The extremely flat Coast Guard Marathon course starts downtown, runs along the Pasquotank riverfront, loops through the U.S. Coast Guard Base and Air Station, and finally returns to the historic downtown district via Elizabeth City State University, a historically black college and the only four-year collegiate aviation education program in North Carolina. The mid-point of the race route takes runners around one of the last standing WWII airship hangars, a 20-story tall, dome-shaped structure on the waterfront.
The Coast Guard Marathon was the 170th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 160th largest in 2022.
This year 9% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 3.9% of runners qualified for Boston in 2023.
This gives the Coast Guard Marathon the 369th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 171st highest percentage so far in 2024.
Its Course Score of 99.83 ranks it as the 43rd fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 1st fastest course in North Carolina.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Coast Guard Marathon a PR Score of 99.83. This PR Score ranks it as the 36th fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 1st fastest in North Carolina.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Coast Guard Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 10 feet (3m) Min Elevation: 1 feet (0m)
The Coast Guard Marathon is a great race and very well organized for a relatively small race. The course is pancake flat the whole way and even though it does not have big city crowds, the whole town comes out to cheer people on! Running through the base is very cool! The last 4 miles are a little quiet, but at that point it does not matter that much, because you're just happy to be heading to the finish line. Not a lot of shade on the course, so if the temperatures were higher than what I had this year, 2024, it would have been tough. I was lucky it started out relatively cool and only got to about 60. There were some head winds, and I think being on the coast this could be a problem, but it was nothing like what people said happened last year. Very cool to be a part of a military marathon and the medals are great! I would definitely recommend the race!
This was a great, flat course that had pretty good weather except for some headwind for the last half this year (2024). It was well-organized and well-supported for a small town race. The medals and age group awards are pretty unique, and the after-party was nice. Definitely recommend for those going for a faster time!
Race Tips
It was very flat throughout with a brief hill in the first mile. Definitely pay attention to wind speed and direction as it may affect pace or effort for a good portion of the race.
