Scenic Half Marathon: A run with a view

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

Take your mark, runners, it’s time for the annual Scenic Half Marathon. Presented by the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, the route traverses Lake Pend Oreille over the iconic Long Bridge, attracting hundreds of runners from across the country to participate.

The race will take place on Sunday, Sept. 15 and will begin at Sandpoint City Beach. From there, runners can choose either a 13.1-mile half marathon or a 10k route, both of which provide fantastic views from the Long Bridge and Lakeshore Drive. It’s an out-and-back course with safety monitors on foot and bicycles, as well as local law enforcement officers keeping the roadways safe.

This year, a new addition to the Scenic Half is the Kids 5k for those in grades kindergarten through sixth. There will be awards for each race division, and finishers for the half marathon will receive a finisher’s medal.

The Chamber is hosting a packet pickup and registration party the day before the race on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 2-5 p.m. on the patio at The Fat Pig, 301 Cedar St. in Sandpoint. Runners will receive discounted beer coupons upon packet pickup and/or registration. Then, runners can load up on carbs with a mac ’n’ cheese tasting competition. In this competition, five local restaurants — Eichartdt’s Pub, Farmhouse Kitchen, Sweet Lou’s, The Fat Pig and Trinity at City Beach — will compete to receive your vote as the best mac ’n’ cheese in the land. The winning restaurant will receive a special trophy and bragging rights for an entire year. Tickets are $10 for five samples. The Fat Pig will also serve its regular menu and beverages for those in attendance. This event is open to all runners, friends and family.

For more information about the Scenic Half Marathon, visit scenichalf.com.