File Photo Runners take off at the start of last year’s Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon classic, part of the Ogden Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine.

WHEELING — Downtown Wheeling may be undergoing a major transformation, but when the morning of Saturday, May 25, rolls around, hundreds will gather to participate in a tradition that has held strong for more than four decades.

The 46th running of the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic will kick off the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine, giving competitors yet another chance to tackle one of the toughest half marathon courses around.

Runners and walkers once again will traverse the 13.1 miles from downtown Wheeling to Bethlehem to Elm Grove to Woodsdale. The run begins at 7:15 a.m. May 25 with the walk following at 7:30 a.m.

The hill-filled course will have runners and walkers testing their stamina once again. Race director Joe Lovell said those hills, as daunting as they may be, are the aspect of the course that has kept competitors coming back through the decades and has spurred new runners and walkers to try their hand.

“I thought they would scare people away, and it’s the core thing that people love to do,” Lovell said. “People always come back and say if we ever change the race course, please keep the hills, because they enjoy doing it.

“So it is one of our staples that we have going for us that some places don’t,” he continued.

Another popular trait of the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic is the opportunity for runners and walkers to see so many of the neighborhoods around the city, from Fulton to Woodsdale to Elm Grove. That aspect is something Lovell believes keeps the race popular with Wheeling’s residents and businesses. They appreciate those participants making the effort to complete that Saturday morning tour, and they want to be out there cheering them on.

“All the new sponsors and our existing sponsors, they know it’s a part of Wheeling and they want to be part of it,” Lovell said. “It’s gratifying knowing that all these businesses still want to be part of it. That’s very satisfying, not just for me, but for the whole outlook of the whole weekend.”

The Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic could also lead to heavier wallets for top finishers. Cash prizes will be available in the men’s and women’s open run and open walk events. For the open run, prizes are $1,125 for first place, $875 for second place, $625 for third place and $375 for fourth place. For the open walk, prizes are $200 for first place, $150 for second place and $100 for third place.

The Downtown Streetscape Project – the multimillion-dollar facelift for downtown Wheeling that will provide new sidewalks, new landscaping and new paving on Main and Market streets – has made the area look different the last couple of years, but the course has, for the most part, remained the same. There will be one alteration to the course this year due to the closing of the Monument Bridge in Elm Grove on Monday through November for repairs.

Instead of coming all the way down to the bottom of Bethlehem Boulevard, passing the Bridge Street Middle School parking lot and hanging a left across the Monument Bridge, participants will veer left higher up on Bethlehem Boulevard and come down Junior Avenue past Knotty Pines.

When runners and walkers get to the traffic light at the intersection of Junior Avenue and National Road, they’ll turn left and get back on the conventional course.

Despite those slight changes, the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic will continue to be a great kickoff not just to the Ogden Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine, but a great kickoff for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer.

“To see the popularity of the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic continue into its 46th running is a testament to the challenge of the course and the people who work tirelessly each year to make the race an enjoyable event,” said Perry Nardo, general manager of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register. “This race is one of the anchors of the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine, and we can’t wait to share the weekend with so many competitors, spectators and families.”

There will be plenty more to do during the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine. The weekend’s 5K Run presented by WVU Medicine Children’s will start at 7:45 a.m. May 25, with the 5K Walk, also presented by WVU Medicine Children’s, starting at 7:50 a.m. For the youngsters, there will be a Fun Run at 8:30 a.m. May 25 and a Tiny Tot Trot at 10:30 a.m., both presented by WVU Medicine Children’s.

The Tough As Nails Urban Challenge presented by The Health Plan will get rolling at noon Sunday. The Wheeling Heritage Trail Bike Tour will begin that morning, offering cyclists trails of 100 km, 50 km and 15 km to ride. The 100 km ride begins at 7 a.m., with the 50 km ride following at 8 a.m. and the 15 km ride going at 9 a.m.

To register for the weekend’s events, go to ogdenwellnessweekend.com.