Silver Comet 1/2 and Full

Course highlights

The half marathon route (like the full marathon) follows the Silver Comet Trail, the now-paved multi-use trail for bikers, joggers and walkers that winds nearly 40 miles from Smyrna to the Georgia-Alabama state line, part of one of Atlanta’s most successful rails-to-trails initiatives.

Named for the Silver Comet train that ferried passengers back and forth from Atlanta to Anniston, Ala., in the 1940s and 50s, the trail had been abandoned until the late 1980s, when a group of local residents formed a nonprofit to raise funds toward converting it for recreational use. Ever since, the trail has become one of the metro Atlanta area’s most popular weekend hikes and biking trails.

The 13.1-mile course for the race starts at the Mable House Cultural Arts Center and runs for about 1.5 miles before entering the trail at the Silver Comet Bike Depot. From there, it runs out 5.75 miles and back to the depot for the finish. The trail is long and straight and largely flat, but it also has some long, gradual uphill stretches that many runners will find challenging, especially as they occur in the race’s last few miles.