Kicking off at the corner of Front Street and Forrest Street, the Hattiesburg Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K is slated to be back in downtown Hattiesburg on April 1. Runners have the choice to complete one of three courses while benefiting 14 local area nonprofits.
Partnering with Hattiesburg Clinic as its presenting sponsor, the race directly benefits the following local charities: The Arc of Southeast Mississippi, The Children's Center for Communication and Development, Christian Services, Domestic Abuse Family Shelter, DREAM of Hattiesburg, the DuBard School for Language Disorders, The Family YMCA of Southeast Mississippi, The Glory House, Kuntry Kidz Youth Foundation, R3SM, Sacred Heart Catholic School, Southern Pines Animal Shelter, the Pinebelt Foundation and the United Way of Southeast Mississippi.
"Since 2012, this race has evolved into a premier road race for the Southeast," said Mike Dixon, executive director of the Pinebelt Foundation and member of the steering committee that plans the annual event. "We're grateful that Hattiesburg Clinic, who is no stranger to this race, has generously stepped in as this year's presenting sponsor. We look forward to seeing how we can continue making an impact on our neighbors, together."
Michael Dixon, Exec. Director for the Pinebelt Foundation
The race, established in 2012 by Hattiesburg Clinic employees, has long been a part of the Hattiesburg Clinic story. As the race began to grow, the multi-specialty clinic handed the vent over to the Pinebelt Foundation and the United Way to help maximize the community impact. Since its founding, the race has given over $575,000 back to the community across organizations who support a variety of needs in the Greater Hattiesburg area.
“When Hattiesburg Clinic was asked to serve as the title sponsor for the Hattiesburg Half Marathon/10k/5k event this year, the answer was, Yes!' for many reasons,” said Dr. Bryan Batson, CEO of Hattiesburg Clinic. "It comes down to this: We need to support each other as much as we can in order to make a difference. Hattiesburg Clinic has been so moved by and thankful for the work these organizations do in the lives of our family, neighbors and friends; we are inspired by the thousands of people who participate by running, walking or volunteering, and we want to support the community we've called home for 60 years. It is truly an honor for Hattiesburg Clinic to partner with the Hattiesburg Half Marathon Steering Committee for this year's event. We hope that our participation will encourage others to also give back.
Dr. Bryan Batson, CEO of Hattiesburg Clinic
The event, now steered by the Pinebelt Foundation and Volunteer Southeast Mississippi with support from the City of Hattiesburg, takes runners through the heart of Hattiesburg and attracts runners from all over the southeast and beyond.
The 2023 course will begin in downtown Hattiesburg in front of the Sanger Theater. It will wind through the Avenues and loop around the Hattiesburg Zoo. A portion of the half-marathon route will also tour the University of Southern Mississippi's campus, the Longleaf Trace and finish back where it all began.
In addition to key Hattiesburg landmarks and sites, runners will also get a chance to see each nonprofit that the race benefits throughout the course.
"Giving our nonprofits each a mile to decorate as our runners navigate the course has easily become our greatest race feature. It brings the missions of these organizations to life for our runners," said Tracie Fowler, CEO of the United Way of Southeast Mississippi - the parent organization of Volunteer Southeast Mississippi. “For past races, that has included the children and families of clients from The Children's Center and DuBard School cheering on runners or a water break with clients from The Arc of Southeast Mississippi, puppy snuggles from Southern Pines Animal Shelter and more.
Ali Rogers, Resource Development Manager of United Way of Southeast Mississippi
"This event is a true collaboration between so many organizations who do life-changing work in our community, and it doesn't happen without a lot of extra hands. If someone wants to be involved, we have many opportunities to serve."
The event will cap at 1,500 runners. Registration will close on March 29. All who are interested in running, volunteering and learning more about charity beneficiaries can visit www.hburghalfmarathon.com.
