RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The streets of Richmond shut down on Saturday morning as thousands of runners took to the streets for the 45th annual Richmond Marathon.
The races kicked off early on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 7 a.m., with an estimated 16,000 runners participating. While it was some runners’ first attempt, others were seasoned pros.
The marathon is split between three races — the Allianz Partners Richmond Marathon, the CarMax Richmond Half Marathon and VCU Health Richmond 8k.
A marathon is 26.2 miles, according to Runner’s World, and on average takes four and a half hours for runners to complete — although world-class athletes can accomplish the feat in half the time. A half marathon is, just like the name suggests, exactly half the length at 13.1 miles. On average, runners complete a half marathon in about two hours.
An 8k is eight kilometers, or just under five miles.
The Richmond Marathon is also a qualifier for the famed Boston Marathon, which will take place on April 17, 2023. The Boston Marathon requires specific race times to participate.
