HalfRuns
Hero Half Marathon

Hero Half Marathon

Race Date

Oct 17, 2026

Location

Fayetteville, AR

Runner Favorite80

The Experience

The Hero Half Marathon is a fundraising race and community event hosted by The Spark Foundation in partnership with Fayetteville Firefighters’ IAFF – Local 2866. Race proceeds benefit organizations that meet important community needs, increase fitness opportunities for the community, and make Fayetteville and Arkansas a great place to live, work, and play. The Spark Foundation is all about encouraging our community to get active and stay active. We will award age group awards for the Top 3 male and female finishers in each age division for both the half marathon and quarter marathon.  Are you an active duty FIREFIGHTER? Want to participate in our Firefighter Challenge by running in FULL bunker gear? Sign Up for the Firefighter Challenge! *Please note if you sign up for the Firefighter Challenge you are committing to running the 13.1 mile half marathon in FULL BUNKER GEAR! Please reach out to contact@mysparkfoundation.org with any questions. *** Please note: In order to guarantee a race t-shirt (a long-sleeved tech hooded tee), you must register and select a size no later than September 12, 2026. If you register on or after September 12, 2026, we can no longer guarantee a race t-shirt. We will have some extra shirts available on race day, but please register before September 12, 2026, to ensure your shirt in your desired size.***

Logistics

Race Day

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Start Time

7:30 AM

Giveaway

Long-sleeve Race Tee (Gender Neutral Sizing)

Start Location

Fayetteville Firefighters' Hero Half Marathon, Fayetteville, AR, 72701

Directions

Course Info

USATF Certified

Course Type

Loop Course

Terrain

road

Difficulty

Ultra-Flat

Elevation Gain

0'

Net Drop/km

-1.10 m

Separation

40.0%

Also Offers

13.1 Miles6.55 Miles5K

USATF Certified Course

AR16022DLP · Hero Half Marathon 2016

Net downhill course — fast finishing times are common.

Quality Score

Runner Favorite80
Methodology
Heritage20/20

12 years running

Size14/15

~648 finishers a year

Momentum0/5

shrinking

Loyalty20/20

23% returning runners

Course & details11/15

USATF certified · 2 timing sources · 4 photos

National draw7/10

runners from 17 states

Front-pack speed3/5

winner 1:16:20

Weather5/10

typical high 69°F

Race Day Weather

5-year historical avg

Start (Low)

50°

Afternoon (High)

69°

Pleasant conditions — light layers at start, comfortable by finish

0.1"

Precipitation

10 mph

Wind

58%

Humidity

Historical Finish Times

How 4,136 finishers actually crossed the line across 12 years.

Most recent

2025

Total finishers

4,136

Median time

2:06:27

Latest turnout

326

States

43

10%
25%
75%
90%
1:00p50 median ≈ 2:104:45

Turnout by year

20182025

'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
See full results

Hover the histogram to inspect specific finish times.

Race Photos

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