Chickamauga Battlefield Half Marathon
Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia
Saturday, November 13, 2010

I race walked the Chickamauga Battlefield Half Marathon in Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia on Saturday, November 13, 2010. The marathon and half marathon were restricted to a total of 1500 participants which is just the right size for the course. The temperature was 42 degrees at the start and climbed to 63 degrees by the time I finished. There was little wind and sunny skies. Water/Powerade stations were located every 2 miles and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. The roads were open to traffic; however, there was very little. Police and park rangers controlled the few intersections where the course crossed a busy road. The race was very well organized and enjoyable. I did the marathon there in 2008. I was again quite moved by the experience of walking the hallowed ground where 66000 Confederate and 54000 Union soldiers fought fiercely for two days, September 19 and 20, 1863, suffering about 34000 casualties—4000 dead, 24000 wounded, and 6000 missing. The whole battlefield was only 4 square miles of area. The park has over 1000 monuments, plaques, and artillery pieces to help the visitors in the park interpret the events of the battle. The carnage in the Civil War was unbelievable. 620000 Americans died in the battles. That’s more Americans than died in all the rest of the wars in which the United States has fought.