The Hops Half, Murfreesboro’s inaugural half marathon, is set to take off on October 24, 2026, at Hop Springs Beer Park, followed by a family-friendly festival running throughout the day. The challenging 13.1-mile course winds through the Rutherford County community before finishing at Hop Springs, where every runner is rewarded with a complimentary beverage (beer or soda) at the finish line. The race will also include a one-mile family fun run and a virtual half-marathon.
Race founder, April Davis, said she wanted to bring back the half marathon format to the Murfreesboro running community and found a natural partnership in Hop Springs. Each year, the race will benefit a local charity. For its inaugural year, The Hops Half has named the Child Advocacy Center of Rutherford and Cannon County (CAC) as its beneficiary, an organization that provides advocacy, justice, and healing to child victims of abuse and sexual abuse and their non-offending family members.
“The CAC is nearing completion of a successful Capital Campaign for their new building, but tripling their space means a significantly increased operating budget,” said Kristin Demos, race media and marketing director. “The need for their services is only growing, and we want to help bridge that gap.”
For Davis, the race is also deeply personal. What began as a way to cope with the unexpected loss of her father evolved into something much larger. She found a daily running group, and it was on those early morning miles that the idea for The Hops Half began to take shape.
“This race will always benefit a local charity each year, but for me personally, it will always be a way to remember and honor my dad,” said Davis. “That’s where the tagline came from, Miles with Meaning.”
Early bird registration is open now through May 31, after which pricing moves to the full rate. For more information or to register, visit http://tiny.cc/hopshalf.
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