Start downtown at the College Football Hall of Fame. Run through South Bend and Mishawaka parks and neighborhoods along the St. Joseph River. The course is flat compared to most marathons, with a few short steep hills and one half mile incline.  The course follows a shallow river bottom, which results in the hills.   The course is not as flat as the Chicago Marathon. It is significantly flatter than Portland, Nashville, Marine Corps, Dallas and Amarillo. It is similar to Cleveland and Detroit.

Traffic-free city streets, USATF certified (#IN03003MW),

Boston Qualifier Event

CARA Certified Race

This race has applied for and received the Chicago Area Runners Association designation as a CARA CERTIFIED RACE  This race has agreed to adhere to and uphold CARA’s Best Practices Guidelines. These Guidelines embody the highest standards for quality, safety and comfort for participants in a road race. To view the Guidelines and to learn more about CARA, visit www.cararuns.org.

The Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) is a non-profit organization devoted to expanding, motivating, supporting and celebrating the running community of Chicagoland.  CARA connects runners to resources that enable them to run - further, faster, better, for life.

No strollers, baby-joggers, or rollerblades in run events.

Per new USAT&F Rules, the use of IPOD and headphone devices is allowed, but we ask that you please be careful and pay close attention to instructions from the police and from volunteers.

Anticipated field: 650 runners

Walkers: The marathon course is open for an official time of 6.5 hours, until 12:15PM EDT. Waterstops will close and streets will reopen according to the slowest allowable pace of 14 minute mile.  We strongly encourage you to choose the half marathon instead. 

Course maps for 2010 will be available as soon as the snow melts and the course can be certified - early May, 2010.  It will be similiar to the course for 2009

Click here for a 2009 map of the course

Runners will follow the same route of the full marathon, then turn at approximately Mile 3 past Keller Park and back onto the Marathon course. At the end of the bike path. half-marathoners will Niles Avenue and on to the campus of the University of Notre Dame.
Anticipated field: 1000 runners
No strollers, baby joggers, or rollerblades in run events.
Per new  USAT&F rules, the use of IPODS and headphones devices is allowed but we ask that you please be careful and pay close attention to instructions from the police and from volunteers.

Course maps for 2010 will be available as soon as the snow melts and the course can be certified - early May, 2010.  It will be similiar to the course for 2009

Click here for a 2009 map of the course

2 mile - 200 meter hill - approximately 3% grade
7 mile - 200 meter hill - approximately 3% grade

9 mile - 200 meter hill - approximately 4% grade
24 mile - 300 meter hill - approximately 4% grade
There will be a fourth hill - eastbound at mile 6.5. Details to follow.

All Sunburst events will utilize Chronotrack D-Tag system - No need to return chips anymore
Digital mats at start and and finish.

Marathon: 23 water stations (see waterstop chart)
Half Marathon: 12 water stations (see waterstop chart)
Fluid replacement is Gatorade
GU Energy Gel available on the course
Bananas at the Boathouse and at Beutter Park

Porta-potties at start line, inside College Football Hall of Fame,
all parks, and the finish line

Medical team directed by Mark Lavallee, M.D., co-director of the Sports Medicine Institute. Staff support provided by the EMTs and RNs of Memorial Hospital, South Bend. Emergency course support and communications provided by RACES and Red Cross of St. Joseph County. First aid at all waterstops. Full medical at the finish.

Massage therapy provided at the finish line by Cindy Pavel & the Davenport University Massage Therapy Students

Online registration through signmeup.com
No race day registration.
For more information see the registration page

Special Sunburst Marathon and Half Marathon T-shirts
Finisher medal for both events
Print-your-own finisher certificates
Posters (while supplies last)
Cold, wet towel and massage at the finish
Great finish line food - Thanks to Meijer for the great job they do!
Finisher photos available for purchase through brightroom.com
No guarantee of T-shirt for late registration on June 4, 2010
No race day registration

Email Molly Sullivan, Race Director

Email your course questions to David Lewin, Sunburst Course Director and Owner, Metro Run & Walk