Historic Half participants will test their mettle, while being cheered on by one of the most prolific medal winners in U.S. history. U.S. Olympian Lauryn Williams will serve as an official starter and guest speaker during Historic Half Weekend. The track and field sprint athlete won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and a silver medal at the 2004 games in Athens. At the recent 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, as part of the two woman bobsleigh team, she earned another silver making her one of the five athletes and the first American woman to have won a medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games. At the Historic Half, she'll meet runners, offer a motivational talk and sign autographs at the Healthy Lifestyle Expo at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center on Saturday, May 17.
There's a lot of excitement for the Historic Half and now is the time for everyone who has been considering running with the Marines to get motivated, commit and train. Register by Historic Half Power Registration Day on March 31 to enjoy the reduced fee of $65. The cost increases to $85 on April 1. In addition to saving, any runner registering for the Historic Half before Power Registration Day will be eligible to win the opportunity to spend a day during Historic Half Weekend with MCM Director Rick Nealis and be his guest at the Historic Half VIP party. Power Registration Day is sponsored by Dominion Virginia Power, a proud partner of the Historic Half. 
Historic Half and Historic 10K participants are encouraged to maximize their training for peak performance by utilizing runcoach dynamic training technology at the special Historic Half price of $20. Runners will benefit (average seven percent improvement) from the adjustable, algorithmically fueled, web-based training resource including a World-class coach. Whether you are a first-time half marathoner, seeking a new PR, or somewhere in the middle - runcoach will help you run your best. 
Enjoy the chatter, conversation, networking and motivation of the Historic Half Community on the MCM's social networks. Join 96,000 friends looking for inspiration and information on the MCM Facebook page. Interact and inquire over Twitter. Share images via Instagram. Most importantly, as you progress toward your goal, let everyone know you are going to #RunWithTheMarines in May. 
On May 5, the Historic Half hosts Olympian and famed marathon trainer Jeff Galloway for two free marathon training workshops. Through his best-selling books, numerous articles, fitness retreats and training programs around the world, Galloway has coached over 300,000 runners to successful marathon and half-marathon finishes. The "Run-Walk-Run" method Galloway developed has a better than 99 percent success rate. Learn from the man himself, ask your big marathon training questions and embrace Jeff's can-do attitude by attending either of the free seminars. Galloway will speak at Little Hall aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico at noon and then at the U.S. Navy Memorial theatre in the nation's capital at 6:30 p.m. 
Like the Historic Half, the Historic 10K and Semper Fred 5K courses will tackle the challenging 200-foot incline of Hospital Hill, a relentless, uninterrupted uphill climb. All three events will begin at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 18 at separate start locations, but will share the same finish at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center. The Historic 10K will cover roughly the same route as the final six miles of the Historic Half starting near James Monroe High School. The Semper Fred is a point-to-point event beginning at the Fredericksburg Shopping Center located on Route 1/Jefferson Davis Highway. 10K and 5K participants will be required to park at the event start lines. There will be no pre-event shuttle service to these locations. A post-event shuttle from the finish line will return runners to their vehicles. 
Whether running the Half, 10K or 5K, there's no escaping Mary Washington Healthcare's
Hospital Hill. Join VA Runner for special Hospital Hill-based training runs at their Central Park location in Fredericksburg, VA. The free VA Runner Hospital Hill Training program will be held on Wednesday, April 9th and Wednesday, May 7th at 5:30 p.m...e-Cards will be emailed to all Historic Half Weekend registered participants in early May. The card should be printed out and brought to Packet Pick-up, at the Healthy Lifestyle Expo on May 16-17 at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center. The new e-card also includes a waiver for individuals to authorize a proxy pick-up. The digital, cellphone-based version of the e-card is acceptable to present at Packet Pick-up...The Historic Half invites runners to the idea exchange known as the Speaker Series for inspiration and information. Held at the Healthy Lifestyle Expo at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, the Speaker Series features MCM Race Director Rick Nealis, Zumba demonstrations and a VA Runner pre-race prep and pep talk. Schedule of speakers will be available on the Historic Half webpage closer to event weekend...Don't just run through Fredericksburg; make a weekend out-of-it and book a hotel. Stay overnight in a convenient area hotel to avoid the event morning unpredictability of I95 traffic and experience the hospitality of a charming downtown that blends fascinating American heritage with upbeat contemporary shopping, dining and entertainment. Historic Half event headquarters hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn Fredericksburg, is conveniently located adjacent to the Healthy Lifestyle Expo and the event's start and finish area.