Charleston Distance Run
The Charleston Distance Run is a 15-mile (24 km) road running event held annually in Charleston, West Virginia. The race starts in front of the West Virginia State Capitol on the Kanawha Boulevard. The course starts on the flats of the Boulevard before going across the South Side Bridge and up Corridor G, a hill named Capital Hill Punishment for its nearly 2-mile (3 km) uphill length. The course winds through Charleston's South Hills for 3 miles (5 km) before crossing back over the South Side Bridge. The final 7 miles (11 km) are flat; runners go past the West Virginia State Capitol, along the Kanawha River, before finishing at Laidley Field.
The race was started in 1973 by Don Cohen, an eye doctor in Charleston. Cohen wanted to create a race that coincided with the annual Sternwheel Regatta, so he teamed up with city leaders and police to find a route. The race ended up being 15 miles (24 km) simply because Cohen liked the course. Though the Sternwheel Regatta retired in 2008, the Distance Run continues as an independent event.
Francis Bowen of West Chester, Pennsylvania won the 2005 Charleston Distance Run with a time of 1:15:31 (equivalent to a pace of 5:03 per mile (3:08/km)).