The Bellingham Bay Marathon course travels along Bellingham Bay, offering views of both the bay and the mountains. The course starts on Gooseberry Point with several miles along a bluff overlooking the bay. It travels through rural farmland, through residential neighborhoods, along waterfront greenways and over top Bellingham Bay before returning to the finish in downtown Bellingham.
From the Race Organizers: Come experience Bellingham and "Run the Bay"!
Join us on Sunday, September 24th, 2023 for the Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K and 10K.
Featuring views of Bellingham Bay, San Juan Islands, and North Cascades mountains, we are often called one of the most beautiful road races in the Pacific Northwest.
The Bellingham Bay Marathon is presented by PeaceHealth and benefits the Bellingham Bay Swim Team and WFC Rangers Soccer Club.
The Bellingham Bay Marathon was the 200th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 205th largest in 2022.
This year 4.6% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 9.3% of runners qualified for Boston in 2023.
This gives the Bellingham Bay Marathon the 205th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 292nd highest percentage so far in 2024.
Its Course Score of 98.48 ranks it as the 278th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 18th fastest course in Washington.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are slightly above the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Bellingham Bay Marathon a PR Score of 98.33. This PR Score ranks it as the 232nd fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 18th fastest in Washington.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Bellingham Bay Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 163 feet (49m) Min Elevation: 5 feet (1m)
Hotel & VRBO Accommodations for the Bellingham Bay Marathon
View available accomodations around the Bellingham Bay Marathon Finish Line and Course. Book your Reservation now before the best places are sold out.
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How Fast Can You Go?
If you ran the Bellingham Bay Marathon in 5:10:00, what would your time in other marathons be?
See how your race times would compare on other marathon courses with our time conversion tool.
