The Garmin Marathon Series arrives in Durham on Saturday, May 2, with four races that will close downtown streets and sections of two popular trails for most of the morning.
All races start at 359 Blackwell St. The full marathon, half marathon, and 10K go off at 7 a.m. The 5K follows at 7:20 a.m. Routes pass through downtown Durham before picking up the American Tobacco Trail and the Third Fork Creek Trail. Every race finishes at Wallace Wade Stadium on Duke's campus, where a post-race celebration is planned.
Streets will reopen on a rolling basis as runners clear each section, with all roads and trails expected to reopen by around 1:35 p.m. Shuttle service will run from Wallace Wade back to the 359 Blackwell St. starting area. Runners are encouraged to park downtown or near the American Tobacco Trail trailhead before the race.
Closures begin before race day. Packet pickup at CCB Plaza runs Thursday, April 30, from 2 to 7 p.m. and Friday, May 1, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Parrish Street and Market Street close during those pickup windows, so anyone moving through that stretch of downtown should expect delays both days.
The city is asking residents to build extra travel time into Thursday and Friday afternoons and to use alternate routes on race morning. Downloadable course maps for all four distances are available on the Garmin Marathon Series Durham website.