The Oak Barrel Half Marathon is coming this Saturday as over 1,700 runners get loosened up for the annual race.

The runners will start arriving in town about 6 a.m. Saturday morning and race will start at 8 a.m. and finish around noon. The downtown square will be closed to traffic during that time.

The course starts on Main Street and follows a 13.1 mile course along Highway 50, Old Fayetteville Highway, Goose Branch, Lois Ridge, Highway 50, Norma Wiseman, Tanyard Hill, Campbell Lane, Goodbranch, and Highway 55 back to the square.

Awards will be presented to top three overall male and female and top masters (40+) male and female. Age group awards will be presented to top three male and female in the following age groups 12-20, 21-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 6064, 65-69, 70+. Parking on race morning will be in Wiseman Park. This is also the location of packet pickup. Parking in Wiseman Park is very limited – we encourage you to car pool if at all possible.

There will be water stations along the course every couple of miles. A link to the course map can be found on Ride-WithGPS. The course includes a few hills. Most of the altitude required to get up on the ridge above town is gained in a little over a mile. In addition to that one major hill, the course includes few rolling hills but none that are significant. After mile 9, the course is either a shallow downhill grade or flat to the finish line.

The race filled up registration in just two days back in October 2025. The only spots available now are charity spots. Charity slots are $140. You can find that information here: https://www.oakbarrelhalf. com/registration-full.php