BENTONVILLE -- The Run Bentonville Half Marathon is getting back to normal after dealing with covid-19 issues the last two years.
The run was pushed to the fall last year because of virus precautions and was canceled in 2020 when covid-19 first hit the area. About 100 people picked a virtual option last year, race officials said.
The 12th half marathon is set to start at 7 a.m. Saturday on the downtown square.
Just fewer than 2,000 runners had signed up by Thursday with about 2,200 expected, said Josh Stacey, Parks and Recreation services manager.
Last year's half marathon drew 2,400 participants. The largest turnout was 3,100 runners in 2019, Stacey said.
So far runners from 28 states along with competitors from Mexico, Chile, Canada, England and Puerto Rico have signed up this year, Stacey said. All 50 states have been represented at least once in the half marathon's history, he said.
There is a online race option, but Stacey expects 99% of the runners to be on site. There also is a 5K race as part of the festivities.
The 13.1-mile course will take runners through the heart of the city and highlight the trail system, according to the race website. It will begin and end on the downtown square. The course is oopen for four hours,
"It's home," Cher Cooley of Bentonville said of the half marathon. "It's fun to see people come out and cheer you on."
Cooley has participated in the half marathon eight times and plans to run the Oklahoma City Half Marathon on April 24. Cooley said she runs all year and usually takes about five months to train for a half marathon.
There is a slight course change this year. Because of construction along Eighth Street, more of the run will be along parts of Central Avenue and J Street, Stacey said.
One feature that hasn't changed is the last part of the course, which includes the winding upward climb of the hill at Crystal Bridges.
It has those turns, Cooley said, which deceives runners into thinking they're at the top when they're not.
Susan Matthews, who will be running her fifth half marathon, said the Crystal Bridges hill is part of two hard treks before the finish line. The hill at Compton Gardens close to the finish line also is tough, she said.
"That incline lasts forever," she said. "You can hear the band playing and you're at the end and you forget about Compton."
The Parks and Recreation Department relies on revenue generated from the race for the creation and maintenance of new and/or existing parks and programs, departmental administrative costs and other park amenities. The race helps provide programs like the Fourth of July fireworks show. Volunteer groups also receive money for their charities, organizations and fundraisers, according to the race website.
The race brought in $211,000 last year, Stacey said.
About 300 volunteers will help Saturday. Some serve as course marshals; others work aide stations along the course while others hand out water at the finish line, Stacey said. A group of volunteers also helps a training group prepare for the run.
Bobby Le of Fayetteville is one of the training volunteers. He will run the half marathon and be there to encourage other runners. This is his second year to volunteer.
"I really enjoy seeing people reach new goals," he said. "It's a way to pay it forward."
Matthews, a Benton County Sheriff's Office detective, is in her second year as a training volunteer. She was a trainee for three years before that. The first year as a trainee was scary, she said.
"I didn't know what I was getting into," she said. "I had never ran before. I just got a wild hair to run a half marathon."
Her times have consistently gotten better each half marathon. She will run her race, and encourage other runners in her pace group and others as they cross the finish line Saturday. There are 200 to 220 runners in the group.
"We have a good group," she said of the trainers and trainees. "No one will be close to four hours. It's a great fast group."