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A 26.2 mile, picturesque point to point journey through 5 beautiful southern Vermont villages. The half starts at the second half of the full, so no one misses out!

The Shires Marathon was last run in 2018.  We loved it and who knows, never say never.   

 

Thank you for your support for our races and the Shires communities.  

 

“I have raced plenty of marathons and other races in many states, but this was exceptional.”

The race begins at Bennington College, a small private liberal arts school, heads through the small town of North Bennington before entering into the back roads of Shaftsbury.  The half-way point is at the Federated Church in East Arlington, which is also the Half Marathon start, and then the route heads toward the Chiselville Covered Bridge and onto Sunderland Hill Road with spectacular views of mountains and meadows while protected by a canopy of trees.  The course takes you through Manchester's back roads before emerging onto downtown Manchester.  The course concludes with a run through the downtown area of Manchester and on to Hunter Park finishing at Riley Rink with plenty of amenities including showers for all participants. 

 

Train for the Shires of VT Marathon on the actual course with Training for More, a Southern Vermont running group under the leadership of Road Runners Club of America Certified Coach and two-time Shires finisher, Andrea Malinowski. Visit www.tfmvt.com for group information. Contact Andrea and  mention you're a registered 2018 Shires of Vermont marathon participant to receive 15% off training fees.

"​The medals themselves are so very Vermont, beautifully rustic ceramic pieces from a local pottery. Just across the board it was an awesome experience. If you live in the area and you want a challenge, do this race. If you're a 50 stater and you're looking to cross Vermont off your list, DO THIS RACE! You won't find a better encapsulation of the spirit of Vermont!" - 2017 Marathon Participant

© 2012, Shires of Vermont Marathon

Bennington, Vermont

shiresmarathon@gmail.com

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