Madison Mini-Marathon is what I wish the Madison Marathon was like.
It's unfortunately run by a group in Indiana rather than a local organization or chamber of commerce, but it's hard to resist this race regardless. Their race course was so well planned out. It hits all the highlights of Madison and ends with a beer on the terrace. It's by far my favorite half marathon in the Madison neighborhood.
The half marathon starts at the Memorial Union terrace, runs up Langdon past Frat Row, cuts over to the Capitol via Wisconsin Ave, gets you a nice view of the Farmer's Market in the summer before sending you down State Street. Southwest bike trail, Picnic point, Lakeshore Path, UW Arboretum, and ending back at the Memorial union are all highlights of this course. I really enjoy that the medal doubles as a bottle opener in true Wisconsin fashion. The course is relatively flat.
The race is in August so there's always a danger of hot temperatures but it's been in the 60s at the start the last couple of years. Many things about this race reads like a love letter to Madison.
Parking is not so easy. But I live in Madison so I sort of knew the ins and outs. Might be tough for out of towners. There's also a 5k event and I believe they also give out medals for that.