New Bedford Half Marathon

March 16, 2025

New Bedford

Road

Distances

Half-Marathon

Starting Time

11:00 AM

Fees

$50 – $75

Perfect For

Ready to sign up?

1-100

Some Hills

Urban

High: 46°

/ Low: 29°

Blustery, windy and cold conditions are often in the air at the annual early springtime running of the New Bedford Half Marathon, which marks its annual early-spring running this year, for a race that usually draws more than 3,000 runners out to the streets of this Massachusetts city.

The race takes runners on a tour of this town that overlooks Buzzards Bay in the southern part of the state, not far from Cape Cod, and features both the natural beauty of New Bedford Harbor and Clarks Cove as well as the architectural beauty of the neighborhoods and city streets through which runners make their way through the race.

The course itself – which is a single loop that’s fast and made up entirely of paved city streets – offers a number of hills, with the two most significant hills around miles 3 and 12.
From the starting and finish line on Purchase Street, the race’s first few miles feature views of the New Bedford Harbor waterfront, and then the course turns westward back into the city, past sights such as Buttonwood Park and the city’s Whaling National Historic Park, which commemorates New Bedford’s importance as “the whaling city” during the 19th century.
Rated among the top 25 half-marathons by Runner’s World magazine and the top half in New England by New England Runner, the event is a challenging one largely because of its weather conditions, which have ranged from a high of 64 degrees in 2003 to just north of 17 degrees in 2000.
As described by past participant Geoff Smith, who holds the course record, the New Bedford Half is the “people’s race” thanks to its popularity among working-class runners in the local area and the region.

New Bedford Half Marathon Results

Overview

Course Description

Past Results

New Bedford Half Marathon Results