Baltimore Running Festival: Plan for Bus Detours and Early Trains on October 17th

The historic Camden Station building in downtown Baltimore.

Baltimore’s Running Festival returns on Saturday, October 17th, and the travel planning matters even if you are not running. MTA warns that downtown street closures will delay buses, with all CityLink routes, 16 Local Bus routes and Express Bus 163 affected. Riders heading to work, appointments or the race should check detours before leaving.

The agency’s festival travel advisory recommends Light Rail or Metro Subway as alternatives. Two early Light Rail departures from Hunt Valley are scheduled for 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. Regular service begins around 6 a.m., with trains approximately every 30 minutes. From Glen Burnie/Cromwell, the 6 a.m. train is expected at Camden Station around 6:23 a.m.

Metro service from Owings Mills begins at 6:05 a.m., running approximately every 20 minutes. MTA lists free parking at stations from Owings Mills through Mondawmin. Its advisory also provides walking directions from Charles Center for passengers continuing toward the Camden Yards area.

The festival’s official schedule shows why those early trips matter. The 5K starts at 7:30 a.m. at Pratt and Light streets. The full marathon and 10K begin at 8 a.m. at Paca and Camden streets, followed by the half marathon at 9:30 a.m. at Light and Pratt streets. Participants should match their travel plans to their own starting location.

Bib and shirt pickup is scheduled for Friday, October 16th, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Hall A of the Baltimore Convention Center. Saturday’s post-race celebration is listed for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Inner Harbor. That creates several different destinations across the weekend, so check where your event begins rather than assuming every activity is at the same site.

Use the official race schedule and MTA advisory together when planning the trip. Leave room for the walk after your train ride, and check current service information again on Saturday morning. For more local transportation reporting, visit PowerPage’s Baltimore coverage.