Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon & 5k

On Sunday it’s time for the race’s 13.1-mile event, which follows a loop route that starts at Pavilion Park. From the starting line on the western side of the park, just off 8th Avenue, runners briefly detour south before turning north onto Joe White Avenue. After a brief coast north, runners then follow the race route on a mostly counterclockwise loop around Myrtle Beach, turning right onto Grissom Parkway, which they follow as it winds its way eastward for the next three miles, accompanies by a couple of detours and turnaround points. The course makes its way around Celebrity Circle through mile markers 8 and 9, taking runners past the Ripley’s Aquarium and then out onto 29th Avenue, where they then head southeast toward the beach. Once runners hit North Ocean Boulevard, which looks out onto the waves washing in along the shoreline, the remaining three miles of the race are basically two long straightaway stretches. From the turn onto North Ocean, runners follow the road all the way down to 2nd Avenue, where they turn around and head back up the boardwalk along the beach to the finish line at Plyler Park. Participants will have a 3 1/2 hours to complete the half marathon, which means the race is open to walkers as well as runners.