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Runners start the 5K from the line at Lake Shore Drive in Celina on Sept. 24, 2022. The 2023 Grand Lake half-marathon and 5K will be held on Saturday. File photo.
The Grand Lake half-marathon will be run from St. Marys to Celina Saturday morning, in its ninth year and second year as the featured race along the lake.
Fort Wayne's Hiroki Tokunaga won last year in a time of 1:22:07, about a minute ahead of the second-place finisher. The record was set in 2017, when Utah's Jared Ward crossed the line in 1:10.52.
Full registration numbers won't be available until after the race, as runners can continue signing up right until the gun goes off. In May, there were 91 registrants, almost a third more than at the same time in 2022.
The course now runs along a fixed route primarily down state Route 703. The start line is in Memorial Park in St. Marys, and runners race about 2 1/2 miles to the east bank of the lake, then proceed north through the state park and onto 703 after about six miles.
As in past years, the finish line will be on Lake Shore Drive in Celina, and a charity grill and beer tent will be available at the finish, with live music adding to the finish line festivities. Because the route proceeds in one direction, contestants can park at Bryson Park and take free shuttles to the starting line.
The 5K starts an hour after the half-marathon, running south along the boardwalk and turning back to finish heading east on Lake Shore Drive. The Kids Marathon, a one-mile run, will follow.
The record for the 5K also was set in 2017, when Ridgetown, Ontario's Adam West finished the course in 18:44.
Saturday morning is forecast to be in the high 50s to low 60s and sunny.
