ON MR. HINDS’S PLAZA: Diners at Witherspoon Grill were enjoying the fine weather Saturday on Albert Hinds Plaza, which will be a dancer’s dream Friday between 7:30 and 10 p.m. when the Central Jersey Dance Society hosts a dance social. The DJ will be the inimitable Loui B. (Photo by Emily Reeves)

Once word got out last spring about the first-ever Princeton half marathon, which will benefit HI TOPS Health Center, registrations began to pour in. It wasn’t long before the maximum number of 1,000 entrants was reached for the 13.1-mile race, which will wind through town on Sunday, November 4.

Runners who didn’t sign up in time still have an opportunity to take part in a similar event just a few miles away. The Trenton half marathon, which counts HI TOPS as one of the organizations it will benefit, is scheduled for the following Saturday, November 10, in the capital city. Nicknamed “the double cross” because it traverses two bridges, the race will also benefit such charities as Ryan’s Quest, Alexander’s Run, Caroline’s Hope, and the Community Blood Council of New Jersey.

Referring runners to the Trenton event was the idea of Catharine Vaucher, HI TOPS’s director of development and marketing. “We hit our limit in early July,” she said. “And there are many, many people still contacting us who really want to register. The Trenton race has a much larger capacity and they haven’t reached their goals yet, so we asked them and they thought it was a good idea.”

Brian Barry, the Trenton half marathon’s race director, was happy to collaborate. “Some people thought that the Princeton half marathon would be competition for us. But I look at it as an opportunity for us to partner together,” he said. “This is a first for us and a first for them, and it has worked well.”

As of last week, just over 1,200 runners were signed up for the Trenton event. Barry said he hopes to have 2,500 by the time the runners set off just outside the Trenton Thunder stadium on November 10. The course will take participants down Center Street, up Broad Street around the Battle Monument, over the “Trenton Makes” bridge into Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and then back into New Jersey via the Calhoun Street Bridge to Cadwalader Park.

While there have been shorter distance races held in Trenton in recent years, this is the first time for a half marathon. Any trepidation people might have about running through Trenton’s streets is unfounded, Mr. Barry said. “Any distance run in an urban setting is going to run through some nice sections and some less than desirable sections. But overall, this will be a good experience,” he said. “It’s up to us to make sure the course is safe, and we will. It’s a fun thing for people to get out and do. Frankly, we haven’t encountered too many people who have those concerns. They do the Broad Street run in Philadelphia through some of the worst neighborhoods in the city, and it’s fine.”

The run is being organized by BOSS Events, a non-profit organization formed under the auspices of the Road Runners Club of America. The group’s mission is to promote health and wellness throughout Mercer County.

“Running has become the most popular form of exercise in the last ten years, especially during the recession,” said Mr. Barry. “It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s a great way to be outside.”

The Trenton half marathon will also include a 10K race and a kids’ run. Organizers plan to make it an annual event. “Our hope and drive is to not only make this something every year, but to do other healthy-type events in the area to get people out and involved in the community,” Mr. Barry said. “We want to grow this. Hopefully next year we’ll have 5,000.”

The Princeton half marathon was designed to give a larger platform to adolescent health. “This year we’re really focusing on the importance of early mental health screening,” said Ms. Vaucher. “We really want to raise awareness.”

The race begins in Palmer Square and includes the Princeton University campus, Princeton Battlefield, Lake Carnegie, and several other areas of town.

Both the Princeton and Trenton half-marathons are certified by the national organization, USA Track & Field (USATF). Anyone who runs in both the events can qualify for a full marathon and receive a Mercer County Marathon medal, Ms. Vaucher said.