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 141st largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 170th largest in 2023.
This year 6.8% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 9% of runners qualified for Boston in 2024.
This gives the Coast Guard Marathon the 190th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 33rd highest percentage so far in 2025.
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)
I used this race to tick off the NC state as well as it being one of the AFSC races. If I didn't care about those, and wasn't going for a PR/BQ, then I would skip this race. The race logistics were fine and easy, but the course was mostly long barren stretches of running between things. You run through the CG base, which was kind of interesting running down the airstrip. Then you run a long way to get to the blimp hangar... which is also cool, for a while. And then, you basically run around more residential areas to head back to the base and then back to the downtown. It feels like they had to manufacture a course to cram in filler miles. And for the most part, unless you love wide open fields, there isn't much to look out. Aid were excellent, but don't expect much in the way of spectators. This may be the first race I've ever done where I didn't see a kid holding a "touch here for power up" sign.
This is also a fairly small race. I suspect many runners instead gravitate to the nearby Shamrock Marathon in VA Beach around the same time.
Race Tips
It's very flat and with favorable weather would be good for a PR attempt. There are a lot of turns, but nothing crazy. The full and half start at the same time, and the half course peels away around mile 7 or so. After that, it gets pretty lonely.
Many of the roads are not closed to traffic. Be very aware to run within the cones when marked. On the more rural roads, I often saw runners unaware that vehicles were trying to go around them. Don't use headphones where you can't hear the world.
I stayed in VA and drove the hour down to Elizabeth City the morning of. Public parking was easy (arriving 75 minutes before the race), with a short walk to the start/finish area.
I noticed a lot of people were still in line for the portos before the race start. There were not really enough of them. Go early.
For 2025, the race day fell on the switchover to daylight saving time, but the Saturday events were still in standard time.
NJK's review of 2024 Coast Guard Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
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.
4.5 Stars from 4 Reviews
