The 2022 Happy Valley Half Marathon is happening on 10/16/22 at Look Park in Northampton, MA.
The Experience
As always, we will have food trucks ready to serve up some delicious post-race food! On your bib, you'll have two tearaway tabs. One tab is your ticket for one food item from your choice of trucks. Each truck will have one menu item that you can redeem your ticket for. Other menu items will be available for purchase.
Caravan Kitchen, Bruiser’s BBQ and Batch (the best ice cream truck around) will be onsite to provide post race food.
With your other tearaway tab, you'll be able to enjoy a refreshing cider or beer from Drawing Board Brewing, Headwater Cider or one of our yet to be announced breweries.
We will also have live music with DJ Eric Guyette!
Packet Pick-up
2022 packet pickup info will be updated as we get closer to the event.
Parking
Parking is available inside of Look Park (300 N Main St, Florence, MA 01062). Please note that there is a $5 fee to enter the park. Please arrive as early as possible to ensure you are parked, checked in and ready to run.
Once you are in the park we will have signs directing you to the start/finish area.
Location/Time
Both races start and stop at the start/finish area inside Look Park. Here is a link to the exact start/finish area inside the park.
The Half Marathon starts at 9:00 am and the 5K starts at 9:30 am.
Porta Potties and Aid Stations
We will have aid stations every 2-3 miles with water and electrolyte beverages. Porta potties will be at the start/finish area.
Merchandise
We will have Trucker Hats for sale for $20 and a limited selection of t-shirts available.
Awards
Top male and female half marathon finishers will receive a $150 cash prize.
Second place finishers will receive a $100 cash prize.
Third place finishers will receive a $50 cash prize.
The top finisher in each age group will receive a prize.
All finishers will receive a finisher’s mug.
Course Info:
Please stay to the left of the road during the race. We will have course marshals, police officers and signs along the route to ensure your safety.
Half Marathon
A more detailed course map can be found here
The foliage, rural roads and scenery will take you on a 13.1 mile tour of what it is like to experience fall in New England. The USATF certified course starts with a 1 mile loop of the Look Park road to give your legs a chance to warm up. After that you will head out of the park and onto the bike path; this is your chance to take in the scenery and get ready for the slightly more inclined sections that lie ahead. The course takes a left on Mulberry Street and onto Audubon Road where you will find stone walls, peak foliage and barns along the road to distract you from the increasing incline. You will do most of the course's climbing between miles 2 and 4 but this is paying it forward for a fast finish! You will make a sharp left onto Kennedy Street where you will take on the steepest climb of the day around mile 4. You can pick up your pace and give your legs a break as the course becomes a downhill roller coaster through quiet country roads until you make a left turn on Ryan Road around mile 7. You are now more than half way there as the course evolves into a flat and fast sprint through neighborhoods and historic Florence MA. At mile ten you will make a left turn onto Spring Street where you will find some climbing but don't worry because the end is almost in sight! Spring Street becomes Main Street as you head into downtown Leeds before making a right turn back onto Mulberry Street. This is the time to pick up the pace because only a flat and straight section of bike path stands between you and the finish line in Look Park.
5K
A more detailed course map can be found here
The USATF certfieid 5k course will take you around the Look Park loop road with an out and back on the bike path. The course is plentiful in scenery but not elevation so this is your chance to take on your first 5K or go for a PR!