1) Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon
The gorgeously scenic coastal New Hampshire town of Hampton Beach is the setting for this race, considered one of the easiest half marathons in the region, and run along a route that runs both inland and along the coastline and features just two significant hills.
Sunday, October 1, 2017 • Hampton, NH
2) City to the Sea Half Marathon
More than 2,000 runners and walkers come out each year to run the long, scenic point-to-point course from San Luis Obispo to the coastal town of Pismo Beach, with the last couple of miles of the race unfolding along a slightly downhill stretch that showcases stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.
Sunday, October 8, 2017 • San Luis Obispo, CA
3) Lexus LaceUp Ventura Half Marathon
This race takes advantage of the Ventura River Trail outside of Ojai, where runners will complete most of the race before entering downtown Ventura, and features views of the Pacific Ocean from start to finish.
Sunday, October 22, 2017 • Ventura, CA
4) Running for the Bay Half Marathon
This long, straightaway run across the John Gorrie Memorial Bridge gives runners a long look at one of the country’s most beautiful and ecologically important estuaries, where the water flowing in from the Apalachicola Bay’s rivers and streams meets the Gulf of Mexico.
Sunday, October 22, 2017 • Apalachicola, FL
5) Cape Cod Half Marathon
Hailed by Runner’s World and New England Runner as one of the country’s most scenic races, thanks its course along the shoreline of southern Cape Cod, running toward the beach on Vineyard Sound, which looks out across the water to Martha’s Vineyard in the distance.
Saturday, October 28, 2017 • Falmouth, MA
6) Cocoa Beach Half Marathon
This race, which unfolds along Florida’s Space Coast near Cape Canaveral — and features finisher’s medals in the shape of the bottle made famous in the legendary 1960s TV series “I Dream of Jeannie” — features a 2 1/2-mile-long stretch that runs along the sands of Cocoa Beach.
Sunday, October 29, 2017 • Cocoa Beach, FL
7) Lighthouse Loop Half Marathon
Palm trees, ocean breezes and waves crashing along the shoreline of this beach community just south of Florida’s famed Daytona Beach are the setting for this race, which takes runners out to see the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, standing like a tall red sentry at the end of the island.
Sunday, October 29, 2017 • Port Orange, FL
8) Old Koloa Sugar Mill Run Half Marathon
This old historic town along the southern shore of Kauai, the oldest of the Hawaiian islands, shows off the scenic countryside, beachfront resorts and tree-lined roads that have kept tourists coming here since the first sugar mill opened back in the 1830s.
Saturday, November 11, 2017 • Koloa, HI
9) Seacoast Half Marathon
Run, walk, or jog through the saltwater marshes, woodlands, and rugged coastline of New Hampshire’s Portsmouth Harbor at this race, which offers runners a scenic tour of Portsmouth as well as the nearby towns of Rye, New Castle and the harbor.
Sunday, November 12, 2017• Portsmouth, NH
10) Lexus LaceUp Palos Verdes Half Marathon
Full of rolling hills, stunning ocean views, and beautiful southern California weather, this race runs past Palos Verdes Estates Shoreline Preserve, including stretches around Agua Amarga Canyon and the shoreline of Lunada Bay.
Saturday, November 18, 2017 • Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
11) Florida Holiday Halfathon
Runners get a chance to run along the fast, flat shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico at this race, which takes runners on a point-to-point route from Madeira Beach all the way up to Taylor Park, for a course that mixes stretches along the beach with a run along Florida’s Pinellas Trail.
Sunday, December 10, 2017 • Madeira Beach, FL
12) Key West Half Marathon
Along this fast, flat and scenic route, runners have views of the ocean for virtually the entire course, and pass by local landmarks like the Key West lighthouse, famed author Ernest Hemingway’s house, downtown Key West’s “old town” area and the southernmost point in the United States.
Sunday, January 14, 2018 • Key West, FL
13) Maui Oceanfront Half Marathon
Maui’s massive Haleakala Volcano rises off in the distance along this stunning out-and-back race, which features spectacularly scenic views of the Pacific for the entire route.
Sunday, January 14, 2018 • Lahaina, HI
14) A1A Half Marathon
You’ll run along the beachfront of the “Venice of America” at this late winter race, named for the north-south highway that runs from Georgia to Key West.
Sunday, February 18, 2018 • Fort Lauderdale, FL
15) Seaside Half Marathon
For nearly the entire route at this Southern California race, runners make their way along the trails and highways that line the Pacific Coast Highway, within sight of the waves crashing along the beach out in the open sun.
Sunday, February 18, 2018 • Ventura, CA
16) Surfside Beach Half Marathon
Run entirely along the sandy beaches of this small beachside town here on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, this race offers a course that’s flat as can be but also has its challenges, as you’ll be running on sand for every one of your 13.1 miles — or 26.2 miles, if you run the full marathon.
Saturday, February 24, 2018 • Surfside Beach, TX
17) Ocean’s Run Half Marathon
Filled with a variety of scenery, from the waves crashing against the Rhode Island shoreline to the rolling country roads between the small beach communities of southwestern Rhode Island, this race takes runners on a tour of the beach areas here.
Sunday, March 4, 2018 • Misquamicut, RI
18) Savin Rock Half Marathon
This race takes runners from the starting line on the Savin Rock Trail that runs along the edge of Long Island Sound, and then runs through West Haven’s residential neighborhoods before finishing back where it started, including a run out to see the rock itself in the race’s home stretch.
Saturday, March 24, 2018 • West Haven, CT
19) April Fool’s Half Marathon
This race on the beach takes runners along the Atlantic City Boardwalk, for a long, straight out-and-back course that starts and finishes in front of Resorts Casino Hotel and Margaritaville.
Sunday, April 15, 2018 • Atlantic City, NJ
20) La Jolla Half Marathon
Gorgeous, hilly and challenging, this race welcomes more than 5,000 runners each year for a run along one of Southern California’s most scenic stretches of coastline, as well as through parks like Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.
Sunday, April 22, 2018 • La Jolla, CA
21) The Wild Half
Famous for its miles-long boardwalk, roller coasters, waterparks and amusement parks, the Wildwoods area of New Jersey along Cape May play host each spring to a half marathon that unfolds past a number of these attractions and along the boardwalk where waves crash along the shoreline.
Sunday, April 29, 2018 • Wildwood, NJ
22) Divas Half Marathon at Myrtle Beach
Pink is a color you’ll definitely see at this Divas race near the Myrtle Beach shoreline, as women (both participants and volunteers) don pink feather boas, pink running shorts and shirts and pink headbands and accessories of all kinds.
Sunday, May 6, 2018 • North Myrtle Beach, SC
23) Maine Coast Half Marathon
This race features scenery that thousands of people flock here to see every spring and summer — especially the rocky coastline along Fortunes Rocks Cove, Horseshoe Cove and Biddeford Pool, a large tidal pool off Saco Bay that lies between Biddeford and Kennebunkport, also a tourist hotspot during the summer.
Saturday, May 12, 2018 • Biddeford, ME
24) Surfer’s Path Half Marathon
Run along the shoreline of Santa Cruz County, this race offers some of the most scenic courses anywhere in the Golden State, with truly breathtaking views of the Monterey Bay coastline and a series of world renowned surf breaks.
Sunday, May 20, 2018 • Santa Cruz, CA
25) Wallis Sands Half Marathon
Named for the state park where this race starts and finishes, this course is known for the serene beauty of wide sandy beaches, quaint New England homes and coastal roadways that overlook the waves crashing onto the rocks below.
Sunday, May 20, 2018 • Rye, NH
