The 2022 Delaware & Lehigh Heritage half marathon will take hundreds of runners and walkers along a new route including trail sections in Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties.

The 13.1-mile race, which serves as a fundraiser for the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, returns on Nov. 6, starting and finishing at Riverview Park in East Penn Township. A new out-and-back route will follow the trail south into Slatington, across the Lehigh River into the Walnutport Canal Park, and back along the same route - touching three of the five counties which make up the corridor.

“We’re pretty sure there’s nowhere else we could have done that,” said Claire Sadler, Executive Director of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.

Scheduled construction made the race’s traditional route through Northampton unavailable this year. The organizers saw an opportunity to showcase a different section of the trail.

Sadler said there will be plenty of space, and racers and fans will have more interaction along the out-and-back route.

“It’s more camaraderie,” Sadler said.

The race also has fewer road crossings than past years. Traffic on the Walnutport Slatington bridge will be shifted over to make room for the race, but the bridge will remain open in both directions.

In addition to the half marathon, the corridor is once again hosting a trail challenge where individuals and teams can log miles online and compete with other groups, while raising money for the corridor.

Residents can also support the D&L by volunteering for the race. Volunteers are needed for race setup and tear-down, preparing packets, and aid stations.

Following the race there are awards for runners and walkers. Not all half marathons recognize the walkers, but the D&L takes pride in it.

“They’re all there to support the D&L trail - so we’re there to support all of them,” Sadler said.