Saturday, November 25, 2023 • Seattle, WA • Course Map
Begun years ago by a group of friends in the Seattle area who wanted to organize their own long-distance road race, the Seattle Ghost Marathon, Half Marathon & 50K takes place the day before the annual Sunday-after-Thanksgiving Seattle Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K, on a course that starts in Mount Baker Park on the shores of Lake Washington.
The race’s organizers, the Washington-based NW Ultras, take pains to emphasize that the Seattle Ghost run isn’t an official race, rather that it is simply a “fun run” organized by a group of local running enthusiasts, so no race numbers are issued and no official times are recorded for the event.
Just over 350 runners completed all three runs (the 13.1-mile, the 26.2-mile and the 50K) at its 2016 running, with 222 runners who finished the half marathon.
From the starting line at the Ferdinand Street Boat Launch, the half marathon begins by taking runners southward along Lake Washington to Seward Park, where the route makes a full loop around this park’s 300 acres of old-growth forests and hills, which are filled with nesting bald eagles, miles of hiking trails, prairie land and an outdoor amphitheater.
Once runners make their way around the edges of the lake along Seward Park Road, they’ve completed the first several miles of the run and head back onto Lake Washington Boulevard for the next two thirds of the half.
The rest of the course takes runners entirely along the lakeshore, up Lake Washington Boulevard and past the start/finish line at the boat launch all the way up to the aid station at Leschi Park. They continue roughly 0.9 miles past Leschi to the turnaround point, and then head back down the lakeshore in reverse to the finish line, where their cars are waiting.
Race Weather & Climate
Located on Puget Sound in the northwest corner of Washington State, Seattle is well-known for its gray, cloudy and rainy weather in the fall and winter months, and November is generally no exception in most years, as the city averages nearly 6 inches of precipitation during the month. Area temperatures can also be cool to cold this time of year, as Seattle’s average monthly temperatures range between 40°F and 52°F during the month.
On race day (Nov. 25), the average low is 38ºF and the average high is 48ºF.
Past Results
- 2022 Results
- 2019 Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon Results
- 2018 Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon Results
- 2017 Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon Results
- 2016 Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon Results
- 2015 Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon Results
- 2014 Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon Results
- 2013 Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon Results
- 2012 Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon Results
- 2011 Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon Results
Course Map
See the race route map for the Seattle Ghost Half Marathon here.
Starting Time
- 6:00 AM – 50K, early start for full marathon
- 7:00 AM – full marathon
- 8:00 AM – half marathon
Fees
- $110
Registration
To reserve your spot in the 2023 running of the Seattle Ghost Half Marathon, Marathon and 50K, register online at DatabarEvents.com here.
Official Race Website
Comments
Ever run in the Seattle Ghost Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.
