There’s no bad time for a beach vacation, a long weekend getaway, or just a quick afternoon in the sand. You can read, swim, hunt for seashells, or build a sand castle in the beautiful ocean air. Of course you can also go running at the beach. With flat terrain, cool sea breezes, and close proximity to water, beaches make excellent race locales. Dozens of marathons, half marathons, and 10Ks are run every year at beach towns across America.
From the coast of New England and the sandy shores of Florida, to the Great Lakes of Michigan and Pacific coast, the United States has plenty of beaches to choose from. Bonu—nearly all of them have races of one kind or another.
Perhaps we’ll convince you to plan that beach vacation with these 10 great beach town races. You’ll get gorgeous views, a fast, flat course, and plenty of souvenir shops to poke around at after. What’s more, beach towns are famous for having the best ice cream shops in the county, so you’ve got the perfect treat to look forward to post-finish line.
Surf City USA Marathon & Half
Date: February 2, 2025
Location: Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach, California, located on the Pacific coast south of Los Angeles is known as “Surf City USA” due to the incredible waves and amount of surfers who post up there. Whether you’re a surfer or not, their marathon and half are run primarily along the coast on a flat, breezy course that’s led to many a PR. You’ll pass the famous Huntington Beach pier, get a tour of Huntington Beach Park, and see miles of ocean views. This race is the epitome of a beach race.
Hamptons Marathon & Half
Date: September 28, 2024
Location: Southampton, New York
If New Yorkers are talking about a trip to the beach, they are more likely than not talking about the Hamptons. The bougie enclave at the far eastern end of Long Island has been a vacation destination for Manhattanites for decades, and especially during the summer. However, the Hamptons Marathon and Half are “off-season” at the end of September, so many of the summer tourists will be gone and runners will get the town to themselves. Enjoy a scenic tour of the many mansions that dot the coast and celebrate with some rosé (which we are declaring is still in season until October).
Marquette Marathon
Date: August, 31, 2024
Location: Marquette, Michigan
Michigan’s upper peninsula is a criminally underrated vacation destination, which means that despite while it’s hard to get to, you won’t have to battle against all the tourists that other lakeside towns harbor. The Marquette Marathon is a point-to-point course that starts miles inland and then races toward Lake Superior and a finish line in downtown Marquette. The shady course gives you plenty of time to run in nature before you get a tour of the Michigan mining town. Celebrate with a jump off the cliffs into Lake Superior, which will be almost tolerable in August.
Asbury Park Half Marathon
Date: October 13, 2024
Location: Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is a tiny island off the coast of Massachusetts near Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. The half marathon run on Nantucket is now mostly in the Smooth Hummocks Coastal Preserve, a gorgeous natural landscape on the southern side of the island. While the course is flat, because it’s run in a nature preserve, the terrain is a bit trickier than a typical road race with sandy sections and dirt roads making up parts of the course. What it lacks in ease, however, it makes up for in views. You’ll see why the New England elite vacation here each summer, and you can then celebrate with an ice cream cone from one of the island’s famous shops.
Monterey Bay Half Marathon
Date: November 8-10, 2024
Location: Monterey, California
While the coastline of central California is certainly a bit more rocky than other seaside escapes on this list, Monterey and its surrounding towns still have their fair share of beaches. And unlike other races on this list, the Monterey Bay Half Marathon also has some hills to make the route a bit more interesting. Starting near Monterey State Beach, the out-and-back course traces the coast as it heads past Pacific Grove out to Asilomar State Beach and back. The views are breathtaking, and afterward you can drive down to explore Big Sur.
St. Pete RunFest Half Marathon
Date: November 15-17, 2024
Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
Outside of Alaska, the state with the most coastline is Florida, which means you’ve got hundreds of beachtown races to choose from each year when you factor in all the 5K and fun runs. St. Petersburg, south of Tampa on the Gulf of Mexico side, is one of the state’s hidden gems, and their half marathon festival is an exciting weekend of running for the whole family. It’s also conveniently timed right before Thanksgiving, so you can tack the race onto a family excursion right before the holiday.
Honolulu Marathon
Date: December 8, 2024
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Many people are shocked to find out that the fifth largest marathon in the states is the Honolulu Marathon. The Hawaiian race has more entrants every year than the Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, Los Angeles, and Dallas marathons despite being a smaller city. Part of the appeal is obviously that you get to travel to Hawaii. Another is that the course doesn’t have a cutoff time, meaning that if you are a slower runner/walker who doesn’t want to get caught up in the sweeper van, this race is for you. It’s the perfect excuse for a runcation, and is especially popular with runners from Japan and Korea as well.
Kiawah Island Marathon & Half
Date: December 14, 2024
Location: Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Kiawah Island is off the coast of South Carolina just below Charleston and has become a posh resort town. And while it may cost a pretty penny to stay at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, you can register to run the race that traverses the stunning golf courses for much less money. Runners will criss-cross the rolling greens in both the full and half marathon, getting to take in magnificent views of the dunes and the Atlantic waves.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon & Half
Date: December 15, 2024
Location: Biloxi, Mississippi
Just in time for the holidays, the final race on our list is the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon, which is a point-to-point journey that’s almost entirely run along the Gulf of Mexico. Starting 26-ish miles west of Biloxi, you’ll get to take in the Gulf while cruising into town. The locals will be out in full force, the sea breeze should keep runners cool, and you can head into the holiday season with pep in your step (and of course a finishers medal around your neck).
Matthew Huff is a freelance writer and runner, and he is the author of MARATHONER: What to Expect When Training for and Running a Marathon, published by Rizzoli Publications. His writing has appeared in Runner's World and BuzzFeed among others, and he is the cohost of “P.S. You’re Wrong: A Pop Culture Podcast.” Originally from Michigan, he now lives and runs in New York City, where he is pursuing a career as an expert chicken tender taster.
