Gulf Beach Half Marathon
Milford, CT
- Half Marathon
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Gulf Beach Half Marathon is the most gorgeous and FLATTEST Half Marathon in Connecticut! Run along the beautiful beaches of Milford featuring the Silver Sands State Park Boardwalk. This is a PR Course like no other. The race sells out, so register now and close out Summer with the … MORE
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Very Fast Field, Scenic and PR Race!
I signed up for this with only about a month's notice after a DNS at another CT race due to knee injury. We drove up Friday night. Easy Saturday morning … MORE
I signed up for this with only about a month’s notice after a DNS at another CT race due to knee injury. We drove up Friday night. Easy Saturday morning bib pickup and race logistics. The start and finish line were 100 yards apart. This was probably the fastest field of runners I’ve ever been in. I’m pretty ok – Galloway runner but these runners really moved and inspired me to get a PR.
The only criticism was there much for post-race food or drink. Small pieces of bagel or half a banana. There wasn’t even water when I finished and no post-race beer.
I loved the course and loved the shirt. I would absolutely recommend this race.
Pretty course, low key production
Needed CT for my second round of 50 states and was in the area so chose this one. There is no packet pick up on Friday, it's only the morning … MORE
Needed CT for my second round of 50 states and was in the area so chose this one. There is no packet pick up on Friday, it’s only the morning of the race which is good and bad. No extra travel needed but extra early morning of the race. The shirt was just meh, and unfortunately, since you have to get the shirt before the race, you need to get it and then go back to your car which could be anywhere. Parking wasn’t too bad. The course was relatively flat (it’s the coast) and very pretty–you run through a cute little beach town and then drop down onto a beach boardwalk and run along the ocean for a bit. Plenty of water stations and decent traffic control. It was SO HUMID and when the sun came up, I got brutalized coming from the desert…so it was hella slow for me but I didn’t feel like killing myself since I had a great race last week. The medals were ok– a cool skull with wings that was sparkly. Minimal post race support–bananas, oranges and water. BUT, they did AG 5 deep! Can’t complain, it was pretty and not as big a production as Hartford (only about 750 completed I think) so if you’re looking for a smaller race, it’s a good one.
Too Warm and Not That Flat
Unlike how it is promoted, this is NOT a pancake flat course. There is some incline. Granted, nothing terrible but it certainly is not the flattest course. Secondly, it was … MORE
Unlike how it is promoted, this is NOT a pancake flat course. There is some incline. Granted, nothing terrible but it certainly is not the flattest course. Secondly, it was quite warm when I ran. I believe it was about 70 degrees when I crossed the finish. This is not a PR course at all.
Further, there were not mile markers at each mile.
Finally, it would have been nice to have been able to pick up the bib the day before the race.
At least, there were nice views of the Long Island Sound along the course.
Awesome views by the beach
The course was great. If you are a first timer, this is the race for you. Mostly flat with a few small inclines. Pre race packet pick up the night … MORE
The course was great. If you are a first timer, this is the race for you. Mostly flat with a few small inclines.
Pre race packet pick up the night before would have been nice as the only time to pick up if you’ve already registered was the morning of the race. This posed long lines and a bit of stress right before the start of a race.
Swag was ok. Black dry fit t shirt and a cool race medal.
The weather was nice, definitely glad it started early as the morning progressed it got pretty hot. There was a cool breeze coming off the ocean which was a saving grace.
Post race snacks only included bananas.
Beautiful course
This was my first time running this race and I have to say that Fairfield is touted as the most beautiful race in CT, but this course was so much … MORE
This was my first time running this race and I have to say that Fairfield is touted as the most beautiful race in CT, but this course was so much more beautiful! I mean, the views!
Packet pickup and parking race morning were easy. That being said, I did the early start so there weren’t a ton of people when I got there. I was pleasantly surprised by how many people did the early start. The course is mostly flat and so scenic. The weather was a tad humid for my taste, but the temperature was perfect. I was disappointed in the lack of pre race communication. I don’t think I received a pre race email until 2 days before the race with my bib #.
Finish photos are free which is great. The medal is a little small, but high quality, and you get a tech tee as well. I could’ve gone for pizza at the finish, but had to settle for a banana and piece of a bagel. That could just be me being spoiled by a lot of area races that offer pizza haha. I’d definitely run this one again.
Flat, fast and scenic
Small town race mostly along the shore line and residential streets making this a scenic course. I especially enjoyed the boardwalk section open to the ocean views. The race production … MORE
Small town race mostly along the shore line and residential streets making this a scenic course. I especially enjoyed the boardwalk section open to the ocean views. The race production and swag are minimal and could certainly be improved upon. The course is totally OPEN to all traffic, pedestrians and cyclists at all times…. even at the start and finish lines. Being from out-of-state, I was very uncomfortable with the lack of safety, added obstacles and minimal directions while racing on the course. Glad I finished but not a race I plan to do again.
Beautiful views.
A flat and scenic course. Loved running on the boardwalk. Very convenient parking and host hotel only two miles away. Not too big, not too small. Not a lot of … MORE
A flat and scenic course. Loved running on the boardwalk. Very convenient parking and host hotel only two miles away. Not too big, not too small. Not a lot of crossing help and I only saw one police car(I did not see any police after that) before start of race. Somehow I got missed on pre race email and mentioned it during bib pickup. Not too happy with the response, Thankfully I had a friend running this one with me who received the email. Plenty of port-a -potties, limited selection of post food. Swag was limited to a finishers medal and Tshirt.
Beautiful seaside course!
This was a beautiful seaside course which was primarily flat. The coastal town was charming with its beach themed shops and ice cream parlors. No real swag to speak of … MORE
This was a beautiful seaside course which was primarily flat. The coastal town was charming with its beach themed shops and ice cream parlors.
No real swag to speak of here and no real after party. There were very few on course spectators and unfortunately, in my opinion, not enough water stops. Be sure to bring your own water! The beautiful scenery more than made up for this though and I would recommend this race.
Great race along the shore
The Shoreline Sharks are in charge of this event, and they do a great job of organizing. The race was limited to 600 participants this year and was sold out … MORE
The Shoreline Sharks are in charge of this event, and they do a great job of organizing. The race was limited to 600 participants this year and was sold out a few days before race day. There was no packet pick up before race day which was kind of a bummer, but they managed to get bibs and t-shirts to everyone before the 7am start. Parking was limited at the starting line, so if you didn’t get there early, you were forced to turn around and park on some side streets. The t-shirt was a bright neon yellow technical shirt (pretty low quality) with very basic design. (Probably will be throwing that in the clothes donation pile!) They started right away at 7am. There were water/aid stations every few miles starting at mile 2.75. The course itself went though some neighborhoods and along the boardwalk of the gulf beach, winding through Walnut Beach and turning around at the Silver Sands state park sanctuary. So after 6.5 miles you turned around and then ran back the exact same way you came. Except for a few hills in the neighborhoods, the course was very flat. Not many spectators to cheer you on, and there were no road closures, so you had to share the road with cars. Medals were pretty weak, just saying “Gulf Beach Half Marathon”. (No date, not even on the ribbon!) Finish line goodies included water, bananas, and bagel slices. All in all, a good half marathon to complete if you are looking to do a race in Connecticut, with fantastic scenery along the shore and good course support with aid stations and volunteers.
Charming small race
This was a great race! No frills, clear expectations and communication. I loved that there were indoor bathrooms to use before and after racing, the morning of race bib and … MORE
This was a great race! No frills, clear expectations and communication. I loved that there were indoor bathrooms to use before and after racing, the morning of race bib and shirt pickup was smooth, and on site support was great. I placed second in age/gender and got a really cool pint glass. I highly recommend this race. Scenic, gorgeous, great!
Beautiful, flat, fast
This is a tie with Hartford for my favorite race in Connecticut. The race organizers, the Shoreline Sharks, offer great events, and this race is their main/crown event. The course … MORE
This is a tie with Hartford for my favorite race in Connecticut. The race organizers, the Shoreline Sharks, offer great events, and this race is their main/crown event. The course is almost entirely flat, and is an out and back course that takes you by the beach and the waterfront. This race sells out every year so definitely register early. I think this is a great event for people who want to see coastal Connecticut. Highly recommended.