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When you are standing Saturday on Juliana Street awaiting the start of the News and Sentinel Half Marathon, turn around for a second and take a look at the flag on the top of the hill that is behind you.
The flag is part of Fort Boreman Park, a historical part of Parkersburg that you will visit in the next two hours. The race you are about to run will take you through the park between miles six and eight.
The park will offer you an ideal view of the downtown area that you will run through in the first miles of the race. Fort Boreman was constructed at the location in 1863 so that union troops could keep an eye on the rail lines that ran below the hill and keep them from falling into Confederate hands.
On Saturday hundreds of racers will charge up the hill in the middle of the half marathon that will be using the park for the first time.
After the Civil War, the area slowly returned to nature. It wasn't until nearby U.S. 50 was improved at the bottom of the hill that the land at the top of the hill was developed into the park that it is today. A wide access road was built to the top of the hill when the park opened in 2007. It allows residents and runners alike the same vantage point that Union troops had 144 years before.
The gentle curves of the access road pass a historical log cabin and circles Long Tom, a giant of a cannon at the top of the hill. The top of the hill is a great place to take a breather if you need one. There are also restrooms available there. Music hosted by WVAM will give you running music as you make your way up and down the hill.
Return to the park at a later time and enjoy hiking trails, overlooks and picnic shelters at the park. The park is also a great place to watch river traffic pass by on the mighty Ohio River below. It's a popular spot for river watchers, particularly when the river gets angry and floods.
On race day everyone will be "wrong way" runners. The area will be closed to traffic as racers go up the left side around the circle at the end before racing back down the left side.
The woods around the area are home to deer and squirrels. The open grass lands on the way up frequently contain wild turkeys. You might see any of them as you make your way up and down the hill.
A water stop halfway up the hill will be there to help you both when you go up the hill and when you come back down.
When you exit the park, you will have around five miles left, with most of it being downhill as you make your way back downtown and the finish line on Market Street.
There is still time to register for both the half marathon and the Two-Mile Race at www.newsandsentinelhalfmarathon.com.
Art Smith is co-director of The News and Sentinel Half Marathon and online manager of The Marietta Times and News and Sentinel. He can be reached at asmith@newsandsentinel.com