Sunday travel alert: Rock 'n' Roll half-marathon rolls through Raleigh

If you are headed out early Sunday to church, the State Farmer's Market or other downtown Raleigh destinations, you'll need to make your way around the road closures linked to the annual running of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series.

Posted 6:34 p.m. Feb 26, 2018 — Updated 7:20 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

Kathy Hanrahan, Out

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RALEIGH, N.C. — If you are headed out early Sunday to church, the State Farmer's Market or other downtown Raleigh destinations, you'll need to make your way around the road closures linked to the annual running of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series.

While this year's series does not include a full marathon, thousands of runners will participate in the half marathon, which begins at 7 a.m. on Fayetteville Street and ends at the intersection of Lenoir and West streets. A post-race finish festival and concert by South Carolina-based band Susto is planned at Red Hat Amphitheater.

Expect downtown to be jammed with runners, their cheering sections and support staff into the early afternoon.

The half-marathon will close roads Sunday from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. Streets will reopen on a rolling basis when the last participant passes and course materials are picked up.

Runners head north from the start line to Jones and North streets, before turning south on Person Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard. They run east to Chavis Park, north through the Oakwood neighborhood before passing William Peace University in a return to downtown. A long westbound leg takes runners out Hillsborough Street through much of the North Carolina State University campus and back east to Pullen Park. From there, runners take Western Boulevard downhill and circle through parts of NC State's Centennial Campus before arriving at the finish.

The 13.1-mile route features 13 bands along the way in addition to the traditional water and first aid stops.

Weather for the race will be brisk, with a pre-dawn low temperature in the mid-30s and a chance for morning rain. By the time most runners are finishing the race, it might warm up to about 40 degrees and clouds should slowly clear for sun as the morning wears on.