Carnival Frolic Half Marathon & 5K
Decatur, AL
- Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
“The River City”, Decatur, Alabama, is host to a fabulous running/biking trail and home to some of the nicest runners you’ll ever meet. The Carnival Frolic 13.1-mile race will take you through acclaimed historic districts, along the Tennessee River, and through Point Mallard Park. Race course is USATF certified. Is … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Feb 14):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 61 | 55 | 63 | 71 | 55 |
| L (°F) | 32 | 26 | 30 | 40 | 21 |
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Such a sweet race!
The course was expertly marked and the race coordinators were awesome! It was really cold but such a nice run! Will definitely make this an annual tradition! MORE
The course was expertly marked and the race coordinators were awesome! It was really cold but such a nice run! Will definitely make this an annual tradition!
Nice and Easy Race.
I picked this race as it was a great way to finish my birthday week, to complete another State and support local charities. This race was a local sponsored race, … MORE
I picked this race as it was a great way to finish my birthday week, to complete another State and support local charities.
This race was a local sponsored race, and it was to celebrate Mardi Gras. The race directors were super friendly at the bib pick up and absolutely had the warm southern charm that I was expecting to find.
The race swag was a purple beanie hat that came in very handy as it was a cold morning for the race. I loved the purple shirt and so happy with my medal. The small bottle of hand sanitizer was a good add to the swag bag.
The race was small as there were only about 179 runners. The course itself is not technical mostly concrete and some loose rocks in places. The views were great of the waterfront, then came the industrial side, then through Mallard Park and back again. This is an out and back course which made it easy to know where I was to the finish line.
Course support – there were 2 water stations and only 1 station had 2 port-a-potties for the runners. There was very sparse course support and it was defiantly noticeable at the finish line. This was not an issue for me as I have grown accustomed to running alone. I would say to make sure to bring your own hydration system to keep you going on the course.
There were photographers on the course and taking pictures everywhere.
The course was mapped out with white paint and there were officers to stop traffic at the intersections. I would say that when you are running in Mallard Park, run single file, cars were passing quite close and pay attention to them. I had a minor “detour”, on the return portion, I missed the turn and ran down the wrong street. I think at that turn point, there should have been a directional sign for the finish line.
Overall, I loved this race. This was my first in-person race in two years, my first vacation in two years and a good gauge for me to know where I was in my running to prepare for my marathon in June.
Mardi Party
Great small town race with a Mardi Gras theme! There were about 300 participants so it was small but you weren’t alone. They had a race day pick up option … MORE
Great small town race with a Mardi Gras theme! There were about 300 participants so it was small but you weren’t alone.
They had a race day pick up option and an 8am start time making it easy for people to come in from surrounding areas. It also let the day warm up a bit!
There were water stops and restrooms about every 1.5 miles – I wish they didn’t use styrofoam cups 🙁
We got to run along the river for part of the race and most of the race was on a bike trail
None of the regular post race snacks but they had grits and a beignet food truck to keep w the theme
The medal was fun but they rest of the swag bag didn’t offer much. There was a visor (cotton, not athletic material), a Budweiser koozie, a knob creek coffee mug, and a chip clip. Personally, I’d rather have one good thing than a bunch of junk. I love a good medal, a shirt (when it’s done right) or an athletic hat. Stickers are great too!
I plan to come back next year and stay for the parade
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
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