The Ellerbe Marathon (formerly Ellerbe Springs Marathon) first ran in 1992. Its origin dates to the fall of 1991 as Mark Long and Doug Dawkins were returning from the Greensboro Marathon. At that time there were but a few marathons in North Carolina. By the time the pair had reached Richmond County on Highway 220 they had mostly agreed on the idea of working together to create a local marathon. At the very moment Doug asked where to have the race they were driving past the entrance of the Ellerbe Springs Inn and Mark said “How about right there?” A meeting the next week with Neal Cadieu and Beth Cadieu who were the owner/operators of the inn resulted in an agreement and the first Ellerbe Springs Marathon ran in April 1992 with 40 athletes finishing. Now, the Ellerbe Marathon has the distinction of being the second oldest marathon in North Carolina. And the Ellerbe Half Marathon one of the newest!
The race start and finish has moved to uptown Ellerbe. The host is the Ellerbe Rescue Squad and the finish line will be on Sunset Avenue near their headquarters. The start is on Page Street near BB&T. Both the marathon and half marathon are now certified. Timing will be RFID chip timing with live results and managed by Wilson Timing. Most of the course will use roads that have been part of the marathon in years past.
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Great, Small-Town Race!
Ellerbe is about 30 minutes from Pinehurst, NC, known as the “Home of American Golf”, so if you or your travel companions enjoy golfing, I’d consider adding this one to … MORE
Ellerbe is about 30 minutes from Pinehurst, NC, known as the “Home of American Golf”, so if you or your travel companions enjoy golfing, I’d consider adding this one to your list. Pinehurst/Southern Pines also have great hiking and parks, and super cute Hallmark-like downtown areas with excellent restaurants and shops! Race location is about 1.5 hours from both Raleigh and Charlotte for those interested in flying in (although it’s more of a “no frills” race- see below).
Difficulty: Rolling hills! The course is on rural country roads that are surprisingly hilly. I’d heard that this course was pretty difficult, and while I agree, I did PR lol, so come to this race with an open mind.
Scenery: I loved it. Country roads…take me home 😉 Not much to see, but there isn’t much traffic, so that was nice. I prefer a more nature-inspired, open-road race to an urban one, though.
Production: This race was another smaller event with easy logistics. I love being able to drive straight to parking right by the start/finish line without worrying about shuttles! Packet pick-up was right before the race (8 a.m)- I got there around 7:30 a.m. with no line. I signed up late, about a week before the event, and paid about $92 total ($85 with an additional processing fee), so sign up earlier than I did (initial cost is $60, then $75). They offer a full marathon option, and a fun fact: this is the oldest continuously held marathon in North Carolina. I think they had 4-5 aid stations with water, Gatorade, and porta-potties along the way. Friendly volunteers handed out drinks and cheered on runners. They also offered a hot meal after finishing (cheese quesadillas and soup). There aren’t many spectators aside from the volunteers, so keep that in mind if you prefer races with crowd support. The communication with the race director was wonderful- he sent out a few emails the week prior, touching base.
Swag: Included a long-sleeve moisture-wicking shirt, and finishers received medals and beautiful handmade pottery cups from a family business in Seagrove, NC. Special pottery was given to the top three male and female finishers (I placed 3rd in the females- quite an unexpected treat!).
Overall, I really enjoyed the small-town feel to this race.
Rural, hilly course
This small race is run on a 13+ mile loop along paved rural roads. Run two of the loops for the full marathon. The course has some hills that can … MORE
This small race is run on a 13+ mile loop along paved rural roads. Run two of the loops for the full marathon. The course has some hills that can challenge the unprepared runner. Course support was adequate. Runners received a long sleeve tech shirt with finishers earning a medal and a locally made piece of pottery. Hot soup and quesadillas awaited the finishers.
Rural half/full marathon
This small race is run on a 13+ mile loop along paved rural roads. Run two of the loops for the full marathon. The course has some hills that can … MORE
This small race is run on a 13+ mile loop along paved rural roads. Run two of the loops for the full marathon. The course has some hills that can challenge the unprepared runner. Course support was adequate. Runners received a long sleeve tech shirt with finishers earning a medal and a locally made piece of pottery. Hot soup and quesadillas awaited the finishers.
Quaint smaller race
This race is held by a small group of dedicated runners and had a very welcoming feel. I drove out the morning of the race, was able to walk through … MORE
This race is held by a small group of dedicated runners and had a very welcoming feel. I drove out the morning of the race, was able to walk through packet pick up with no problems and still get ready for the race start.
The race is run on rural roads and is surprisingly hilly. Ample race support for the size of the race and professional timing but a local timing company.
Would do again.