The Best Half Marathons You Can Walk

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There are many half marathons that are better completed walking than running. Who would rather run through the lush, tropical forests of the Kauai Half Marathon than to walk through the sights, smells, and ambiance? Not us. For many races, there are logistical complications of street barricades, traffic, and volunteer participation that prohibit a walking half marathon completion. For these we’ve picked for you, the course limit is four hours. Which means as long as you can walk a mile in 18 minutes (3.3 miles per hour) you’ll have no problem finishing on time.

Best Walking Half Marathon Calendar

• Burn Your Half Off on July 8, 2023
• Dave McKay Memorial Half Marathon on August 12, 2023
• The Kauai Marathon on September 3, 2023
• Holland Haven Half Marathon on September 10, 2023
• Surfers Point Half Marathon on September 10, 2023
• Portland Half Marathon on October 1, 2023
• WhiskeyRow Half Marathon on October 7, 2023
• Run Crazy Horse Half Marathon on October 8, 2023
• WhistleStop Half Marathon on October 14, 2023
• Hero Half Marathon on October 14, 2023
• Lake Powell Half Marathon on October 14, 2023
• Urban Bourbon Half Marathon on October 14, 2023
• Grand Rapids Half Marathon on October 15, 2023
• Happy Girls Run Sisters Half Marathon on October 28, 2023
• West Point Fallen Comrades Half Marathon on March 2024
• Earth Day Half Marathon on April 2024
• Totem to Totem Half Marathon on May 2024
• New River Half Marathon on May 2024
• San Juan Island Half Marathon on May 20, 2024
• East Bay Half Marathon on June 4, 2024
• Governor’s Cup Half Marathon on June 10, 2024
• Skagway Half Marathon on June 10, 2024
• The Great Ferry Race Half Marathon on June 11, 2024

Burn Your Half Off

Run (or walk) along the Tennessee Riverwalk trail this summer, where you’ll get to take in plenty of views of the river as well as the U.S. Naval Reserve Center, the city skyline and Lookout Mountain — on Saturday or Sunday.

Saturday, July 8, 2023 • Chattanooga, TN

Dave McKay Memorial Half Marathon

You need to be ready for high-altitude running (or walking) at this race, which lies at an elevation of about 7,000 feet above sea level and features a walkers’ start an hour and a half before the runners.

Saturday, August 12, 2023 • Flagstaff, AZ

East Bay Half Marathon

Run on largely fast and flat terrain along both roads and bike paths, with gorgeous views of Narragansett Bay, this race features a 4-hour course time limit to welcome walkers.

Sunday, June 4, 2023 • East Providence, RI

The Kauai Marathon

A scenic tour of Hawaii’s Poipu Beach resort area with patches of the course through waterfalls, tropical foliage, and ‘the tunnel of trees’ the course has a 6-hour time limit.

Sunday, September 3, 2023 • Poipu, HI

Holland Haven Half Marathon

Run mostly along the shore of Lake Michigan and along both paved roads and biking trails past both Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa, this walker-friendly race offers a 6-hour time limit.

Sunday, September 10, 2023 • Holland, MI

Portland Half Marathon

You’ll get to run the beautifully scenic streets and riverside parkways of Oregon’s largest city at this race, which offers a 6-hour time limit for the half marathon.

Sunday, October 1, 2023 • Portland, OR

Run Crazy Horse Half Marathon

The gorgeous and oftentimes stark and jagged natural scenery of South Dakota’s Black Hills will be on display at this race, which features a 7-hour time limit for walkers and runners.

Sunday, October 8, 2023 • Crazy Horse, SD

WhistleStop Half Marathon

Run along a crushed limestone gravel trail that’s designed to be easier on the knees and joints than ordinary road races, this race along Wisconsin’s Tri-County Corridor features a 6-hour time limit for its 13.1-mile distance.

Saturday, October 14, 2023 • Ashland, WI

Hero Half Marathon

Officially titled the Fayetteville Firefighters’ Hero Half Marathon and Relay, this race along the Razorback Regional Greenway trail features a 4-hour course time limit.

Sunday, October 14, 2023 • Fayetteville, AR

Lake Powell Half Marathon

Run just inside the outskirts of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument on the Utah-Arizona border, this breathtaking race features a 4-hour time limit.

Saturday, October 14, 2023 • Page, AZ

Urban Bourbon Half Marathon

If you like bourbon, this is your race — there’s Jim Beam at the finish line, where you can tour the distillery on Whiskey Row and enjoy bourbon tastings, provided you can keep a pace of 15 minutes or better if you’re walking.

Saturday, October 14, 2023 • Louisville, KY

Grand Rapids Half Marathon

At the Grand Rapids Half Marathon thanks to its gentle, forgiving fast and flat course, this race is considered an excellent choice for first-time marathoners and half marathoners, and allows the walkers to start an hour before the runners.

Sunday, October 15, 2023 • Grand Rapids, MI

Happy Girls Run Sisters Half Marathon

You’ll have 4 hours to finish this race along the Peterson Ridge Trail, a more than 20-mile-long network of mountain biking and hiking trails that, depending on the season, can be dusty and loose or packed with snow.

Saturday, October 28, 2023 • Sisters, OR

Surfers Point Half Marathon

Lined with palm trees along the Southern California coastline, Ventura’s Promenade Park serves as the race start and finish for this event, which features a generous 7-hour time limit.

Sunday, September 10, 2023 • Ventura, CA

West Point Fallen Comrades Half Marathon

This race takes runners around the campus of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and welcomes walkers to participate with its 4-hour course time limit.

Sunday, March 19, 2023 • West Point, NY

Earth Day Half Marathon

The mostly flat rural roads of this village in New York’s Finger Lakes region beckon runners and walkers with a 4-hour time limit to take in the area’s quaint scenic beauty.

Sunday, April 23, 2023 • Baldwinsville, NY

Whiskey Row Half Marathon

Organizers say the challenging climbs of this race make it one of the toughest marathons in the U.S., but if you can finish the half marathon in 5 hours, you are welcome to enter as a walker.

Saturday, October 7, 2023 • Prescott, AZ

Totem to Totem Half Marathon

The long, mountainous and forested shoreline of the Tongass Narrows waterway is the setting for this race, which features a starting time for walkers an hour ahead of the runners.

TBD • Ketichikan, AK

San Juan Island Half Marathon

Set for its inaugural running in the spring along the rural highways of this gorgeous, scenic island just north of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this races offers a 4-hour time limit to welcome walkers as well as runners.

Saturday, May 20, 2023 • Friday Harbor, WA

Governor’s Cup Half Marathon

Run among the gorgeous mountains and rolling backcountry roads of the Helena Valley at this race, which offers stunning views and a 5-hour time limit.

Saturday, June 9, 2023 • Helena, MT

New River Half Marathon

The serene, peaceful beauty of the western North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains is on display at this late spring race, which features a time limit for the half marathon of 5 hours, 45 minutes — more than enough time to walk it.

Saturday, May 13, 2023 • Boone, NC

Skagway Half Marathon

Billed by organizers as “5% tough, 95% brutal,” this is a race that unfolds over hills and past mountains, portions of glaciers, and through forests and past streams — and has an early start for those walking the half marathon.

Sunday, June 10, 2023 • Skagway, AK

The Great Ferry Race Half Marathon

Set for its inaugural running this summer along the rural highways of this gorgeous island in Puget Sound just off the coast of Seattle, this race has a 4-hour time limit to go with its amazing views.

Sunday, June 11, 2023 • Bainbridge, WA