The Hyannis Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & Marathon Relay is one of the premier winter race events in New England. It’s the first distance race event of the year with runners from all over New England hoping to either run a personal record, cover the distance for the first time, …
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The Hyannis Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & Marathon Relay is one of the premier winter race events in New England. It’s the first distance race event of the year with runners from all over New England hoping to either run a personal record, cover the distance for the first time, maybe qualify for the Boston Marathon or to just get moving again after a winter of cold and slow runs!
The courses are extremely picturesque and historical, passing along Craigville Beach, Kalus Beach, historic Hyannis Harbor, Lewis Bay, John F. Kennedy Memorial, Kennedy Family Compound, Officer Michael Aselton Memorial Park, and the charming Cape Cod villages of Hyannisport and Centerville.
The course is paved and mostly flat and gentle, with a few rolling areas ideal for a late winter/early spring PR. The course is not closed to traffic however the traffic is very light on most of the route. The course is well monitored by police and volunteers.
Both the marathon and half marathon courses are USATF certified by Ray Nelson.
There is a strict 6 hour time completion. All Safety and Course Management will be off the course at 4:00pm
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Don’t sign up for this race
The race was cancelled and the organizer has not issued refunds. Sorry, doesn’t matter why the race didn’t happen, if it doesn’t happen you need to refund the entry fee. … MORE
The race was cancelled and the organizer has not issued refunds. Sorry, doesn’t matter why the race didn’t happen, if it doesn’t happen you need to refund the entry fee. On top of that, the organizer is basically ignoring everyone. What a class act.
Usually good but poor comms this year
I've run this race many times. It's a good event, when it takes place. Unfortunately, weather conditions meant the race couldn't proceed as planned this year. This is understandable. What … MORE
I’ve run this race many times. It’s a good event, when it takes place. Unfortunately, weather conditions meant the race couldn’t proceed as planned this year. This is understandable. What isn’t so understandable is the ensuing poor communication. On February 25, the race director promised to follow up soon: “I will have an update late next week when I have had a chance to speak with folks in person.” Well over two weeks later, there has been zero additional commination. Again, it’s understandable that February/March weather in Massachusetts can cause problems. The lack of communication is the deal breaker for me.
Freezing! But Fun
Absolutely freezing on race morning (feels like 10 Fahrenheit) but overall a beautiful course along the water and through the Cape. A fair amount of hills but a big enough … MORE
Absolutely freezing on race morning (feels like 10 Fahrenheit) but overall a beautiful course along the water and through the Cape. A fair amount of hills but a big enough race to work through them and feel motivated by spectators and fellow racers
TERRIBLE organization. DO NOT run.
Canceled the race <72 hours out. Now, <48 hours out they STILL have not emailed a single participant to announce the cancelation!! This is unbelievable to me. I had to … MORE
Canceled the race <72 hours out. Now, <48 hours out they STILL have not emailed a single participant to announce the cancelation!! This is unbelievable to me. I had to find out via randomly checking their website. There will be no refunds unless you bought insurance. The notice is so late that I'm also out $300 for my hotel. A forced cancelation because of weather is one thing …. delayed notice such that everyone is screwed over by your poor planning, lack of communication, and inability to make a call in a timely manner is another. This snow fell 5+ days ago. They've *known* the roads and power outages may be a problem, but failed to make a call in a timely manner, and failed to ANNOUNCE that call at all, or to make it right by offering refunds. Beyond disappointing and a huge waste of $400+ in total between my race fee and hotel. This was supposed to be my first marathon. I certainly will never run a race organized by the Fun Road Race Company again.
Great First Marathon
This was my first ever marathon, and it was a great first experience. The course was fine, volunteers were great, and having the convenience of staying at the host hotel … MORE
This was my first ever marathon, and it was a great first experience. The course was fine, volunteers were great, and having the convenience of staying at the host hotel made everything super simple.
One of the Best in MA for Back of Pack
This is a 10K, Half or Full Marathon located in Hyannis, MA which is in Cape Cod and is a little over an hour south of Boston (possible 1.5 hours … MORE
This is a 10K, Half or Full Marathon located in Hyannis, MA which is in Cape Cod and is a little over an hour south of Boston (possible 1.5 hours in traffic) and 1.5-2 hours from where I live. I decided to do this race for a few reasons. The main ones being even though I have lived in New England for most of my life I have never been to Cape Cod and the #1 reason being that the half has an extremely long time limit as there is a double loop marathon happening at the same time. This is my favorite race set up as a back of the pack half marathoners as I don’t have to worry about the course, aid stations or finish line being packed away as they will still be open for marathoners on their second loop. Another perk of this race is registration is super cheap. It was only $40 when I signed up. And while I wouldn’t consider this the greatest half marathon in the world, it is an excellent half marathon for $40. Pre race communication was fine with an updated website and a brief email mostly referring us to the website. There is packet pick-up either the day before or on race day. As the race starts at 10am my initial plan was to just drive in race day. However it is off season in Cape Cod so hotels are super cheap. When I saw how cheap they were I decided to stay overnight and did packet pickup saturday and went to the pasta dinner. The expo is pretty small but it had the typical booths and a few other vendors. I forgot my headphones. They were not selling them at the expo but someone from the Marathon Sports booth was very helpful and let me know where the closest running store was so I was able to get headphones. Packet included bib and a solid, red tech shirt that I would say has an average design and quality but is good for a cheap race. The race starts/finishes at the Cape Code Irish Village and the expo and everything is there. If you want things to be as convenient as possible stay there. However I’m an IHG member and want the points and get free upgrades so I stayed at a Holiday Inn about 8 minutes away. While it wasn’t as convenient as the host hotel it was still a very convenient and an easy morning as there was plenty of parking at the race. It was a very cold morning today which was disappointing after a warmer week but the universe wanted me to get one more cold, long run in before Antarctica. The start was fairly well organized. There were a good amount of porta potties and you could go inside the convention center of the hotel to escape the cold. The start could have used some sort of signs of how to line up by pace. I know New England races tend to attract more front of the packers so I stayed near the back. Race started on time at 10am. I appreciated the later start as it was warmer later in the day. Course was mostly good. There were a few gorgeous water front views. There were also a few more boring sections through neighborhood. You also pass by the JFK memorial and few other more historic sites. Of note due to it being the off season there is a lot of construction on the course which is not the race’s fault but just something to take not of if scenery is your priority. However the construction means a lot of unofficial porta potties on course which was good as I was having a bad stomach day. There were also a good number of official porta potties and aid stations. Aid stations had just water and gatorade but no nutrition which is fair for the registration price. There was a good amount of aid stations but as another reviewer pointed out there was one long stretch between about mile 1.75 and mile 5 with no aid stations. Production of the race was adequate and above expectations for the price. It was well marked. There were course marshals at the most important intersections. The mile markers were small but there. The course is on some open or partially open roads. I agree with the earliest review that there is one short section along a busy road that is narrowly coned off and the surface is not great that I did not enjoy but the rest was fine. It is a fairly easy course especially for New England but there are a few minor hills. I wish they had an elevation profile posted to help strategize. The first third or so of the race is pretty flat and I pushed myself a little too hard thinking the whole race would be this flat. The next third is rolling hills and net uphill. The uphills were not terrible by any means especially for New England but I was a bit tired for them since I went too hard in the beginning. There was also a headwind for a portion of this section. My back while better is still not 100% and didn’t like the uphill either. The last third is again rolling but net downhill. But by then between my stomach issues, back issues and fatigue from the wind I was beat. I still finished under 3:10 and my finish time was okay. It was not my day today. But as I said the half has the same time limit as the marathon so not a big deal. I did notice the announcer was making a bigger deal of the marathon finishers and kind of ignoring us slower half marathon finishers but it’s just how it is in New England. Everything else was fine as back of the back except the second from last aid station ran out of gatorade. At the end you get your medal. It is a very nice medal but not distance specific. However for a $40 race that is fine. I was a little disappointed in the post race food. There were bagels, fruit, granola bars, muffins etc which is fine except the website said there would be soup and coffee as well. I didn’t see the soup and coffee. Maybe I missed it but if it was there it should be clearer where it is located. I think it likely wasn’t there as the other review from this year also doesn’t mention it. If we aren’t going to get the soup and coffee it is understandable given the registration fee but remove it from the website. Overall I thought this was a very solid race. It is an excellent race for the price and I definitely recommend it to locals. I think it is a good (though probably not the best) option for MA for 50 staters. However it is almost definitely the best option for 50 staters who finish half marathons over 3.5 hours given how strict many MA races are with time limits. I definitely felt this was a more back of the pack friendly experience than Bay State the other MA race I’ve done with a time limit longer than 3.5 hours. This is a race I would consider doing again given its convenance, long time limit and cheap registration fee.
Fun, quick race by the ocean
Overall a fun and flat race. Check in was easy. Parking is plentiful near the start. Course mostly flat with a few small hills. Gorgeous views by the ocean in … MORE
Overall a fun and flat race. Check in was easy. Parking is plentiful near the start. Course mostly flat with a few small hills. Gorgeous views by the ocean in a couple of places.
Post race ok refreshments. Water, bagels and jelly, bananas and apples and some other snacks. Live band was cool after.
Water stations were fine for the half after mile 5. I think one may have been missing around mile 3
Overall fun small town race. Would do again and perhaps try the full.
Nice race in the off season
I am not fast enough for Boston soooo... Hyannis was a good choice. We spent a day in Boston prior to driving down to Hyannis. It was chilly and windy … MORE
I am not fast enough for Boston soooo…
Hyannis was a good choice. We spent a day in Boston prior to driving down to Hyannis. It was chilly and windy the whole weekend.
We stayed at the Hyannis Travel Inn. VERY nice people and they had a Stay One Night, Get the 2nd Free deal!
Pros:
-Lengthy day of packet pickup & Expo (We did not rush to Saturday’s packet pickup which closed at 5pm)
-Race starts at 10am so we were able to sleep a full night and not rush breakfast or getting ready. Plus the temperature was a bit warmer at 10am, which helped me being from the south.
-Parking was easy – there were lots of volunteers directing parking traffic.
-Water stops were plentiful and well stocked.
-On my second loop – a family near a water station was giving out Girl scout cookies!
-The course was nice with a mixture of beach views and beautiful neighborhoods.
Cons:
-A few more toilets along the course would have been nice.
-Once short section of the course was along a busy road. During the second loop of the course, traffic was much heavier. Having the cones there to separate us was great, but in a few spots the pavement/curb was in really bad shape and you almost had to get in the road go around it.
Overall-The race was enjoyable. The area is beautiful and full of history and things to see. This time of year a lot of restaurants/stores are closed for the season, but this forces you to eat where the locals eat. You also get to explore the town without tons of vacationers.
Would I do it again – Yes.