Exciting Road Closures Alert Grand Rapids Marathon Debuts New Start and Finish Line Downtown This Sunday
The 22nd Grand Rapids Marathon is set to take place this Sunday, October 19. This year brings a significant change to the race, with the start and finish lines relocated to the vicinity of the GVSU Pew Campus and Blue Bridge. This adjustment has been necessitated by ongoing construction for a new downtown soccer stadium.
Event Schedule
The weekend will kick off with packet pickup and an expo on Saturday at the David D. Hunting YMCA. Here’s the schedule for the weekend:
- Saturday, October 18:
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Expo and Packet Pickup at YMCA
- 2:30 p.m.: Grand Rapids Kids Marathon
- Sunday, October 19:
- 6:00 a.m. – Race Time: Packet pickup
- 7:00 a.m.: Early start for “Velocity Challenged” runners, Marathon and Half Marathon
- 7:30 a.m.: MyTeam Triumph & Other Chariot racers begin
- 7:40 a.m.: Opening Ceremonies, including the National Anthem
- 8:00 a.m.: Official start for Marathon, Half Marathon, and all relay teams
- 8:20 a.m.: Start of Run Thru the Rapids 10K
- 8:30 a.m.: Start of Run Thru The Rapids 5K
- 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Runners cross the finish line
Road Closures
| Street | Closure Time |
|---|---|
| Winter Street (Lake Michigan Drive to Watson) | 7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
| Fulton Street (Monroe to Seward) | 7:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. |
| Between Street (Mt. Vernon to Seward) | 7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
| Seward Ave (Lake Michigan to Leonard) | 7:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. |
| Leonard Street (Seward to Broadway) | 7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. |
| Broadway Ave (Leonard to Sixth) | 7:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. |
| Sixth Street (Broadway to Monroe) | 7:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. |
| Monroe Ave (Sixth to Fulton) | 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. |
| Watson (Winter to Front) | 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
| Front Ave (Watson to Wealthy) | 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
| Wealthy Street (Front to Garfield) | 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
| Butterworth Street (Coke Plant trailhead to Maynard) | 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. |
Tips for Participants
Prepare for an exciting day as the marathon returns to Grand Rapids this Sunday!
