ONE OF THE FASTEST COURSES ON THE EAST COAST!
26.2 | Full Marathon
The Full Marathon is the perfect Boston Marathon qualifying event because it’s fast, flat, and notorious for being the backdrop for setting personal bests. The course starts in Wrightsville Beach and makes a straight shot to downtown Wilmington. The back half of the marathon is in beautiful Greenfield Lake and will finish at Live Oak Bank Pavilion. Runners will explore the best Wilmington, NC has to offer. Come span the Cape Fear Coast and run from destination to destination.
13.1 | Half Marathon
Who wants to run from Wrightsville Beach to Downtown Wilmington? Designed to test your limits, the Half-Marathon guides runners on a fast-paced trip around Wrightsville Beach’s waterfront straight to the Cape Fear River. This run is a popular one with veterans, first-time half marathoners, and experienced runners alike. Known for the flat terrain and running 1 straight line from the Beach to Downtown Wilmington, this is a fun, fast destination to destination race.
26.2 Relay
Marathon Relay
Grab a friend (or three) and get ready to cover some ground! The Marathon Relay is the perfect opportunity to perfect your skills as a team, with flat course expanses and a route that takes each of you through an iconic part of Wilmington or the Wrightsville Beach area. The exchanges happen quickly, so make sure each runner is ready to go, right from the starting line.
The Fleet Feet Downtown 5K
3.1 miles
If you’re not into the long distance, the Fleet Feet Downtown 5K is a great place to participate and enjoy the weekend experience. The 5K provides a manageable course that makes it easy to mark your progress along the way and finishes Saturday morning in the same location as the half and full marathon route. Show off all your hard work and use this mostly flat, maintained course to improve your skills as a runner.
Lidl
1 Mile Glow Run
Presented by Truist
Calling all Kids! The NOVANT HEALTH Wilmington Marathon features a free kids 1 mile Glow race. Thank you to both Lidl and Truist Bank for coming on board and helping support our healthy kids initiative. We want to inspire kids to run without the cost and get kids from all backgrounds to participate. Kids will get a race t-shirt, bib, and free food at the finish!
OUR PASSIONATE TEAM IS READY TO PUT ON AN AMAZING RACE FOR YOU!
“THIS RACE IS HIGH ON MY LIST OF EVENTS PEOPLE SHOULD COME TO” ~Dave McGillivray
HIGHLIGHT VIDEO. CHECK OUT WHAT THE RACE IS ALL ABOUT AND JOIN US IN WILMINGTON
Course Maps
Whether you are a runner looking to win your age group or a first time marathoner, you need to know the course. Check out our detailed maps page. Full, Half and Relay race begins at Wrightsville Beach and the 5K and 1 mile are both downtown. Explore Wilmington, NC from our Beaches to Historic Riverfront!
Schedule of Events
Thursday February 23rd, 2023
4:00pm to 7:00pm – Expo/Packet Pickup at Wilmington Convention Center
Friday February 24th, 2023
11:00AM – Expo/Packet Pickup at Wilmington Convention Center
6:15pm – 1 mile Kids Glow Run presented by Truist
7:00pm Packet Pickup Ends
Saturday, February 25th, 2023
4:30am Shuttle Service Begins
7:05am: National Anthem
7:10 am: Half and Full Marathon and Marathon Relay Start
7:10am: 5K start downtown Wilmington at Live Oak Bank Pavilion
9:00am 5K Awards
10:00am Half Marathon Award
11:00am Full Marathon Award
1:20pm Course Cutoff
What is the Percentage of Our Runners That BQ?
Qualifying for the Boston Marathon is a big goal for so many people! Runners look for a fast and fairly flat running course so they can get into their pace groove without too many deviations. The Wilmington Marathon course has very few turns. It is a smooth point...
2022 Race Weekend Press Release
PRESS RELEASE February 17th, 2022 ________________ NOVANT HEALTH WILMINGTON NC MARATHON Novant Health Wilmington Marathon is coming February 26th with 3500 runners Wilmington, NC – Southeastern North Carolina’s largest running event, The 12th Annual Novant Health...
“This is a beautiful, scenic race. The volunteers were cheerful and plentiful. There was always some encouragement along the way! Lots of food at the finish line, Gatorade, water and a few GU stations along the course. Perfect running weather! Logistics were made simple–I stayed at the Embassy Suites in Wilmington and it was steps away from the Expo and a short walk to the shuttle pickup. They also provided a grab and go breakfast. Kudos to the race organizer!!!”
This is a first class event!! Very well organized, great expo and vendor support! The course was great starting at the beach, into downtown, then out around greenfield lake and back through downtown to the finish. It is mostly flat, with some gradual inclines, mostly in the first half on the way towards downtown. The Greenfield lake portion is flat as a pancake. The course was well marked, plenty of aid stations, and had incredible community support. Wilmington is a perfect place for a long weekend getaway and race!
