Everything you need to know about this weekend’s Thunder Road marathon

The 11 annual version of the race takes place starting at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. It means more than tortured traffic around uptown and midtown. If you’re like me and have been training for months — I’ll be out there running the full marathon — it’s an important testing ground of mental and physical toughness. So far, the weather forecast is ideal, so go out and support your fellow Charlotteans — and a great city event.

Here’s what you need to know before this weekend.

Course changes

Thunder Road introduced big changes to the front half of the course last year, moving the finish line to BB&T Ballpark. That means no more winding through a weird parking lot en route to the half marathon finish line. Rhodes says those alterations have been met with widespread enthusiasm. I didn’t run last year’s race, but I did cheer on friends and saw the finish line. It’s a great improvement.

The biggest changes are to the back half of the course between miles 19 and 24 — explaining my most pressing question about why there are so many turns in Plaza Midwood and Elizabeth. Last year the course went down Commonwealth and hit Monroe before winding back toward uptown. That veered too close to where the Southern Christmas Show is taking place.

I’ve run this new stretch, and it is definitely beautiful. I may have started looking up houses on Zillow afterward. I just hope all the turns don’t kill me mentally that far into the race. “They’re nice neighborhoods to run through and they’re residential,” Rhodes said. “It keeps us off some of the main roads. You’ve got to find five miles somewhere.”

Traffic/parking

Don’t try to drive near uptown unless you really need to or are a spectator. There will be a lot of full parking decks. Rhodes expects about 6,000 participants between the marathon, marathon relay, half marathon and 5K events. He recommends taking the light rail or biking in if possible.

If you’re driving around town minding your own business Saturday, where else should you avoid? Early sections of the race will shut down two lanes of Providence Road up to Wendover. The same goes for Queens Road West and Morehead Street north of Kings. The back half of the race takes runners through NoDa and Plaza Midwood and Elizabeth. Watch out for the intersection of The Plaza and Central, as well as 7 and 5 streets.

Spectators

There are a lot of good places to watch. Personally, I recommend Queens Road West near Selwyn (there are a lot of residential areas nearby where you can park without causing a mess) and Latta Park. Morehead Street near the Arosa turnoff is good if you want to catch a half marathoner twice — there and again nearby at the finish.

I know I need my support on the back half of the marathon. My husband and 5-year-old will be stationed on The Plaza before we turn onto Central Avenue. (It’s a nice flat stretch after surviving the NoDa hills.) NoDa and Plaza Midwood are both known for good crowd support. This is where runners tend to hit the dreaded “wall” so I encourage you to step out of your house/apartment and root runners on if you live nearby.

Photo courtesy of Novant Health Thunder Road Marathon

Entertainment

Thunder Road will hold a post-race concert from about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., broken up by the awards ceremony. Brandon Chase, once a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice,” will headline.

Charity

Novant Health is the namesake sponsor of the marathon, and Hemby’s Children Hospital is the biggest cause the race supports. Officials recently gave the hospital $20,000. Just another reason this is a great race to support.

Words of wisdom

At this point, you’ve put in your training. Runners in North and South Carolina make up most participants — and they’re used to running on hills, Rhodes said. Raleigh and Asheville are even hillier training grounds than the Queen City, he points out.

If you’re a marathoner, Rhodes has a couple of tips that stood out to me: First, “There’s that last hill between 25 and 26. It’s not the easiest hill. It’s called uptown for a reason.” I found this truth bomb particularly appropriate after struggling during the last third of my first marathon earlier this year: “Save yourself for the last 10 miles. They say you’re halfway done at mile 20.”

Have a great race, and get at me if you’re shooting for a 4:30 to 4:45 finish time. I’m always looking for a running buddy.

(Photo credits: Novant Health Thunder Road Marathon)