The story
Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic in Wheeling
The Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic is Wheeling's signature road race, run each May since 1977 through the Ohio River Valley. Nicknamed the toughest half marathon in America for its elevation changes, the out-and-back course carries runners from downtown Wheeling into Bethlehem and Elm Grove and back to the finish.
The Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic began in 1977, sponsored by the Wheeling-based media company that still lends the race its name, at a moment when the American road-running boom of the 1970s was turning half marathons and marathons into mainstream community events rather than niche competitions.