Runners, get ready for the trek through downtown Historic Wilmington, North Carolina at the Parkway Subaru Battleship Half Marathon presented by Wicked Weed! The Battleship Half Marathon started in 1998 and is one of the oldest Half Marathons in the South. The Parkway Subaru Battleship Half Marathon kicks off in …
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Runners, get ready for the trek through downtown Historic Wilmington, North Carolina at the Parkway Subaru Battleship Half Marathon presented by Wicked Weed! The Battleship Half Marathon started in 1998 and is one of the oldest Half Marathons in the South.
The Parkway Subaru Battleship Half Marathon kicks off in historic downtown Wilmington with a stunning view of the Battleship NC on Water Street. Runners head south on Front Street to tackle the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and two additional area bridges. A rubber strip is placed on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge for smoother footing. After conquering the bridges, runners will loop back through downtown, passing enthusiastic spectators. The course then travels around scenic Greenfield Lake via the Greenway trail. Runners finish with a 1.5-mile stretch returning downtown on the same path from Greenfield Lake.
The 10K follows the same route as the HALF but turns around on Greenfield Street and heads back to the finish.
The 5K stays downtown and runs through the heart of town and on the historic Riverwalk along the Cape Fear River with full views of the USS North Carolina!
Moored in quiet dignity and majesty the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA, across the river from downtown Wilmington, beckons visitors to walk her decks. Envision the daily life and fierce combat her crew faced in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. From all across our Nation they came, young men who had grown up in the crucible of the Great Depression and now determined to serve their Country in its time of need. These are the men whose stories you will encounter through their oral histories, photographs, and mementos as you experience the Ship and the exhibits. Step back in time and let history come alive through the crews’ stories. Imagine yourself steering the ship, starting her engines or even firing the guns. JOIN THE CREW and be a part of Battleship history at the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA!
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A fantastic race - totally worth doing!!
Great communication from the RD. Plenty of aid stations with water, gatorade and Hume gu's. Lots of cheer squads throughout the course and plenty of people to make sure you're … MORE
Great communication from the RD. Plenty of aid stations with water, gatorade and Hume gu’s. Lots of cheer squads throughout the course and plenty of people to make sure you’re staying on course.
The race is kind of two halfs – the first half takes you over 3 bridges with views of the Battleship. The second half was around the lake at Greenfield park. Plenty of time on Front Street throughout the race so your own personal cheer squad gets plenty of opportunity to see you.
Whilst not all the roads are totally shut down, the Police did an awesome job of keeping the runners safe.
Overall it was a great race and I would do it again.
Good Race - lots of participation
I signed up early on - there was good communication from the race director. I especially liked using the RunJoy app - that gave updates as you go through the … MORE
I signed up early on – there was good communication from the race director. I especially liked using the RunJoy app – that gave updates as you go through the race.
This race is not without hills. Although, most are within the first 6 miles. Additionally, you run over two bridges (nice), but there is still traffic within feet of the runner. The whole second half of the run is within a scenic park – much flatter.
Not much of an expo – I ran with the cotton shirt that was provided – that was definitely an issue. The weather in 2025 was great – about 60 degrees to start.
They lost my registration
If you do the virtual you may just be making a donation because it doesn't count. No results I've been trying to get the posted for days. The race so … MORE
If you do the virtual you may just be making a donation because it doesn’t count. No results I’ve been trying to get the posted for days. The race so far has not been very helpful. My sister did the virtual 10k as well and no results. We have been running this race for several years (in person) without an issue. Actually been one of our favorites. Did to circumstances we couldn’t make it there this year. This is very discouraging.
Cool Race with Unique Theme
This is a cool race with a unique theme. You start with a great view of the battleship and then run three bridges to loop around it. The bridges (really … MORE
This is a cool race with a unique theme. You start with a great view of the battleship and then run three bridges to loop around it. The bridges (really the second one) are the hardest part of the course, but they’re early in the race and are not that bad if you live/train in a non-flat area.
You then swing through downtown, which was decorated with Christmas lights and cool to see. You then do a loop around Greenfield Lake. If you like crowd support in a race (doesn’t make a huge difference to me), this stretch is pretty sparse but there were GREAT volunteers stationed all over who really tried hard to keep the energy up.
The Expo was easy to find and navigate and prerace communication was great (they had to move the start/finish because of flooding but IDK how you could have missed it). The shirt was long sleeve with a cool design and I will definitely wear it. The medal was in the shape of the Battleship too and is really distinctive among all the others I got.
All in all it was a great race (and I say that after missing my time goal) and look forward to the next time I run it.
Very well organized
Ran as part of attempt to run in 50 states. The expo was easy to find and big enough to have essentials that any runner would need. The shirt was … MORE
Ran as part of attempt to run in 50 states. The expo was easy to find and big enough to have essentials that any runner would need. The shirt was a long sleeve cotton tshirt that I plan to wear after the race. The medal was really attractive with a battleship on it.
The race staff did I a great job keeping runners informed about the logistics of the course and race day. There had to be a last minute change to the start and finish due to a street getting flooded and everything at the start and finish went smoothly.
The course started uphill through a downtown area decorated with Christmas lights. Afterwards we ran over some bridges that had views of the city and battleship. One of the bridges was a metal grated bridge that had a rubber runner on the right side. There was another grated bridge later which didn’t have the rubber runner but it was a shorter bridge. Parts of the course were on active roads but they were well marked and marshaled. Around mile 6 or 7 we entered a park with beautiful trees with Spanish moss and a lake. The aid stations were all well manned with a mix of water, gatorade and gels.
The finish area had water, Hawaiian rolls, bananas, and animal crackers and Oreos. Around the corner there was a small festival with live music, free beer and some local running related merchants. I would definitely recommend this race to both locals and out a towners.
Disappointed all around
I have had this race chosen as my NC race for years. I am always looking for something that makes a half unique before choosing it and I saw that … MORE
I have had this race chosen as my NC race for years. I am always looking for something that makes a half unique before choosing it and I saw that past races had Marines handing out the medals at the finish line, plus the battleship, and I thought it would be a cool race.
I was disappointed all around. There were no Marines. The race had THREE bridges at the very beginning, which killed my legs, but no worries, I was prepared for that. Going over the bridges was probably the most scenic part of the race. We ran through a park as well, but not much scenery. There was also very little crowd turn out, which IMO, really makes a race. I was also disappointed in the aid stations- I felt like there should have been more of them. Now, this may be me being biased because after the first 6.5 miles, I wasn’t feeling well and really needed those aide stations, but I felt like I kept waiting for one to appear.
The production itself was seamless. It started on time, timing was good, and I didn’t feel like it was too bad with the half and 10k starting at the same time. The packet pick-up was also well run and wasn’t a problem getting my stuff, although they gave my son a half marathon shirt even though he was running the 5K.
Wilmington is a nice area and we had a fun weekend there. I’m glad I got my NC race done but may do another just to make up for not enjoying this one.
Love the course.
I thought the course was perfect for exploring the city. Less than 400+ elevation with running over several bridges. Plenty of space for everyone and well planned water stations. Very MORE
I thought the course was perfect for exploring the city. Less than 400+ elevation with running over several bridges. Plenty of space for everyone and well planned water stations. Very enjoyable.
3 bridge 10k with unlimited beer/waffles
Follow me on Instagram at @runningthedirtymyrtle if you'd like A little pricier than most races (about 75 bucks for the 10k a several months out), but my race bib got … MORE
Follow me on Instagram at @runningthedirtymyrtle if you’d like
A little pricier than most races (about 75 bucks for the 10k a several months out), but my race bib got me a free entry into visiting the Battleship North Carolina (which is 14 bucks btw), and this goes for all participants, plus there was a ton of beer and waffles post race (plus bananas and waters galore).
The race expo was well organized, but they needed a larger space to accommodate sooo many runners and parking for the expo down at the river is a mess! There’s a garage to park in, but no real instructions on whether the garage is free or if parking in it can somehow be validated. It was a little more work doing bib pickup than what I’d prefer. Next time, I’m asking for day of race pickup as I come from 90 min away. The race director posted a youtube video the day before the racing giving some details and showing the course maps…this was great!
Race was about to start in less than 1 minute and the dang blow up start line thing starts rapidly deflating!!! I kid you not!!! So yeah, we had to wait another minute plus for them to tear it down and get it out of the way. It was hilarious actually!
The race has a narrow start as all the half marathoners and 10k runners are together…get as close to the front as you can if you’re a fast runner. You know the drill. All race distances start and finish in the exact same location, downtown near the river. There’s free street parking all over and a big garage right near by for parking as well. Many people seemed to be staying at local hotels there at the river and were just walking to the start line.
Course wise, there’s 3 bridges that have grates, which make running difficult for sure, so what they do is they put down these rubber mats to run on so you don’t have to run on the grates, well, the race has so many participants, for the first bridge at least (which is at mile 1.5 or so), good luck finding room to run on the rubber mat…there’s just way too many people. The first bridge I climbed and ran solely on the grate and it was definitely a little sketchy. Unfortunately, I saw one man bite it hard and he was badly scraped from it, and my wife said she saw another run take a really hard fall somewhere on the course. DEFINITELY be careful running the bridges as the rubber mats stick up all over the place and you can be tripped sooooooo easily and then along the side of Interstate 74 there was a ton of road debris that you really needed to pay attention to…felt a little like an obstacle course at times honestly, but not crazy bad.
Course photographers were seen at a couple locations and I remember seeing 2 water stops for the 10k. 10k and 1/2ers run the same course for about 4.5 miles before the 10kers split off and head for the finish line. The final 2-300 meters is uphill for everyone. Porto johns were seen at various locations if you’re having issues and there were plenty at the start/finish line party area.
Swag wise, the medal is decent and is actually metal. Longer races got larger medals; the way it should be! The freebie long sleeve this year was a 50/50 cotton poly blend that was grey, but the logo sucked. The front logo was way small and didn’t say Wilmington, NC or the date. The back logo was big, but again, no date. There’s no reason they couldn’t have put the date of the race on the shirt, but whatever…I’m sure they did it for Covid in case the race was cancelled they could just use the shirts another year. I don’t see myself ever wearing the free race shirt, even though it’s a long sleeve, which I love.
Highlight of the race for me was the unlimited Wicked Weed beer on tap (3 different brews!!!) and unlimited Waffle House waffles made hot right in front of you. The volunteers that worked these stations rocked it!!!! They busted their butts and it showed…I personally thanked as many of them as I could. I was really impressed by them as they were as efficient as they could possibly be. Lines for beer went super, super, super fast and I was doing 2 beers at a time.
The party area is cordoned off and it got a little crowded, but not too bad, there’s just no seating, NONE. Be aware, if you run the 10k and finish at say 8 am and win an award, they did all awards for all distances starting at 10 am and it was cold!!! 41 degrees at the race start at 7 am. Many people just sat down in the post race party area, which is a parking lot and waited. We went back to the hotel and showered, then returned for more beer and waffles and awards at 10 am.
The 2 person band was just ok…sorta Phish like folksy acoustic up tempo originals, and they sounded fine, but not my kinda music. I like a full band with drums and all that at a great post race party playing lots of hits, but that’s just me.
The bridges made the course as challenging, if not more challenging than the Cooper River Bridge Run 10k in Charleston if you’ve ever done that, so be aware of the climbing of the bridges and the descents as well. Even so, I pr’d at this race because I’ve been training hard for months and it was so cold at this year’s Battleship race. I ran this race about a minute and a half faster than I did Cooper River in Sept a couple months before this race.
We’re glad we did the race, learned some things like the bridge grating, where to park for the expo, and more, and after discussion we decided we’ll likely run it again next year, but we’ll sign up way earlier this year in hopes it will be cheaper.
Oh and as a master’s place finisher, just to note, I was given a 50 dollar gift card to Omega Sports (sponsor) and a pair of custom Battleship Half Marathon socks, definitely better than some of the crappy awards I’ve won the last couple years! Overall, I’d give this race an 8 out of 10, maybe even an 8.5. I actually like it quite a bit more than Cooper River Bridge 10k, which is all shuttles and massive crowds.
Great Race Production
The race production was very well organized especially with all the COVID restrictions. They did temp checks before entering the corral, which had 50- people start every 20 minutes or … MORE
The race production was very well organized especially with all the COVID restrictions. They did temp checks before entering the corral, which had 50- people start every 20 minutes or so. Had to wear masks at the start/finish, removing only to run. Trash cans placed appropriately so volunteers did not have to worry about the spread of germs, water bottles/ power aide, and Gu’s laid out on the table for runners to grab. The marathon was 4 loops around the USS North Carolina Battleship, going over 2 bridges each loop (2 loops for the 1/2, and 1 loop for the 10K). Not sure if they will do a marathon again, I believe this was just added for this year, but I am glad to have gotten it in. Wilmington in general is a very cute town to visit, and enjoyed being able to sit by the poolside in November after a hot run (finish 79 degrees), another perk was no car was needed (we were able to Uber or walk anywhere we needed to go). PS Medal was really cool!
Battleship
I undertrained for this race... that being said, There was a snafu with getting runners via bus to the Battleship for the start due to the ferry being out of … MORE
I undertrained for this race… that being said, There was a snafu with getting runners via bus to the Battleship for the start due to the ferry being out of commission the year I was there. They started late to make sure people were all there, which was very nice of them. The course was beautiful going over the water multiple times and through a residential area and park.
I carry my own water, so the aid stations weren’t used by me.
Great race for first timers
Three bridges will provide you the reality check but the scenery and the race production was top notch. The appreciation for the military folks was a nice touch. Ed Fore … MORE
Three bridges will provide you the reality check but the scenery and the race production was top notch. The appreciation for the military folks was a nice touch.
Ed Fore & Janice McSweeney deserve a lot of credit for their hard work and effort. I have enjoyed all of their races this year.
Just so-so
This was my very first half marathon, and I don't have fond memories of it. It was in November, and it was 81 at the start (8 am). It was … MORE
This was my very first half marathon, and I don’t have fond memories of it. It was in November, and it was 81 at the start (8 am). It was so hot and humid, which made running way harder, and your first half marathon is already mentally challenging as it is. I was a much slower runner then (11:30ish pace) but still sort of middle-of-the-pack because there were a lot of walkers, and by the time I got to some of the aid stations, they were out of water cups. They still had water, just no cups. Because it was so hot and humid, the faster runners had taken multiple cups I guess, and they ran out. There were 2 aid stations in a row that were out of cups, so we had to go something like 6 miles without water. It was brutal. The course has some pretty parts, but overall it’s just kind of fine. Maybe I’m biased now because I’ve run so many pretty half marathons since then, but if you’re in the Wilmington area, I think the Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon is a better option.