Join this gorgeous mountain town for one of the most beautiful runs in the Northeast! The Jim Thorpe Running Festival full marathon is a point-to-point BOSTON QUALIFIER with a steady 0.5-1% downgrade nearly the entire way!! It is one of the fastest Boston Qualifiers on the East Coast!
Half Marathon (Saturday)
The half marathon will be run on a gorgeous, out-and-back course. Participants will start in the parking lot at the Jim Thorpe Train Station and run the FLAT, FAST rail-trail into Lehigh Gorge State Park. The route runs parallel to and even crosses over the Lehigh River and into breathtaking scenery of Lehigh Gorge.
Boston Qualifying Full Marathon (Sunday)
The full marathon is an ABSOLUTE DREAM for runners a spectators alike, a POINT-TO-POINT BOSTON QUALIFIER with a SLIGHT, STEADY 0.5% to 1% DOWNGRADE nearly the ENTIRE WAY. 7:15 am runners can get dropped off or park near the start and take a free shuttle bus back to their cars after the race. 8 am runners can take the scenic train from Jim Thorpe to White Haven (train leaves at 6:30 am).
7-Miler With Scenic Train Rides to the Start (Sunday)
The final 7-miles of our gorgeous marathon course! All 7-Mile runners must take the train that leaves Jim Thorpe Station at 6:30 am. 7-Mile runners will have the option to start early (when the train first stops on the way to the marathon start) or later (after training to the marathon start and back again).
Running Surface
The Full Marathon will take you down the D&L and Lehigh Gorge rail trails. These wide, smooth trails are hard-packed earth and gravel and, because they are former railroad lines, maintain a steady downgrade of 0.5-1% nearly the entire length of the marathon. One of our RUNegades’ ultra runners ran the course and says trail shoes are not necessary, but runners may want to wear gaiters to prevent small pebbles from entering their shoes.
Half Marathon and 7-Miler will take you through the last portion of the Full Marathon course, on the wide, smooth, hard-packed Lehigh Gorge Trail.
Post-Race Whistlestop Tour!
After the races on both Saturday and Sunday, join for food and drink specials on the post-race whistlestop tour!
Pacers
A volunteer team will be back to provide pacing for the half marathon and Beast Pacing will return to provide pacers for the marathon.
Remote Course!
Cell phones will not work on the trail. For the marathon, bikers will be monitoring miles 12-26. Flag them down if you have an issue and need to be picked up. They will alert our ATV team or the closest stationed EMS team.
Time Limits
Half Marathon: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Marathon: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Charity Partners
A portion of your registration fees and 100% of any donations you make will benefit Together With Veterans, a vital Jim Thorpe area charity that empowers Veterans to lead community-based and evidence-informed planning efforts to address Veteran suicide locally and discuss implementation strategies. We will also make donations to the Jim Thorpe Community Watch, The White Haven Police Department, The D&L Canal Association, Hickory Run State Park, and the White Haven Library.
LESS
What a beautiful course!
This is a great little-known option for runners looking for a fast spring marathon. The point-to-point course is beautiful, following a river into the quaint town of Jim Thorpe. It … MORE
This is a great little-known option for runners looking for a fast spring marathon. The point-to-point course is beautiful, following a river into the quaint town of Jim Thorpe. It uses a former rail bed, which means it is a very gentle downhill all the way (except the first 1.25 miles or so, when you start with a very easy uphill grade). The medal is awesome, and the town and volunteers are all very friendly.
Great point to point race
The race website says your GPS watch won't work but mine worked fine, as did everyone else I talked to. I measured 26.39 miles on my watch (Garmin 265) which … MORE
The race website says your GPS watch won’t work but mine worked fine, as did everyone else I talked to. I measured 26.39 miles on my watch (Garmin 265) which is totally in the range of normal for me for a marathon.
The course is net downhill and great. There are a lot of little turns which is one reason it feels like it runs a little long. But again, very much in the range of normal and about what I expected.
It had rained the day before so the path was a little softer than I’d like. So you may slip a tiny bit on your step but not really that bad. I wore race shoes and everything was fine.
The volunteers were honestly the best part. Every single water stop they were perfect, calling out water or electrolytes, engaging with you on the handoff, and encouraging. It seems so small but makes a world of difference.
Very little crowd support because there is literally no place for them. Really only one on-course bathroom around the halfway point so if that’s a worry, it’s better to find a different race.
It was a windy day but the course is mostly protected by trees so it wasn’t that bad. There are a few areas near the end where the wind or sun can hit you.
Last half mile felt like a great downhill. I think there was more elevation loss in that segment than any other part of the race.
But overall, simple, well organized, and a fairly fast course. Definitely recommend.
Beautiful small race in the Poconos
I was able to qualify for the New York City marathon with this gently downhill course. The race had a rolling start but you could also choose to start at … MORE
I was able to qualify for the New York City marathon with this gently downhill course. The race had a rolling start but you could also choose to start at either 7:15 or 8am, I chose the earlier option to keep cooler. The pebble trail was barely noticeable and didn’t hurt my feet. The website says that the GPS on your smartwatch doesn’t work, but I have an Apple Watch and mine worked just fine, thank goodness! Through the entire race there was only a 60 ft gain.
26.2 miles of packed trail
This is 26.2 miles of packed trail. You have a couple options to get to the start. The train option was very nice. For the run, it is very flat … MORE
This is 26.2 miles of packed trail. You have a couple options to get to the start. The train option was very nice. For the run, it is very flat and all on a packed gravel trail. Not much in terms of spectators, except for mile 12. Awesome medal though!
Nice race with beautiful scenery
This was my 7th marathon and I was hoping for a PR as the elevation was a downhill the entire way. Unfortunately it didn’t feel like a downhill, it felt … MORE
This was my 7th marathon and I was hoping for a PR as the elevation was a downhill the entire way. Unfortunately it didn’t feel like a downhill, it felt like a flat course. That was ok, but a little disappointing. I started with the first group and drove to the start instead of taking the optional train ride. This was a good decision because it got really hot by the end and starting early was better. The course winds down the mounting next to the river which was beautiful. The course is in packed gravel which was fine until near the end where it was a lot more sandy and harder to run on. There were plenty of water drops and gels offered but the bathrooms were very scarce. Only 3 bathroom opportunities after the start was not ideal. The medal and shirt were very nice. Jim Thorpe is a quaint town and very very busy, it was hard to park anywhere but walking around there were nice shops and restaurants.
Mega flat fast track!
An overwhelming majority of the course is on packed gravel. When I ran in 2023, it also was moderate drizzle and wetness throughout the weekend. This kept things cool, with … MORE
An overwhelming majority of the course is on packed gravel. When I ran in 2023, it also was moderate drizzle and wetness throughout the weekend. This kept things cool, with no mud patches until the final mile or two. The train ride was great to get to the start, and even when the weather was really wet, it was still beautiful to see the Lehigh River valley. The race officially began before the train arrived to the start, and the “begin the race when you’re ready” relaxed start felt like a luxury as it was a necessity. (The first few miles are on a narrow carriage trail-like path.) Support was slim on course, yet there were biking “scouts” oft seen making sure runners are okay. Portapotties are at three or four locations, water stops are a bit scarce compared to larger runs. All-in-all beautiful run and wonderful town!
This race is as good as the weather
This is a nice, scenic point to point race along a trail that follows the Lehigh River, from White Haven back to Jim Thorpe. It's a very small race, less … MORE
This is a nice, scenic point to point race along a trail that follows the Lehigh River, from White Haven back to Jim Thorpe. It’s a very small race, less then 400 completed it. There was no expo, just a bib and shirt pickup. The shirt has 37% cotton so I’ll likely never run in it. The course should be easy, it’s a steady 1-2% decline just about the entire way, but rainy weather made the trail a puddle-filled mess, making the back half of the race very difficult. There were two nice waterfalls along the course. The medal is nice, and like most small races, quite large. Lots of goodies at the end including some large Philadelphia pretzels. To get to the start there is the option of taking a scenic train ride. I highly recommend doing that.
Well run, organized
The half marathon was organized and well run. This was my first half so I don't have much to compare to regarding aid stations, etc. There were enough for my … MORE
The half marathon was organized and well run. This was my first half so I don’t have much to compare to regarding aid stations, etc. There were enough for my needs. Only downside for me was parts of the trail were uneven and it kind of annoyed my left hip but other than that I had a great time.
Great Out & Back Run
The run starts in Jim Thorpe train yard and is on a packed gravel rail trail so wear appropriate shoes. Water stops were plentiful, (at least every 2 miles) and … MORE
The run starts in Jim Thorpe train yard and is on a packed gravel rail trail so wear appropriate shoes. Water stops were plentiful, (at least every 2 miles) and they offered u-can carb/energy goo pouches near the turn around. The course is super flat and follows the river and RR tracks and crosses the Lehigh river so while I wouldn’t say its super scenic, you still have plenty to look at while your running. Post race was average, but this years medal was the best one yet. Very unique metal/wood combo w/ a layered look. Jim Thorpe is also a great little town to walk around post race with lots of little shops and good places to eat and/or drink.