Glacier Half Marathon
June 25, 2022
East Glacier, MT
Difficulty:
Paved Road
Point-to-point
Race Info
*Race day parking & shuttles are all located at this site
Expo & Bib Pickup
The Course
Weather: 42°–69°F
Terrain: This is a high-elevation paved road course with a 5 mile climb that finishes downhill.
Strollers allowed? Yes
Disability Friendly? Yes
Dogs allowed? No
GET INVOLVED
Support Our
Park Communities
Fundraise for your chosen race and your registration fee could be waived. All funds go to Wander Project to support efforts in and around the communities that host our events.
Volunteer with Us!
Our amazing volunteers help runners at the race expo, finish line, merch tent, and beyond! Join us for a 3-4hr shift and earn a $50 or $100 credit towards a future race.
Pro-tip: Volunteer at the expo and run the next day OR ask a friend to volunteer and "gift" you the credit (or use it themselves!)
Glacier Half Details
Come here to prepare for your race!
All runners will have 4 hours to finish the entire race from the time they start their run. This is an 18.5 min mile - plenty of time for walkers!
To be clear, this race doesn't take place inside the National Park. (It's difficult to get permission to conduct private business activities on national land, and rightly so.) Having said that, this is about as close to the park as it gets.
The race will start about 1.3 miles
east of Kiowa, MT on highway 89.
The entire race will be on pavement except for a couple short sections that run on grass. At Kiowa, the road climbs almost 900 ft. It’s a big climb, but runners will be rewarded with gorgeous views of Glacier National Park, and the prairies at its base as you climb Looking Glass Hill. From mile 5 to mile 10, the course runs downhill while enjoying
stunning views of Lower Two Medicine Lake. The last portion has a series of hill-climbs and drops where runners will finish on the front lawn of the Glacier Park Lodge.
The course will be well-marked, but it is your responsibility to stay to the left when running with traffic and be courteous and mindful of cars and other runners. DO NOT step off the course into traffic; you will be disqualified. We want you to stay safe.
The elevation change on this course is definitely something to take note of. The first half of the race starts at about 5000 ft and goes from a gradual climb to a steeper elevation gain topping out at 5980 ft. The total race gain is 1230 ft. This is a challenging, but overwhelmingly beautiful course!
Time limit
All runners will have 4 hours to finish the race. That is an 18.5 minute mile - plenty of time for walkers! If at anytime we deem it unsafe and need to pull a runner off the course we would hope for understanding and immediate cooperation. Failure to comply will result in being banned from future events.
Course Records
Our course record holders receive a FREE RACE ENTRY every year that their time remains the course record! The current course record holders are:
Male Overall: Glen Burkhardt 1:12:34 (2019)
Female Overall: Natalie Atabek 1:28:14 (2021)
Male Masters: Brian Suttle 1:24:06 (2019)
Female Masters: Kris Rostas 1:40:23 (2018)
Aid Stations
Expect about 6 aid stations on the course at around mile 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 12. A medic will be stationed typically at the aid station at or near mile 7. Keep in mind, the exact location of each aid station may vary from race to race. Aid stations include toilets, water, Gnarly Hydrate, Honey Stinger gels, basic first aid supplies, and sometimes more.
All stations are cup-free so plan to bring your own hydration solution or request a free HydraPouch when you register.
You have a couple of options for picking up your bib and race packet including at the race expo or we can mail it to you. When you register, we ask you to indicate when you plan to pick up your bib. If you plans change, don’t worry about it. We only ask to help us plan in terms of numbers.
Option #1: Race Expo (recommended)
Race expos are held the Friday before the race. They typically run 5-7 hours, allowing you to get your bib at your convenience.
Option #2: Race Morning (not recommended)
We will have limited race morning packet pickup. We do not recommend waiting until the morning, but if it cannot be avoided - we understand.
Race morning bib pickup will start at 4:30 and is located at the shuttle loading site.
Option #3: Shipped Before the Race
There is a cost of $30 if you want to have your bib and shirt mailed to you. We do this as a convenience for runners not wanting to drive to the area early. You can add a shipped bib to your registration until one month before the race by logging into RunSignup, clicking Manage Registration, and Add Ons.
Refunds: Once your package is shipped, you are officially checked in to the race and no longer qualify for our refund, deferment, or transfer options.
Bib Pickup/Race Expo
Date: June 24, 2022
Location: Red Eagle Campground (Cut Bank, MT)
Hours: 11am - 7pm
This is a great opportunity to pick up your bib, check out the area, and meet fellow runners. We’ll have our merchandise table set up, so be sure to stop by and say hi!
Bring Your Own Bag
In our ongoing effort to eliminate waste during our races, our expos are bagless events. We encourage you to BYOB (bring your own bag) to hold your bib, race shirt, and any goodies you pick up from the race expo!
The race starts at 6:00 am sharp. We do not start our races late so please plan enough time to park at Indian Days Campground and grab a shuttle to the start line. Runners will have 4 hours to finish the race. That is a 18 minute mile- plenty of time for walkers!
Check back closer to the race for a comprehensive race schedule!
Parking, Shuttles, & Runner Drop-off
We will have all race parking, drop-off, and shuttles at Indian Days Campground. Shuttles will take runners from Browning to the start line before the race.
Shuttles will return runners to the Indian Days Campground after the race. There is absolutely no parking or drop off at the start line or finish line.
*Note: There is no shuttle services from Glacier Park Lodge or the Vacation Races Campground. Runners will need to drive/carpool to the parking lot in Browning in order to catch the shuttle to the start line.
Parking, Drop-off, and Shuttles
Finish Line Staging
Shuttles will depart from the finish line in East Glacer Village back to the parking lot at the Indian Days Campground as runners finish the race.
At the finish line we will have a food box (full of recovery snacks), bananas, and chocolate milk. Please help yourself to one food box, chocolate milk, and banana per runner. There will be water at the finish line, but no cups. Please use your Hydrapouch or water bottle to fill up at the finish line.
In addition to the expo, the merchandise tent will be set up after the race near the finish line!
Spectator Parking & Finish Line Staging
We expect to welcome spectators back to Glacier this year!
Check back closer to the race for additional info!
We recommend downloading the RaceJoy app to track your runner's progress and send them cheers along the way! Once your runner has crossed the finish line, please exit the runner recovery area to avoid crowding. The beverages, supplies, and medical tent at the finish line are for runner use only - thank you!
VACATION RACES CAMPGROUND
The most convenient (and most fun) place to stay during race weekend is our Vacation Races Campground! The Vacation Races campground will be located at Red Eagle Campground on the Blackfeet reservation at the south end of Lower Two Medicine Lake (off of Highway 49).
There is plenty of space for campers! Keep in mind that this is primitive camping.
We will provide toilets, water, and campfires. You can sleep in your car, tent, hammock, an RV (no hookups), or rent a tent from us for an additional charge. Whichever you choose, you still have to reserve a spot. Campsites do not include cots, sleeping bags, pillows, headlamps, cooking stoves and supplies, or firewood. Runners who are camping will need to drive to the parking area in Browning to catch the shuttle to the start line race morning.
Reservation Period:
Thursday, June 23 at 3:00 pm - Sunday , June 27 at 9:00am
*Your reservation covers these dates, even if you do not choose to stay for the full duration.
Campsite Only (bring your own tent) | Campsite + 4 Person Tent Rental | Campsite + 6 Person Tent Rental |
|---|---|---|
$75 | $100 | $130 |
Checking in:
Campsite check-in will be on Thursday, June 24th at 3pm. Upon arrival you will be able to pick the location you want, they are first come first serve. Price is for all days and times listed, even if you don't stay for the duration.
Check out:
Campsite checkout will be by Sunday, June 27th, by 9:00am. If you reserved a tent you will need to turn it into the camp hosts by 9:00am at the latest.
You can reserve the campground as part of your race registration or by modifying your registration in RunSignup.
As nature lovers, we are committed to keeping our events sustainable and managing negative impacts on the environment. Our goal is to send less than one bag of actual “trash” to the landfill after each event. We have managed to meet this goal at events with over 3,000 participants!
Here's how you can help us:
CUP-FREE RACING
Single-use plastic is a huge source of waste at any public event. We have reduced that impact by making our events "cup-free".
What does that mean for you?
Coolers of Water and Gnarly Hydrate (electrolyte drink) are available at all aid stations, but cups will not be provided on course or at the finish line. In order to stay hydrated, we ask you to bring one of the following:
1. Reusable water bottle
2. Hydrapouch - These light-weight cups clip onto your clothes. You can order one for free when you register OR purchase one at the expo ($10).
3. Hydration pack - These are refillable backpacks meant for running that allow you to access fluid via a built-in straw.
Stay hydrated on the go with a hydrapouch!
ZERO WASTE CONTAINERS
You can help us reduce trash by sorting disposable items into the appropriate container.
You’ll notice three containers at our events:
Please avoid putting organic waste and compostable items in the wrong bin. It gets gross to sort through.
Race Results
Visit RunSignup for current and past race results.
Runner times are available ~20 minutes after you finish the race. Keep in mind, the results are not official until all runners have crossed the finish line, and have been reviewed by the event director. Because our age group winners are based on chip time, it is possible to cross the finish line before someone else in your age group while still finishing with a slower time than them.
Top Finisher but missed the awards ceremony? You can request to have your place medal shipped to you!
Got questions about your placement? please email timing@vacationraces.com.
Photos
Race photos are typically available for FREE via RunSignup the Friday following the week of the race. We will send out an email when they're posted to the album. Past races are available via the link
Share your experiences with us!
Be sure to use #GlacierHalf in any photos you post from the race or your adventures exploring the park so we can share in the fun with you!
Exclusive Glacier Marathon merchandise will be available both at the race expo and near the finish line! When possible, we'll have race merch for sale in our online store after the race is over. Please allow time for us to add items online.
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