REGISTRATION is now open for the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon & 5K – December 2nd, 2023.  Please CLICK HERE to register for the race!

START TIMES:

The 5K will start at 7:00am downtown in the Riverfront Park.  CLICK HERE for directions.

The Half Marathon will start at 7:45am.

CHALLENGE RUNNERS SPECIAL NOTE: You must be able to complete the 5K in 50 minutes or less to get in line for the Half Marathon Start.  There will be no late starts allowed.

PARKING:

There are over 10,000 public parking spots in downtown Wilmington, Click Here for a list of all available parking downtown.

AWARDS:

We will offer Overall Awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Male/Female and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Male/Female Masters for both the half marathon & 5K. There will be age group awards for top 3 in 5 year age brackets starting with <9 for the 5K and <19 for the half marathon.

AFTER PARTY & FINISH LINE:

Hosted at the riverfront park on the downtown Wilmington waterfront, participants will be given 1 free beer & BBQ ticket. You will also have the ability to purchase additional beer for $3/each.  We will accept credit/debit cards or cash and please remember to bring your ID.  No ID = No Beer.

REGISTRATION is now open for the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon & 5K – December 2nd, 2023.  Please CLICK HERE to register for the race!

Let me tell you why this course is really unique!
1) We are taking runners through the most historic areas of downtown Wilmington down Water St., up Market St. & Front St. – no other race is doing that!
2) We’re knocking out the 3 bridges in the first 5 miles – you’re welcome!
3) We’re going to get a little distance out by Greenfield lake but we’ve got a completely closed course to keep our runners safe on any roads!
4) Over 1 mile stretch to the finish line down the nation’s top ranked river walk!
5) A finish line party you don’t want to miss hosted at The Riverfront Park downtown Wilmington with free beer and good ol’ Carolina BBQ!

The Wilmington Historic Half Marathon and 5K take runners through some amazing views in a completely closed course through downtown Wilmington and other historic sites.  A race to remember and one you won’t soon forget includes the most historic routes of North Carolina’s largest historic district (downtown Wilmington, NC), along the nation’s top-rated river walk/boardwalk and 3 bridges (in the half marathon only).

CLICK HERE FOR DOWNLOADABLE PDF

We are very thankful to all the runners and work hard to provide the best race experience. This starts well before race day and includes finding lodging partners that will take care of you!  We negotiated room blocks at many local downtown hotels – we do not get a kickback or commission – these are just to help you stay more affordably and secure rooms for participants.

If you call, please mention the event “Wilmington Historic Half Marathon & 5K” to be guaranteed our room block pricing!

PRO TIP: Ask for late checkout either when you book or check-in to have the best chance of checking out later and enjoy all of the race-day festivities!

Courtyard By Marriott ($129)

This is the best rate you will find downtown and just a couple of minutes walk to the start line. Highly recommend it! You can either book online by CLICKING HERE or call them and mention the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon. (910) 632-2900

Hampton Inn Wilmington ($134)

The Hampton Inn is another great option right downtown just a few minutes from the start/finish line with a great nightly rate. They’re flexible to work with and have nice rooms. You can book online by CLICKING HERE or call and mention the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon. (910) 251-3930

Hotel Ballast ($139 – $159)

This is a very nice hotel right on the river and a short walk to the start/finish line. They are offering $139 for the Historic View and $159 for River View which honestly is a great rate for this hotel on the water. You can call them to book or CLICK HERE – but be sure to mention the Wilmington Historic Half to get in our room block rate.

Best Western ($159)

One of the closest hotels and right on the waterfront. Please mention the “Wilmington Historic Half Marathon” when you call as we do not have an online booking link. (910) 763-2800

Embassy Suites

We are working on a hotel block for the event and will add information here as soon as we have it.

REGISTRATION is now open for the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon & 5K – December 2nd, 2023.  Please CLICK HERE to register for the race!

PACKET PICKUP:

Our Expo and Packet Pick-Up will be on Friday December 1st from 2:00 – 7:00pm located TBD.  Race Bibs & Giveaway items will be available for pick-up you may pick up for someone else as long as you have a photo copy of their ID.  Bart Yasso will be on location for a meet and greet PLUS he will be sharing his inspirational stories!  Fleet Feet Wilmington will be on location supplying ALL of your other race needs.  Be sure to join us between 2:00 and 7:00 as the excitement builds for an incredible race day experience.

REGISTRATION is now open for the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon & 5K – December 2nd, 2023.  Please CLICK HERE to register for the race!

Packet Pickup.

We will be hosting a packet pickup in Wilmington on Friday December 1st. We will announce times and location at a later date.

Are Courses Certified?

Yes, both the 5K and half are certified and sanctioned with USATF.

Time Limit:

Our time limit is 90 minutes for the 5K and 3.5 hours for the half marathon.

Age Restrictions: We have no age group restrictions on any of our races. We do require any athlete under the age of 18 to have a parental guardian signature.

Dog Friendly:

We love our four legged friends but due to insurance, we are only allowed to accommodate dogs if you provide official ADA approved paperwork. Click Here for more information regarding the procedure, guidelines and official medical release waiver form.

Discounts:

We offer a 10% discount to heroes: Military, Teachers, Firefighters, Police, EMT’s. We also offer a discount to students. Please email us to receive your discount code.

Awards:

We will offer Overall Awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Male/Female and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Male/Female Masters for both the Half Marathon & 5K. There will be age group awards for top 3 in 5 year age brackets.

Timing:

We provide an official chip and gun time using cutting edge equipment.  Overall awards use gun time (as most major races do) while age group awards use your chip time.  This means if you are going for an overall M/F win in your respective race, be sure to start up front.

Technology:

This race is “RaceJoy” enabled free for runners. If you run with your phone, you can download the app and select our race. This will verbally tell you historic information as you pass landmarks around Wilmington, your friends and spectators can track you every step of the way and send you verbal cheers, you’re pushed results immediately and we can keep you informed with important information before, during and after the race.

After Party

Hosted at the Riverfront Park downtown Wilmington on the waterfront, athletes will be given 1 free beer ticket & BBQ.  Both runners and spectators will have the ability to buy beer for $3.00 each. 

Parking:

There is plenty of parking in downtown Wilmington in garages

Refunds/Deferrals/Registration Policy:

We currently do not allow for refunds on our events.  You may read more about this on our FAQ page.

REGISTRATION is now open for the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon & 5K – December 2nd, 2023.  Please CLICK HERE to register for the race!

Register Early & Save!

REGISTRATION is now open for the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon & 5K – December 2nd, 2023.  Please CLICK HERE to register for the race!

Volunteers are loved by all!  We would be thrilled to have you join our race day team.  Waterstops, cheer stations, and handing out our HUGE medals, among many other things.  If you’re interested in volunteering with us, please select a position online, we’ll send you a confirmation email and lots more details leading up to the race.

CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER

REGISTRATION is now open for the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon & 5K – December 2nd, 2023.  Please CLICK HERE to register for the race!

Looking for your bib number? CLICK HERE to see if you’re registered.

REGISTRATION is now open for the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon & 5K – December 2nd, 2023.  Please CLICK HERE to register for the race!

All results for the Wilmington Historic Half & 5K can be found at the link below.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS