Aiken Trailblazer Halloween Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Aiken, SC
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Kids Run
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
New this year…introducing the Mummifying Marathon! So celebrate Halloween with a Marathon, the Headless Horseman Half Marathon, Thriller 10K, Frightening 5K and Kooky Kids Fun Run on the trails at Stable View equestrian facility, sprawling over 1,000 acres of gently rolling hills bordered by canopies of forest. Participants will receive … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Oct 24):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 73 | 83 | 73 | 76 | 80 |
| L (°F) | 46 | 57 | 42 | 43 | 50 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Watch Out for the Headless Horseman!
This race randomly popped up when I was researching another half marathon in Aiken. The moment I saw the person dressed as a headless horseman on top of an actual … MORE
This race randomly popped up when I was researching another half marathon in Aiken. The moment I saw the person dressed as a headless horseman on top of an actual horse (it’s Aiken, horses abound) posing for pictures with runners, I knew I had to do it.
I was a little nervous about the course since it’s 100% trail/mixed terrain, so I emailed the RD back in June asking some logistical questions and they were quick to respond and even invited me to come out and test the grounds during one of their group runs. I decided to just take a risk since all the runners in the pictures were in road shoes and figured, wcs, I could hike some miles.
Communication ahead of the race was good – several emails and posts on Facebook. They have packet pickup the night before as well as the morning of, so perfect for driving into town (we live about an hour away). GPS got us to the stables and then the paper signs pointed us to parking, so no issues in the dark.
Indoor bathrooms at the start and finish, but no bathrooms on the course. But you’re also in the woods, so that’s between you and nature.
The half marathon started at 8am and the 10K and 5K started later (830 and 9am maybe?). There were 49 half marathoners, so enough that there were people within sight but not enough that we had to navigate trail running in a crowd. The half course also dipped into the 10K and 5K course at different points, so we were rarely alone on the course. There were about 100 5Kers and somewhere in between for 10Kers. So a good sized crowd but not too overwhelming for the trails.
The website said there would be five water stops, but I think there were only four. Only downside is two of the four only had nuun, no water, so that sucked. If you need water or another electrolyte mix every few miles in a half, consider carrying your own.
Course was good – 13.1 unique miles that didn’t repeat any of the course. Loose sand and thick grass/brush were the most difficult to navigate, but my Superblasts were fine and I saw other people in Ghosts, Hokas, etc who were fine. It was definitely a ‘follow your vibe’ kind of event – there were people racing, people running, people walking, and people hiking with poles and backpacks. Ultimately it was a course supported time in nature, which is what trail running should be as far as I’m concerned.
Cotton long sleeved shirts (currently wearing mine), awesome finishers medal, and I got a plaque for getting first female in the masters division. We saw the horseman on the course, but the horse got spooked and had to go to his safe space, so he wasn’t available for pictures at the finish line. Which was literally the only disappointment of the day.
Awesome food spread at the finish line as well as beer and wine. I couldn’t find any water aside from little 8oz bottles, but the car was close enough I could’ve just gotten my own and been fine.
Overall, a fun morning in Aiken – this race is a gem.