Nebraska State Fair Marathon
Grand Island, NE
- Marathon, Marathon Relay, Half Marathon, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Nebraska State Fair Marathon is one of the last chances to qualify for the Boston Marathon and is one of the flattest and fastest courses. The Nebraska State Fair Marathon will include several different races for the entire family. The races include a Marathon, Half-Marathon, Relay Marathon, 5K, 1-Mile … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Aug 29):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 78 | 92 | 88 | 88 | 79 |
| L (°F) | 67 | 69 | 60 | 67 | 66 |
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LOVE!!!!!!
The scenery was amazing, and i loved it. Only downfall was my husband and kiddo had to buy a ticket to get into the fair even though we werent staying … MORE
The scenery was amazing, and i loved it. Only downfall was my husband and kiddo had to buy a ticket to get into the fair even though we werent staying for the fair afterwards.
Flat as can be.
Minimal elevation change. Potential for a fast time. Was quite warm this year, but a good course and well organized. Course was well marked with plenty of volunteers to assist. MORE
Minimal elevation change. Potential for a fast time. Was quite warm this year, but a good course and well organized. Course was well marked with plenty of volunteers to assist.
Loved the experience!
This was my first ever marathon. Had a great time and will definitely do it again in 2025. All of the volunteers were awesome and it was well organized. The … MORE
This was my first ever marathon. Had a great time and will definitely do it again in 2025. All of the volunteers were awesome and it was well organized. The snacks, swag and venue were top notch. So looking forward to it all again!
Awesome Race
Super well organized!! Course was clearly marked. Plenty of water on course. Tons of volunteers. Great race shirt. Free entry into the state fair. Highly recommend this race!! MORE
Super well organized!! Course was clearly marked. Plenty of water on course. Tons of volunteers. Great race shirt. Free entry into the state fair. Highly recommend this race!!
Very well produced event
Read the race brief, everything you need to know is in there. You can expect the event to deliver exactly what they say. The high school volunteers are really supportive … MORE
Read the race brief, everything you need to know is in there. You can expect the event to deliver exactly what they say. The high school volunteers are really supportive of all the runners. If you want to stay for the fair plan ahead and have it in your car when you finish.
Just awesome
Definitely fun and nice 👍🏼 plus good snacks a bunch of us from our area all go run this race I can’t wait to stay at the casino 🎰 and … MORE
Definitely fun and nice 👍🏼 plus good snacks a bunch of us from our area all go run this race I can’t wait to stay at the casino 🎰 and swim and play roulette
Well organized!!!
Very well organized. The volunteers were the very best. Can not do it without them. Runners are treated with respect. Refreshments were great to help hydrate runners. Physical Therapy to … MORE
Very well organized. The volunteers were the very best. Can not do it without them. Runners are treated with respect. Refreshments were great to help hydrate runners. Physical Therapy to care for runners after running was another level of care for the runners. It is nice to see and talk to other runners. I really can not think of any improvements needed. I forgot to say the opening ceremony was important.
Flat and occasionally fast
Super flat course with great volunteers and well positioned aid stations. Depending on weather, course has possibility to be very fast. Weather is usually very hot and muggy. Race medals … MORE
Super flat course with great volunteers and well positioned aid stations. Depending on weather, course has possibility to be very fast. Weather is usually very hot and muggy. Race medals are super fun!!!
Great first experience
Great first time run. The course was pretty flat. Running down in the park and near Stuhr museum was the best. Plenty of aid stations throughout the course. Hardware was … MORE
Great first time run. The course was pretty flat. Running down in the park and near Stuhr museum was the best. Plenty of aid stations throughout the course. Hardware was pretty cool as well!
One of my favorite flat marathons
Not as many Marathon runners but great support in the back half of the race. Love the race swag and the fair is fun to do once completed and many … MORE
Not as many Marathon runners but great support in the back half of the race. Love the race swag and the fair is fun to do once completed and many fun activities for the kiddos to do while I ran.
A nice race!
Nice flat course, volunteers are great. Information before was very helpful. Early start to beat the heat was nice..The medals are really nice. I like the new award place medals. … MORE
Nice flat course, volunteers are great. Information before was very helpful. Early start to beat the heat was nice..The medals are really nice. I like the new award place medals.
Great race and supportive
Aid stations with water are well placed. The race route is simple and not at all taxing on the body. I've run it 4 times and I will likely run … MORE
Aid stations with water are well placed. The race route is simple and not at all taxing on the body. I’ve run it 4 times and I will likely run it again!
Welll organized, good environment
First full. Hot weather, at roughly 14 miles, paved road no shade for several miles, some traffic along hwy 30. Would have preferred not having to run back the exact … MORE
First full. Hot weather, at roughly 14 miles, paved road no shade for several miles, some traffic along hwy 30. Would have preferred not having to run back the exact same route to and from the lake communities (along hwy 30, seedling mile road, gunbarrel). A different return route preferred. Great volunteers and race environment, well planned and organized.
It's alright
I've ran a lot of races, and I'm not sure this race is worth the price. Plus the fact that family members have to pay to get into the fair … MORE
I’ve ran a lot of races, and I’m not sure this race is worth the price. Plus the fact that family members have to pay to get into the fair if they want to watch you finish is an added expense. The ticket into the state fair would be better if it could be used any day and not just the day of the race.
Hot!
Flat with good surfaces and great support from volunteers, but August can be hot and humid in Nebraska. This day was one of those with a yellow warning heat index. MORE
Flat with good surfaces and great support from volunteers, but August can be hot and humid in Nebraska. This day was one of those with a yellow warning heat index.
Fun yet Hot race
The weather was super hot so not optimal for race conditions if you did not train. There was no swag, period. Not even an expo. Just a table to pick … MORE
The weather was super hot so not optimal for race conditions if you did not train. There was no swag, period. Not even an expo. Just a table to pick up your bib and one vendor.
Great but hot end of summer run
This course is absolutely flat! There's maybe 10 feet of elevation and that is only in one small stretch. The difficult things about this race are its timing which can … MORE
This course is absolutely flat! There’s maybe 10 feet of elevation and that is only in one small stretch. The difficult things about this race are its timing which can often lead to end of summer heat and humidity. Thankfully they start it early so you can finish before it becomes too un-bearable. The registration and race organization is always great and the course itself is easy to navigate and fun to run
great race
This race is very well organized and the volunteers are always friendly. This is a fairly easy flat race. Great options, marathon, 1/2 marathon, relay, 5k and 1 mile kid … MORE
This race is very well organized and the volunteers are always friendly. This is a fairly easy flat race. Great options, marathon, 1/2 marathon, relay, 5k and 1 mile kid race. My kids enjoyed the 1 mile with their friends.
A FAIRly Good Half Marathon
This is a 5K, Half Marathon or Full Marathon that is located in Grand Island Nebraska (about 2.5 hours from Omaha) and is run in conjunction with the big Nebraska … MORE
This is a 5K, Half Marathon or Full Marathon that is located in Grand Island Nebraska (about 2.5 hours from Omaha) and is run in conjunction with the big Nebraska State Fair. I chose this race mostly due to convenience as it worked perfect as a double with Sioux Falls the next day. Pre race communication was adequate with an updated website and enough emails to get all the info you need to know. For the race you can either do packet pick-up the day before or morning of the race. I had Friday off and flew into Omaha and arrived in the early afternoon. While I technically could have made Friday packet pickup I wanted to go to Omaha Zoo and get dinner at Modern Love (an amazing vegan restaurant in Omaha I definitely recommend if you are there) so I didn’t arrive in Grand Island until later in the evening and got my packet race morning. I stayed at the Candlewood Suites in Grand Island which was a short drive to the race. Race morning was east. There is plenty of parking at the State Fair Grounds. Race packet pick-up was also easy and smooth. It included bib, ticket to state fair, drink ticket for soda, water or beer and a red long sleeved tech shirt. The shirt is nice although for hotter, summer races I’d prefer a short sleeve shirt. It was a pretty hot morning for the race but the race starts early at 6:30 so you miss most of the heat. It was a bit hotter than expected for August but it’s August so heat can’t be unexpected. This race did not cancel any distance unlike Sioux Falls which canceled the marathon despite similar weather on Saturday and Sunday. The race was very well-organized for a small race. There was between 200-300 half marathoners and 100-200 full marathoners. The course is a loop through Grand Island and is as interesting and as varied as possible for the area. The first about 2.5 miles I didn’t like much as they were along a busy main road with strip malls and chain restaurants and just wasn’t interesting. It was a 2 lane road and 1 lane was blocked off so it was safe and plenty of space. After that the scenery is better. The next part is around 2 miles on a path that runs through corn fields the iconic view of Nebraska. My favorite part was the next section which was about 4 miles through parks. This part was scenic and had some shade which was nice. There was also a really nice section around mile 7 where you circle around a museum. The rest of the race is mostly through neighborhoods which is fine but a bit generic. The race is very flat, almost too flat. The only difficulty is the potential heat which is why I marked it 2 sneakers. There were a good amount of aid stations. At least every 2 miles some more frequent. I could have used more in the heat but for a smaller race it was a good amount. They had water and gatorade and some had other snacks like fruit snacks. The race was well marked, there was accurate mile marks, lots of volunteers, plenty of course marshals and police to direct traffic. Roads were either partially closed or you were on public paths. There aren’t a ton of spectators but more than expected for a smaller race. Production was really good and about as good as any smaller race this size I’ve done. This race had a long time limit as the half had the same time limit as the full. Sioux Falls had a tighter time limit of 3:15 so I took this race easier. My goal was to finish under 3:30 since that would give me time to quickly visit the fair and still make it to Sioux Falls for packet pick-up and my finishing time was just what I expected. No issues being in the back of the pack other than this being a small race so I was sometimes running alone. The finish line is well set up with a big start/finish arch. The medals are huge and it is one of my better medals. This was the 10th anniversary year so they may be bigger than usual but some people I know who run this race regularly said the medals are alwasy nice. There was plenty of post race snacks like granola bars, cookies, fruit, chips and then tons of food you can purchase at the fair. Overall I thought this was a really nice race and definitely a good choice for Nebraska. The races in the bigger cities may have some more spectators and bigger post race parties but this is a good choice for Nebraska especially if you are looking to double with South Dakota as Sioux Falls is the next day.
Magical
This was my 10th 1/2 marathon and I had to reach out. Your run was my favorite. So, so many humble people. Everything was just perfect. The police and volunteers … MORE
This was my 10th 1/2 marathon and I had to reach out. Your run was my favorite. So, so many humble people. Everything was just perfect. The police and volunteers went above and beyond. As I was the last 1/2 marathoner I was super impressed with the whole set up. The water stations and traffic control waited for me. I had the pleasure of meeting a gem of a volunteer named Dan DeNeui. Dan was supposed to bike the route and insure that the runners were safe. Instead he chose to walk beside me for the whole 1/2 marathon. I truly appreciated this and felt super safe. Thank you so much for organizing an amazing race.