhill.

Mile 10.50 to Finish --

The top of The Paseo climb, which signals the last of significant climbs on-route for the half-marathon.
At The Paseo and Linwood Boulevard, this is right at 10.5 miles.

The trek North on The Paseo brings about all of the glory you would expect from the Paseo (hah-hah). Even though the remaining miles of the Paseo are largely downhill, this stretch feels immeasurably long. However, the payoff begins only 2km later, at only 1 mile to go, when the route turns West on to 18th, edging along the Western corner of the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District. Under the 71-highway bridge, the final miles begin to trickle down, and the motivation begins to inch upwards.

At mile 12, the route turns West off of the Paseo on to 18th Street. This view is on 18th Street, with The Paseo
crossing from left to right. If you were to look left as your were turning West on to 18th Street from
The Paseo, this would be your view: The 18th & Vine District -- home to some of the best jazz in history.

A turn left at Grand, runners will find the final quarter-mile laid out before them. Soak in the cheers and final painful steps. Cross the line, collect your hardware, and revel in your accomplishment.  ...and think of those poor saps miles that are only halfway finished.

Looking south on Grand towards Crown Center (18th Street to the left). This will be the view approaching mile 13.
The tall building off in the distance on the left (with the circular top) is the Sheraton Crown Center. The finish itself is right back where you started. It is oh-so-slightly uphill, particularly at the bridge crossing.

Information on Expo & Packet Pick-Up to follow in Part II on the afternoon of 10/16. Once the race is complete, a Part III will be posted the following week.

Until then, keep R/B/S-ing.

-tds

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  _-/<,_

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