Run 4 Shelter Half Marathon, 10K & 5K @ Chester, MD, United States on 08 September 2012

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Runners will make their way along a fast and flat paved course that alternates between the wooded trails of Kent Island and the wide-open scenery of Chesapeake Bay. The annual Run for Shelter Half Marathon, 10K & 5K race also features a fun run for kids.

The race — which has been run as a 10K & 5K race in recent years — adds a half marathon at its September 2011 running. The route will share the same start and finish line as previous races – just off Piney Narrows Road near the Shopping Outlets at the Kent Island Narrows. From there, runners will follow what is known locally as the Cross Island Trail, a linear park filled with paved trails that winds from Kent Island Narrows westward to Terrapin Nature Park.

Scenery marks the course throughout the 13.1-mile route, from paved roads to paved trails to crushed gravel roads and even oyster-shell trails in the “beach challenge” stretch along the bay. Along the way, runners can expect to trek through wooded forest sections, and look out onto ponds and wetlands.

Thanks largely to its location, the race is nearly flat the entire way — the only real rises come from the footbridges runners cross in spots along the course, where the elevation is only minimal. After making their way out to Terrapin Park, runners then begin the trek back to the race finish near Piney Narrows Road.

Open to both runners and walkers for each event, the race will feature staggered start times — the half marathon begins at 7:30 AM, followed by the 10K and the 5K at 8:00 AM, and finally by the kids fun run at 10:00 AM. All proceeds from the race benefit the Our Haven Shelter, a mission of the Queen Anne’s County Christian Assistance that provides shelter, meals and assistance to homeless men, women and children in the local area.