Race Day, Saturday, 5/2 

• Marathon, half-marathon and 10K start time will be 7 am. 

• 5K start time is 7:20 am. 

• The race begins at 7 am at American Tobacco Campus (409, Blackwell Street, Durham, NC) 

• Parking the morning of race day is available at the following garages 

• • Durham County Justice Center Garage (502 S Dillard St) 

• • American Tobacco Campus East Garage (250 S Mangum St) 

• • American Tobacco Campus North Garage (305 W Pettigrew St) 

• • American Tobacco Campus South Garage (653 Jackie Robinson Dr) 

• • Corcoran Street Garage (101 Corcoran St) 

• • Church Street Garage (109 S Mangum St) 

• Beginning at 7:30 am, there will be shuttles that will run from the finish line back to the start line. Spectators will be able to take the shuttle to the finish line after the start of the race, and both spectators and racers will be able to shuttle from the Finish Line Festival back to the starting area for easy access to their vehicles.

Additional Road Closure Information 

• Blackwell Street will be closed on Friday, May 1 at 10 pm.  

• Additional streets will be affected beginning at 7 am on 5/2. 

• These streets will reopen as soon as the last runner passes through that area. 

• Below are all streets that will be affected and in order roughly what point in the race the runners will be passing through. Please refer to the official course maps to see what part of each road will be affected.  

• Google Maps Versions of Course Routes 

• • 5K 

• • 10K 

• • Half-marathon 

• • Full Marathon 

• Note that the streets below are affected varying amounts and will reopen at varying times.  

• • Blackwell Street  
  • East Chapel Hill Street  
  • N Mangum Street  
  • W Trinity Avenue
  • Foster Street  
  • Washington Street  
  • Watts Street  
  • Engelwood Avenue  
  • Broad Street  
  • S Gregson Street  
  • Vickers Avenue
  • W Club Boulevard
  • Virginia Avenue
  • Woodrow Street  
  • Alabama Avenue
  • Green Street  
  • Clarendon Street  
  • W Markham Avenue
  • N Buchanan Boulevard 
  • W Main Street  
  • S Roxboro Street  
  • W Pettigrew Street 
  • S Mangum Street  
  • Jackie Robinson Drive
  • E. Forest Hills Boulevard 
  • W Lakewood Avenue  
  • University Drive 
  • E Woodridge Drive
  • Stuart Drive  
  • Hope Valley Road  
  • Morehead Avenue  
  • Cranford Road 
  • Academy Road
  • The Marathon and half-marathon will also be run on parts of the American Tobacco Trail and the Third Fork Creek Trail. Expect delays and heavy foot traffic on both. 

Finish Line Festival 

• .The Finish Line Festival will take place at Wallace Wade Stadium at Duke University.

• There will be music, entertainment, recovery food and drink, and additional activations.  

• Shuttles will be available back to the start line. You encouraged to take the shuttle, as parking will be limited at the Finish Line Festival.

• The course and the Finish Line Festival will end at 2:30 pm.

For where to check out while you’re in town before, during and after the race, read our blog on how to make the most of your Garmin Marathon Experience.  

By William Townsend

This final chapter of Durham Sport’s Black History tells a different story. And safe to say it’s only beginning to be written. This is the era where Black Durham does not simply participate in sport, but governs it, elevates it, and sustains it. What earlier generations fought to access, this generation has worked to strengthen.

When North Carolina Central University officially began its transition to Division I athletics in 2007, the move represented more than competitive ambition. It symbolized confidence. NCCU, founded in 1910 during the height of segregation, was stepping onto the national stage in a new way.

The early 2000s required vision and stability. Under long-term athletic leadership, the university strengthened its facilities, expanded recruiting, and prepared for the rigorous standards of Division I competition. That groundwork paid off. Since completing its transition, NCCU has established itself as one of the top HBCU athletic programs in Division I. Under the leadership of head coach Trei Oliver, the Eagles have made several Celebration Bowl appearances, including defeating the Deion Sanders-led Jackson State in the 2022 Celebration Bowl Championship. The men’s basketball team, led by famed coach LeVelle Moton, has reached the NCAA Tournament four times, continuing a legacy that dates back to the brilliance of John B. McLendon.

Yet the true power of NCCU athletics extends beyond trophies. Game days at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium are community gatherings layered with history. Alumni of Hillside High School sit beside new students. Families whose grandparents once attended Negro League games in Durham now cheer on Division I athletes in nationally televised matchups. The institution that began as the National Religious Training School now competes on a stage once closed to it. That arc reflects the broader Durham story.

In the modern era, representation has expanded beyond the playing surface. The rise of leaders such as Nina King signals a generational shift. Beginning her tenure at Duke University in 2008, King ascended to Vice President and Director of Athletics. King, along with NCCU Athletic Director Dr. Skip Perkins and Durham Public Schools Athletic Director David Hackney, represent Black leadership in sports in Durham at the highest levels.

This transformation matters within the broader Durham context. The same city that once required secrecy for interracial competition now sees Black administrators overseeing multimillion-dollar departments, negotiating conference realignments, navigating NIL policy, and shaping national athletic strategy.

Despite the growth of executive leadership and national visibility, Durham’s sports story still begins locally. Public school programs, particularly at Hillside High School, continue to produce elite talent. Athletes such as Greg Little carried Durham pride from neighborhood fields to national recognition. As an All-American who advanced to UNC and eventually the NFL, Little’s journey reflected the durability of Durham’s grassroots infrastructure.

His rise reinforced a pattern that stretches back to Hillside Park High School’s early dominance. The fields may look different today. Recruiting now includes digital platforms and national rankings. Yet the foundation remains community-driven. Youth leagues, mentorship programs, and local coaches continue to connect athletics with academic responsibility and character development.

Durham’s Black sports culture has long understood that sport is not an endpoint. It is a vehicle. It provides scholarships, exposure, and opportunity, but it also reinforces discipline, pride, and civic responsibility. That philosophy continues to shape the pipeline from Durham neighborhoods to collegiate and professional arenas.

The period from 2000 to the present day reveals a Durham that has moved from exclusion to influence. In earlier eras, African Americans built parallel systems under Jim Crow. They established leagues, clubs, and schools when access was denied. They risked arrest and reputational harm to compete across racial lines Their goal was entry. Today, the goal is sustainability.

The challenges have evolved. NIL agreements reshape recruiting landscapes. Social media magnifies athlete visibility. Conference realignment redefines institutional alliances. Yet Durham enters this era with something earlier generations fought hard to secure: institutional presence.

Black Durham does not stand outside the system looking in. It is embedded within the system, influencing it. From El Toro Park to Division I stadiums. From the Algonquin Tennis Club to executive boardrooms. From whispered games to national broadcasts. Durham’s Black sports history is not a straight line. It is a continuum. Each era layered upon the one before it. Each generation inherits responsibility along with opportunity.

As Black History Month comes to a close, we celebrate and reflect those who blazed the trail. But the impact of Black leaders in Durham goes far beyond just February. We celebrate Black leadership, innovation, and athletic greatness in Durham sports today and every day.

By William Townsend

After an era of revitalization and change for African American sports in Durham, acceptance was officially in place for Black athletes. A new era had come into the frame, with many athletes breaking barriers in the face of adversity. These pioneers not only lifted their communities but also made waves at new institutions. What followed in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s was not simply participation, but sustained excellence. Durham’s Black athletes became champions in every sense of the word.

The 1970s marked a period of dominance and national recognition for Black collegiate athletics in Durham, led by Leroy T. Walker at North Carolina Central University. Walker’s impact on Durham sports cannot be overstated. As head coach of NCCU’s track and field program, he built one of the most successful collegiate track dynasties in the country. Under his leadership, NCCU athletes captured multiple national titles and individual championships, regularly outperforming programs with far greater resources. Under Walker’s reign, the Eagles produced 30 national titles, 77 All-Americans, and five Olympic medalists. Walker’s teams did not simply compete at the national level, they set the standard. Beyond the wins, Walker’s greatest legacy was the athletes he developed. He coached and mentored Olympians and world class competitors, including gold medalists and record holders who carried Durham’s name onto the global stage.

While NCCU solidified its standing in the 1970s, Durham’s high schools continued to function as cultural anchors through this era. Hillside High School remained a cornerstone, producing athletes who carried the city’s identity with them wherever they competed. Among the most influential was Rodney Rogers, whose journey represented a full-circle moment for Durham sports. A standout at Hillside, Rogers embodied the power of Durham’s public school system to cultivate elite talent. Drafted into the NBA in 1993, he built a career defined by toughness, versatility, and longevity. His later recognition as NBA Sixth Man of the Year validated not only his individual success, but also the environment that shaped him. For Durham’s Black community, Rogers was proof that national recognition could begin on local courts. His visibility inspired younger athletes and reinforced the importance of investing in community based programs and schools.

As Durham entered the 1990s, the city’s sports identity expanded further through the national prominence of Grant Hill. Hill’s arrival at Duke University coincided with the program’s rise to the pinnacle of college basketball. Leading Duke to back to back national championships in 1991 and 1992, Hill became one of the most recognizable athletes in America. Yet his impact in Durham extended beyond wins and accolades. Hill represented a new model of Black athletic leadership at a historically white institution. He was visible, respected, and embraced by the broader Durham community. He even championed change in his community. His presence normalized Black excellence in spaces once defined by exclusion and reshaped the city’s relationship with Duke athletics. For many in Durham, Hill symbolized a turning point where Black athletes were no longer exceptions, but leaders of their community and championship culture.

Professional sports also reemerged as a defining force in the 1990s, most notably through the return of minor league baseball to downtown Durham. The opening of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in 1995 marked a symbolic homecoming for the city. While the Bulls were no longer segregated as in earlier eras, their resurgence was deeply connected to Durham’s Black sports legacy. The stadium became both a physical and cultural landmark, tying athletics to urban revitalization and renewed civic pride. The Bulls’ rise to Triple A status in 1998 further positioned Durham as a legitimate professional sports city, one built on decades of Black athletic contribution.

Across the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, black athletes in Durham illustrate a shared truth. Durham’s Black sports history is not defined by isolated moments, but by continuity. High schools fed colleges. Colleges shaped professionals. Professionals reflected the city back to itself. These champions of color did more than win games. They altered perceptions, expanded opportunity, and embedded sports deeper into Durham’s cultural identity.

The foundation laid by these athletes and leaders now supports a new generation navigating NIL opportunities, digital visibility, and evolving professional pathways.