Crawlin’ Crab Half Marathon & 5K
Hampton, VA
- Shell Yeah Challenge (16.2 Miles), Half Marathon, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Scurry to Hampton and see why Runner’s World dubbed the Sentara Crawlin’ Crab Half Marathon a must run half marathon. Complete with a snappy fast and flat course on the water, ample room for friends and family to cheer you on and a pumped up and picturesque post race celebration! … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Oct 03):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 71 | 75 | 77 | 59 | 84 |
| L (°F) | 58 | 64 | 59 | 51 | 65 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Plenty of Entertainment on the route
This is a very fun race in Hampton VA. A unique opportunity to run through blue bird gap farm. Plenty of entertainment along the route and as with an JA … MORE
This is a very fun race in Hampton VA. A unique opportunity to run through blue bird gap farm. Plenty of entertainment along the route and as with an JA Racing event, the after party is always great.
Fun race, flat course, excellent party!
First time running this one and was very pleased. Packet pick up was well organized, lots of fun swag from previous years that is either free or on sale. All … MORE
First time running this one and was very pleased. Packet pick up was well organized, lots of fun swag from previous years that is either free or on sale. All of the race festivities were so much fun, lots of great volunteers. Course is super flat, may be two slight hills. You run for a couple of miles along the water so that was cool. Lots of friendly people cheering you on. Party at the end was so much fun! Great band and lots of food and drinks. Definitely coming back next year!
Spectacular
This was my first time running this race. I am very fond of J & A racing events. They are very thorough and organized. The post-race events are exceptional. The … MORE
This was my first time running this race. I am very fond of J & A racing events. They are very thorough and organized. The post-race events are exceptional. The scenery for this race wasn’t what I expected. I wanted to see more animals, but I didn’t. Overall, a great race!!
great race
This is a great race and well organized -J&A always does a great job! Nice course that doesn't back-track, hotels close by, free beer at the end-at least 6 breweries! … MORE
This is a great race and well organized -J&A always does a great job! Nice course that doesn’t back-track, hotels close by, free beer at the end-at least 6 breweries! The course is about .20 miles off. I checked my watch most of the mile markers and at the end. I wondered why so many people were getting a PR. If this isn’t a big deal to you (and it shouldn’t be) try this event and include the 5k for the Shell Yeah!
Nothing to Be Crabby About - Great Event
This race has it all! While the action begins on Saturday with the 5K, Kids Race, and Virginia Beer Mile, the true fun begins on Friday with the opening of … MORE
This race has it all! While the action begins on Saturday with the 5K, Kids Race, and Virginia Beer Mile, the true fun begins on Friday with the opening of the Expo. While not an enormous expo, the DiLalla at J&A provide a great assortment of vendors, along with quick and painless packet pickup and of course you have to stop for a crab photo or two! The 5K offers a great mostly flat (one fairly quick overpass) that offers an awesome warm up to a weekend of activities! And heck who doesn’t like a race that includes a Petting Zoo photo stop on course! The Virginia Beer Mile, new I. 2017, provides beer fans and fun and light hearted way to enjoy two hobbies! The “main” event starts on Sunday with thousands of runners taking to the streets of Hampton for another mostly flat (again that quick overpass) that offers some beautiful sights especially along the waterfront. If you aren’t a fan of “large, big city” style races this is the perfect event for you. It never feels congested and always seems low key. As always J&A racing provides great swag including awesome shirts, premium medals and lots of extras you never even expect! I highly recommend everyone check it out! Be sure to take on the Shell Yeah Challenge (2 Days, 2 Races, 3 Medals). And don’t forget to stay around for the Craft Beer Fest at the after party area. By far the best after party beverage selection, including ciders! 🦀 🍺 🏃🏽♀️ 🏃🏻
So hot, but otherwise fine
I chose the Crawlin' Crab as a race to run with a good friend of mine. She lives on the east coast and I on the west. I grew up … MORE
I chose the Crawlin’ Crab as a race to run with a good friend of mine. She lives on the east coast and I on the west. I grew up on the east coast so I know October weather can be unpredictable. I trained in cool Northern California temperatures all summer and was horribly unprepared for the weather of the Crawlin’ Crab this year. It was mid-80s at the start, and 85% humidity (that “local weather” map you see up there is WRONG). It was BRUTAL. Even people who had trained in the heat and humidity were struggling. I heard a lot of complaints about the start time – apparently the race had an earlier start time in previous years to try to avoid the heat. But not this year. The water at the water stops was air temperature and was not refreshing in the least. Finally at the 10 mile water stop, the volunteers had a bucket of ice water that they were dipping towels into to try to help us cool off. It helped minimally. My muscles were cramping even though I was taking electrolytes. My ears had filled with sweat and my eyes were burning. It took everything I had just to finish. It was my 17th half marathon, and my personal worst time. I was 40 minutes slower than my personal best. The course was mostly flat and fine, except for a section near the waterfront that smelled of fish, which is not what you want to smell when you’re already suffering and it’s HOT. There’s also not much shade, which would’ve been nice. The race shirt is great and I liked the mason jar (though it says 5k on it instead of half marathon). The hat is nice but would be better if it were wicking material instead of cotton. I didn’t get to enjoy any of the post-race food or beer—they were serving soup, and I honestly don’t know who could stand to eat hot soup after running 13.1 miles through air that felt like hot soup. I won’t ever run this race again—the race organizers did the best they could, I’m sure, but it was just brutally hot and humid and terrible racing conditions. Cooler water at water stops, an earlier start time, and ice cold cloths earlier in the race are the suggestions I would give for making it more bearable if the temperatures are like this next year.
Great Race in Hampton
J&A Racing is top notch! Well organized and a good expo! Great, relatively flat course through Hampton, Va. Awesome after party as well with soup and plenty of beer! MORE
J&A Racing is top notch! Well organized and a good expo! Great, relatively flat course through Hampton, Va. Awesome after party as well with soup and plenty of beer!