Kansas City, MO
The Hospital Hill Run, The Grandfather of all Kansas City Road Races, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary event on Saturday, June 3rd, 2023, at Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas City Running Tradition will bring together thousands to celebrate the history, tradition, and challenge of the Hospital Hill Run – a staple of the Kansas City Running Community. The event features a Half Marathon, 10k, and 5k distance, which starts and ends in the iconic Crown Center Square.
To commemorate this 50th anniversary milestone, each participant will receive a unique 50th Anniversary Commemorative Hospital Hill Run jacket and medal and enjoy a great post-race party!
Race weekend launches with a Health and Wellness Expo on Friday, June 2nd, from 9am-7pm, while packet pickup is open until 8pm. Participants are invited to a cocktail hour to come together Friday, June 2nd, from 6pm-8pm. Each race distance starts at 7 am, Saturday, June 3rd, 2023.
Participants run through decades of music as they make their way through the 2023 race course. Runners experience a view of The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kauffman Gardens, an excursion through the UMKC campus, beautiful Brookside and the iconic finish downhill to Crown Center Square, and much more.
The featured event, the Half Marathon, has been a part of Kansas City culture since 1974. The event has hosted notable runners from across the nation, such as Billy Mills, Jim Ryun, Joe Falcon, Greg Meyer, Joe Henderson, Frank Shorter, Bill Rogers, George Sheehan, Joe Falcon, Jeff Galloway, Ryan Shay, Charlie Gray, and hometown hero and former World Record holder Mark Curp. Also, such notable females as Joan Ulloyt, Annie Bersagel, Lisa Weidenbach, and Olympians, Janis Klecker, and Julie Isphording.
The traditional course male record holder is Gert Thys of South Africa, with a time of 1:03:31 in 1997. The female traditional course record holder is Belainesh Gebre, with a time of 1:12:40.The Hospital Hill Run has held 3 Men’s USATF Half Marathon National Championships and a Women’s USATF Half Marathon National Championship.
2023 sets the stage to once again partner with Children’s Mercy as the Official Hospital Hill Run Charity Partner, focusing on the “I Love Children’s Mercy Fund,” making a difference for so many children and their families. Within two years of partnering with Children’s Mercy, our wonderful participants and donors have raised nearly $50,000 to provide hope and healing to the kids of our region through Children’s Mercy.
The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center and The Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center are named the Official Host Hotels of the 50th Anniversary Hospital Hill Run. Race participants are invited to spend the weekend in beautiful Kansas City and wake up near the start/finish line on race day. Both host hotels offer special rates on room blocks reserved specifically for runners participating in the 2023 event.
To learn more about booking hotels for the event, participants may visit: https://hospitalhillrun.com/athlete-info/#hotels
For more information, contact: lisa@hospitalhillrun.com or visit hospitalhillrun.com
About Hospital Hill Run
What began in 1974 with 99 athletes paying a $1 fee to run a 6.8-mile course starting and ending in Crown Center has evolved into an annual Kansas City running Tradition that regularly hosts thousands of athletes from all over the country. Hospital Hill Run was recognized in 2020 & 2021 by the Pitch Magazine as the Reader’s Choice Award Winner for best-organized footrace in Kansas City, MO. The 50th Anniversary Hospital is set for June 3, 2023, featuring 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon distances.
For more information regarding Hospital Hill Run, go to www.hospitalhillrun.com.
About Children’s Mercy Kansas City
Founded in 1897, Children’s Mercy is a leading independent children’s health organization dedicated to holistic care, translational research, educating caregivers and breakthrough innovation to create a world of well-being for all children. With not-for-profit hospitals in Missouri and Kansas, and numerous specialty clinics in both states, Children’s Mercy provides the highest level of care for children from birth through the age of 21. U.S. News & World Report has repeatedly ranked Children’s Mercy as one of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals.” For the fifth consecutive time in a row, Children’s Mercy has achieved Magnet nursing designation, awarded to only about 8% of all hospitals nationally, for excellence in quality care. More than 850 pediatric subspecialists, researchers and faculty across more than 40 subspecialties are actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research and education of the next generation of pediatric subspecialists. Thanks to generous philanthropic and volunteer support, Children’s Mercy provides hope, comfort and the prospect of brighter tomorrows to every child who passes through its doors. Visit Children’s Mercy and the Children’s Mercy Research Institute to learn more, and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest news and videos.
