March 16, 2023
West Columbia, S.C. – Lexington Medical Center is pleased to be the title sponsor of the annual Governor’s Cup Road Race -- a half-marathon, 5K run or walk, Main Street Mile and Kids Main Street Mile on Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8, 2023 in Columbia.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Lexington Medical Center Governor’s Cup Road Race is one of the oldest continuously operated road races in the Southeast. The field of participants includes runners of all levels, including elite runners from around the world. There are also several elite runners from around the Carolinas who take part.
“Lexington Medical Center enjoys participating in partnerships in our community that encourage healthy lifestyles and work toward educating people about the importance of exercise,” said Tod Augsburger, president and CEO of Lexington Medical Center.
The open Main Street Mile and Elite Main Street Mile will be combined this year and begin at 6:15 p.m. Friday night. They start at the intersection of Main and Laurel Streets and finish between Laurel and Richland Streets.
The Kids Main Street Mile starts at 6:45 p.m. Friday night at 1800 Main Street and ends at the corner of Laurel and Main Streets. All kids will receive a race bib, t-shirt and medal.
The half marathon will start at the corner of Sumter and Senate Streets at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. The first three miles of the race will wind through the downtown streets of Columbia and are relatively flat and fast. The next section of the course will take runners through the expanded campus of the University of South Carolina with views of Colonial Life Arena, the Lincoln Street retail district, and the Strom Thurmond Wellness Center. While this portion of the course includes some enjoyable downhill and flat sections, it also includes several hills and elevation gains which will test any level of runner. The half-marathon course will then take runners past Maxcy Gregg Park, through Five Points and into the beautiful Shandon and Heathwood neighborhoods. This part of the course is very familiar with local runners and is a great chance to rest, recover and regain strength for the last segment of the race. There are rolling hills included in these last few miles heading toward an exciting, downhill finish in the Vista. The event finishes heading south on Park Street at 1100 Park Street.
The 5K starts at 7:45 a.m. at 1100 Sumter Street by Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. The 3.1 mile race will wind through the tree covered, downtown streets of Columbia and past the Township Theatre, Finlay Park and the Governor’s Mansion. The course is relatively flat and fast, ending in Columbia’s Vista.
Runners should park inside the PJ Cannon Parking Garage at 1227 Taylor Street.
Packet pick-up will be on Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. for the Main Street Mile and until 7:00 p.m. for the half marathon and 5K at Mast General Store located at 1601 Main Street. Packet pick-up for the Kids Main Street Mile will be at Main Street United Methodist Church at 1830 Main Street from 4:00 – 7:15 p.m.
On Saturday, packet pick-up will be on the east side of the State House near the starting line. There will be no race day registration.
For more information on the Lexington Medical Center Governor’s Cup and to register for the race, visit GovernorsCupSC.org.
Lexington Medical Center is a 607-bed teaching hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It anchors a health care network that includes five community medical centers and employs a staff of more than 8,000 health care professionals. The hospital is ranked best hospital in the Columbia Metro and #2 hospital in South Carolina by U.S. News & World Report and was named one of the “Best Places to Work in South Carolina” by SC Biz News, in partnership with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Best Companies Group. Lexington Medical Cancer Center is an accredited Cancer Center of Excellence and has a clinical research and education affiliation with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. The network includes a cardiovascular program recognized by the American College of Cardiology as South Carolina's first HeartCARE Center. The network also has an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, an Alzheimer's care center and more than 70 physician practices. Lexington Medical Center operates one of the busiest Emergency departments in South Carolina, treating nearly 100,000 patients each year. The hospital delivers more than 4,000 babies each year and performs more than 25,000 surgeries. Its postgraduate medical education programs include family medicine and transitional year residencies.
