Editor’s note: This story published on Oct. 3, 2024, and was updated on Oct. 3, 2025.
Around 1,5 runners take to streets and trails across the city the first Saturday each October for a longstanding tradition: the Evansville Half Marathon.
Started in 2002 to benefit programming for the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana, the 13.1-mile course begins and ends in Downtown Evansville and offers runners a scenic tour of the city. Starting at 7 a.m. on Court Street, runners cut a path through the Baptisttown, Bayard Park, and Tepe Park neighborhoods in the city’s center, along the Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage north and then east to Garvin Park, then down North Main to conclude the race in front of the Civic Center. The five-mile track begins and ends in the same places as the half marathon but loops back toward Downtown after passing through the Haynie’s Corner Arts District.
Two Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., staff members — Senior Account Executives (and twin sisters) Jessica Hoffman and Jennifer Rhoades — plus then-Digital Marketing Coordinator Hadley Mitchell were among 2024’s runners.
Hoffman and Rhoades are no strangers to the long distance. The elder twin has run the Evansville Half Marathon 11 times, while her sister has completed it six times. The 2024 races was the second consecutive half marathon for Mitchell, who ran cross country at Kentucky’s Georgetown College.
All three began dedicating time to Half Marathon training in June 2024 but had pounded the pavement throughout the year prior. The week leading up to the race, Hoffman, Mitchell, and Rhoades have practiced tapering — reducing the distance they run as race day approaches — so as to not wear their bodies down. They shared a personal goal: To finish the race.
Read on for the trio’s top tips for enjoying the Evansville Half Marathon, whether you’re a runner or a supporter.
Properly fueling up on race day is important …
Hoffman likes to eat peanut butter and honey toast. Before the 2023 race, Mitchell ate a BelVita granola bar, but for college races, “my favorite was always a waffle with peanut butter and honey,” she says.
… And so is keeping your mental game sharp.
Grinding through 13.1 miles can be grueling, and the mind is a powerful tool to keep charging ahead. Rhoades says she gets her head in the game by “thinking about my family and friends and that I am doing something healthy for myself.” Hoffman says, “Enjoying the crowd of spectators, the other runners, and water stations keeps me going.” Mitchell invested in camaraderie by running the race with a college friend.
Discover the best spectating spots.
Don’t fancy running? Be a cheerleader. “I like the areas where a lot of people are able to gather and cheer with signs. It helps boost you through!” Mitchell says.
“The Garvin Park area and North Main Street stretch seem to be good viewing areas,” Hoffman says. “I do wish more people would find their way out to the Greenway stretches. Those get really long without having many people to cheer you on.”
Keep an eye on what’s beyond the finish line.
“There are times throughout the race that things hurt, but I just try to work through them,” Hoffman says. “After the race, my legs will be tired, and I’ll be sore the next couple of days.”
Lacing up, Mitchell already had post-race plans: “Eating something good after. That last mile is always hell.”
