One Month to Race Day: The Lincoln Marathon Running Festival Is September 20

Mark it down: Sunday, September 20, 7:30 AM. One month from now, the Lincoln Marathon Running Festival takes to the roads — and whatever kind of runner you are, there's a distance with your name on it.

The festival lineup covers the full range: the marathon, the half marathon, a 10K, and a 5K. That's the point of a running festival — the veteran chasing 26.2 and the neighbor tackling their first 5K start the same morning, in the same town, as part of the same event. Registration for all four distances is open now at runsignup.com/Race/ME/Lincoln/TheGreatLincolnMarathon.

And for those who look at a marathon and think “what else have you got” — there's the River Driver 50 Miler, the festival's ultra, with its own registration at runsignup.com/Race/ME/Lincoln/RiverDriver50Miler. Fifty miles through the Lincoln region is a serious undertaking, and if it's been sitting on your someday list, this is the one in your backyard.

If you're already registered, you know what the next month looks like. Your biggest training weeks are right now. The long runs between now and early September are the ones that carry you on race day — then the taper begins, your legs come back, and you show up in Lincoln ready. Trust the schedule. The work is almost done.

If you've been on the fence, a month is enough. It's enough time to sharpen a summer of running into a strong 5K or 10K, enough to finish building toward the half — and exactly enough deadline to get you out the door.