Hundreds to Race in Fast-Growing Half Marathon Saturday

A half marathon will bring hundreds of runners from Salem Willows, through downtown and out toward Marblehead on Saturday morning.

The Wicked Half Marathon will kick off at 7 a.m. at Salem Willows, and the 13.1 mile course will take runners down Essex Street, winding its way to Lafayette Street and out to toward Marblehead and eventually Marblehead Neck. Runners will return to Salem on Lafayette Street, turning on Derby Street to get back to the Willows. The halfway point of the race is along Ocean Avenue in Marblehead, near High Rock Park.

The biggest hills of the course are on Marblehead Neck, according to organizers.

More than 800 runners took part in the race for the past two years. It has been a fast-growing race, with fewer than 400 runners just four years ago. The race is capped at 2,000 entries. The 2014 race will be the eighth time the race has been run.

Runners will have a water station available about every 1.5 miles with Gatorade and water, plus an aid station on Marblehead Neck will have Gu’s, Twizzlers and petroleum jelly. The bathrooms at Devereux Beach in Marblehead will also be available to runners.

Runners will have four hours to finish, and last year’s winner Glarius Rop of Springfield won in 1:06:40.

The entry fee is $55 through Friday and $60 on race day. Registration opens at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday near the start, in the soccer field across from 129 Fort Ave. at Salem Willows (near the tennis courts and Dead Horse Beach).