Starved Rock Country Marathon, Memorial Day 5K set for May runnings

May is here, and per usual it is a big month for running across the area.

Starved Rock Country Marathon

The 2025 Starved Rock Country Marathon and Half-Marathon will be held this Saturday, May 10, beginning and ending in Ottawa.

The marathon is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. at the intersection of La Salle and Jefferson streets in downtown Ottawa. The SRC Half-Marathon will begin 15 minutes later, the start line located inside Starved Rock State Park.

There is also the Run SRC 5K beginning at 7 a.m. in downtown Ottawa.

This will be the 10th running of the full 26.2-mile event, which began in 2014. The 2020 and 2021 Starved Rock Country Marathons were not run due to measures put in place to control the COVID-19 pandemic, though 2021 did feature the half-marathon and 5K.

The course is a favorite of runners both local and from afar, featuring the landscapes of historic downtown Ottawa, the banks of the Illinois River and the star, Starved Rock State Park itself.

For more information, those interested can visit https://runstarvedrockcountry.net. There is no day-of-race registration.

Streator YMCA Memorial Day 5K

The Streator Family YMCA’s Memorial Day 5K will be run later this month on Monday, May 26, beginning at 8 a.m. at the YMCA on Oakley Ave.

Entry fee for those who sign up this week at https://runsignup.com will be $30 and include a t-shirt. Registration will also be open on race day for $35 from 6:30 - 7:45 a.m. The event is a direct fundraiser for the YMCA and its programs.

The course – a mix of residential and country landscapes with shade trees and open air – begins and ends at the YMCA. Awards are given to the top overall winners in each age bracket, the top finishers overall and the top Streator finishers, male and female.

For more information, those interested can contact the Streator Family YMCA.