The Margarita Half Marathon & 5K is shaking things up this spring! Runners from across New England will take over the scenic backroads of Greenland and Newington, winding through charming New England filled with local character, fresh air, and feel-good energy. Chase a personal best, tackle your first race, or …
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The Margarita Half Marathon & 5K is shaking things up this spring! Runners from across New England will take over the scenic backroads of Greenland and Newington, winding through charming New England filled with local character, fresh air, and feel-good energy.
Chase a personal best, tackle your first race, or show up purely for the margaritas — this festive spring event delivers good vibes from start to finish…and beyond. Every runner (21+) receives a complimentary margarita at our lively post-race party.
Half Marathon
The half marathon takes runners on a rolling, picturesque route showcasing some of the most serene landscapes in New Hampshire. Starting from the Lowe’s parking lot, the course heads toward Newington, where you’ll enjoy views of the Great Bay Estuary, peaceful stretches within the Great Bay National Wildlife Preserve, and historic scenery including centuries-old stone walls, farmland, and small village roads.
After exploring Newington’s rural backroads, runners make their way back toward Greenland, taking in those same scenic estuary and farm views before finishing at the post-race celebration.
USATF certificiation #NH24011BK.
5K
The 5K begins at the same start line as the half marathon and follows the shared course for the first mile before looping back toward the finish area at Mercedes-Benz of Portsmouth. With 130 feet of elevation gain, this route mixes gentle hills with fast, fun stretches – perfect for runners of all levels.
Cross the finish and head straight to the celebration where your complimentary margarita will be waiting.
Your registration includes:
- Premium Tech Shirt
- Commemorative Finisher Medal
- Finisher Photos
- Professional Timing
- One Complimentary Margarita
- Post-Race Party with snacks + music
Show up fresh. Finish strong. Look amazing doing it.
Register now and secure your spot!
LESS
Great race, fun vibes, don’t miss it!
I participated as one of the official 2:40 pacers for this race. Bib pickup was super smooth, there was plenty of parking right at the start line. Course was very … MORE
I participated as one of the official 2:40 pacers for this race.
Bib pickup was super smooth, there was plenty of parking right at the start line. Course was very pretty, some rolling hills but very manageable. Aid stations were great (though maybe one more water stop towards the end would have been good, as it was a hot day) and ALL the volunteers were amazing. Finish line festivities were fantastic— pizza, snacks, margaritas, and music (any race with Michael Bernier is top notch). Love the medal and swag. Shuttles back to the parking lot were smooth. This was a super fun race that’s not to be missed!
Fun local race
The Margarita Half was a fun local race, I was sad to learn that 2024 was the last year for it though! I was looking for a race on this … MORE
The Margarita Half was a fun local race, I was sad to learn that 2024 was the last year for it though!
I was looking for a race on this specific date as I was traveling for work and found the Margarita Half. First off, packet pickup was simple and easy. The volunteers were very friendly and we chatted for a while. I was surprised to hear that I was their 2nd person from Texas. Sounded like they had a fair number of out-of-towners including some from California. Probably people like me, in the area.
Race production was well organized. All the volunteers were very friendly and helpful. The DJ at the start and end was doing a great job of hyping things up. I was really surprised at the number of people given that it was just a local race. People definitely turned out! Aid stations on the course were well stocked and volunteers were plentiful.
The course was good. Nice rolling hills through the New Hampshire countryside. We went through several neighborhoods and small towns. We went through a national wildlife refuge at one point. I turned off my music at one point so I could just take in the sounds of nature and enjoy the run.
The after-party was well done. The free breakfast burrito included was huge and perfect for after the run. A margarita at 10am is always nice as well! The finishers medal and race shirt were nice. Nothing crazy, but that’s to be expected. I didn’t run this one for the swag.
The only goofy part was the finish was 2/3 of a mile from the start, so you had to get back to your car. They were run shuttles (school buses), but the shuttle pickup was 1/3 of a mile in the other direction. Many people (including me) just walked back. Not my favorite after just running a half, but oh well.
Overall if I was a local, I’d run the race every year. It was fine as a destination run that I needed on that specific day. I was sad to find out a few days later that 2024 was the last year for the race, maybe they will bring it back at some point.
Tough conditions make you stronger
Le me preface this review with this; it's always difficult to review a race when the weather is crappy. It was cold, windy and sideways raining. The course was hilly, … MORE
Le me preface this review with this; it’s always difficult to review a race when the weather is crappy.
It was cold, windy and sideways raining.
The course was hilly, but not terrible and as the laws of physics say, what goes up must come down, so there was equally as much downhill for this race. There were very few spectator spots, so if you’re looking for a race to keep you hyped, this is not the one. The volunteers were all excellent and incredibly nice. The roads were open to traffic, but the volunteers and police details did a great job keeping that under control. Though there were some sections of the out and back where is wasn’t clear which side of the road to run on. They had the cones set up for the out portion and I assume they wanted the back to be within the cones as well, but it would have been difficult given the fact that there were still many runners still heading out.
The shirts were simple cotton tees, noting fancy, and the medals were pretty average. The after party was great with the many different alcohol options. As someone with Celiac it is always nice to have an adult beverage option for me.