Salem Wicked Half Marathon
Salem, MA
- Half Marathon
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Join the Wicked Half Marathon in historic Salem, MA! Participants will have a 4 hour time cap to complete this course. The course will offer aid stations every 1.5 to 2 miles and there will be a ton of cheerful volunteers on the course. Everyone will receive a custom finisher … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Sep 20):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 64 | 65 | 73 | 60 | 71 |
| L (°F) | 46 | 60 | 55 | 57 | 52 |
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Great scenery and pretty flat course.
This half marathon was a fun one. Pretty flat course if you avoided the sidewalks. Stay off the sidewalks as most of them are loaded with tree roots from the … MORE
This half marathon was a fun one. Pretty flat course if you avoided the sidewalks. Stay off the sidewalks as most of them are loaded with tree roots from the gorgeous fall trees. The weather was perfect too! Traffic intersections were well controlled with police presence. Would have liked a larger window for packet pick up the day before as we were traveling from 4 hours away. Swag was a long sleeve neon shirt which I love! Gotta keep yourself seen while running on the road.
Overall a well produced run and would do it again.
Watch Out for Cahs
This is a pretty close race for me as I live in the other Salem in NH about 45 minutes away from Salem, MA. I had heard mixed things about … MORE
This is a pretty close race for me as I live in the other Salem in NH about 45 minutes away from Salem, MA. I had heard mixed things about this race from some of my running friends but decided to try it since it was close by and I’ve never done it before. I’ll jump to chase and say why I gave this race 2 sneakers and would not recommend it and that is because it is open to traffic and you are running with traffic without cones on very busy roads and it did not feel safe. One reason I run is to alleviate anxiety and running next to traffic heightened my anxiety most of the race so I did not enjoy it. I don’t know why the reviews for this race are so high as it was definitely one of my least favorite half marathons. I think people either just really liked their trip to visit Salem which biased their review or maybe they are less bothered by being so close to traffic than me (I did see some pretty scary pedestrian motor vehicle accidents when I did some ER shifts during training so I may have heightened anxiety around traffic). I’ll start with the big positives which is this is the best time to visit Salem, MA for a couple of reasons. The main one is that it is the beginning of spooky season so the town is starting to get decorated for Halloween but it is before it gets completely packed with tourists. There is also likely to be beautiful weather in mid-late September which there was. Salem is pretty convenient to get to as it’s close to Boston. There is even a commuter rail from Boston to Salem if you don’t want to rent a car. Pre race communication was good with a pre race email/ guide with all the information. There was pre race packet pick up on Friday and Saturday and the option for race day packet pick up. The hours Friday were not the best as they were from 11-2pm. I worked at the town next to Salem on Friday and would have loved to have gotten my packet after work. I did have a cancellation in the afternoon Friday so was able to get it during my lunch break but it was tight and I barely had time to eat lunch. Packet included bib and a long sleeved tech shirt with the race logo. The shirt is nice but very, very neon. It’s a bit neon for me but it’s the perfect shirt to wear running in the late afternoon/early evening in the fall/winter when it starts to get dark early given how bright it is so I’m sure I will use it. I know parking can be tight in Salem so I arrived quite early Sunday morning. I arrived a little over an hour before the race started and found parking right by the start. Another big perk of this race is it is back of the pack friendly and has a long time limit which is rare for MA. There is a 4 hour time limit and there is an early start 30 minutes before the official start if you are concerned about the time limit. I did the regular start but I appreciate the option. The start wasn’t that organized. No corrals or pacers. There are about 700 runners so it’s not huge but it’s be nice to have a bit of instructions where to line up. I knew that most people slower than me would do the early start so I’d be one of the slower regular start people so I went near the back. The race starts in a park and quickly goes downtown. The first maybe half a mile or so wasn’t in traffic. Then once you get to downtown Salem there is a ton of traffic zooming right by you with minimal area to run. I absolutely hated this. I actually had a small panic attack and almost just dropped out but realized dropping out would mess up my master plan for 200 half marathons and just sucked it up. Whenever traffic was really bad I retreated to the sidewalks which were very beat up with lots of cracks and were hard to run on. The first 3 miles were terrible. There seemed to be some interesting and historical areas of Salem but I was more focused on not getting run over. I will say that in line with the spooky theme that this race was genuinely scary. The middle of the race goes through Marblehead and I liked this part much better. The course is sort of a lollipop. Marblehead is beautiful and has much less traffic. This section was a bit hilly but not terrible for New England. It was not closed to traffic but the roads here were pretty quiet and I started to enjoy the race. Then it was back to Salem and anxiety inducing traffic. Around mile 10 I caught up with some members of the 50 state half marathon club who did the early start. I decided to just walk and chat with them the rest of the way as trying to run on the sidewalk was difficult and running on the road was scary. I was able to enjoy the course more walking on the sidewalk and saw the house of seven gables and other cool sites. It’s hard to rate production of the race with the traffic being open. I know it’s really hard to get races in MA to be on closed roads and have a long time limit and have an exciting course. I would have definitely preferred a more boring course on quiet roads. I also would have preferred running against traffic than running with traffic. Other production aspects were mostly good or fine. The course was mostly easy to follow though it got a bit confusing at the end as there were so many people downtown. There were good aid stations every 2ish miles with water and Gatorade and a couple had gels. There were mile markers. Despite being open to traffic there were lots of police officers and course marshals directing traffic to make sure runners had the right of way and we wouldn’t have to stop which I appreciated. One of my friends told me when she did the race the police officers just left and abandoned the last finishers. They were there most of the race for me though there was one intersection I felt there should have been a course marshal at during the last mile. I don’t know if they left or if there just wasn’t one. I didn’t really have an issues being in the back of the pack and there were lots of runners my pace. The issues with traffic were true for all runners and may have been worse for the front of the packers in the lead who were alone. Since I ended up walking 3 miles my finishing time wasn’t great for me but I thought it was good for walking 3 miles. The finish line and finish area are fine. The medal has the race logo and it’s decent. Not the best and not the worst medal I’ve received. There was some blueberry cake and basic snacks like granola bars and bananas along with water, Gatorade and non alcoholic beer (but it was Heineken 0.0 not athletic brewing company…gross). Overall I was not a fan of this race as I absolutely hated running with so much traffic and it really triggered my anxiety. I do think there were some positives mostly the location, scenery and back of the pack friendliness. Personally I would not recommend this race unless you are really not bothered by running in busy traffic. If you are a 50 stater and want to visit Salem, MA I’d recommend the Newburyport Half in October or Jingle Bell Half in December which are both close to Salem, MA and I enjoyed a lot more.
Straight forward and pleasant
My favorite part is the ~4-5 miles over the causeway out to Marblehead Neck- gorgeous ocean scenery and very few vehicles on an otherwise pretty car-cozy road race. I appreciated … MORE
My favorite part is the ~4-5 miles over the causeway out to Marblehead Neck- gorgeous ocean scenery and very few vehicles on an otherwise pretty car-cozy road race. I appreciated the quiet of the starting line!
Perfect weather, beautiful, and hilly
The course was hillier than I thought it would be, but the weather was perfect: overcast with a breeze and about 56 degrees. Thankful for the option of the Sunshine … MORE
The course was hillier than I thought it would be, but the weather was perfect: overcast with a breeze and about 56 degrees. Thankful for the option of the Sunshine Start at 6:30 AM instead of 7 AM.
SWAG was a shirt and a medal, and the after-race food was some blueberry coffee cake, coffee, water, and pretzels. A little disappointing.
The entry fee was cheaper than most other half’s, at $75 bucks, and the course really was very pretty. Glad I did it, but not one I’d jump at to do again.
Roads weren’t closed for the race, but the police stationed along the route were great about watching traffic for runners. Lots of friendly and encouraging faster runners which was fantastic.
One of the best in New England!
This was my first time running the Wicked half marathon, though I had run B&S' Devil's Chase and Black Cat in the past. As usual, B&S did not disappoint! The … MORE
This was my first time running the Wicked half marathon, though I had run B&S’ Devil’s Chase and Black Cat in the past. As usual, B&S did not disappoint! The course was well marked and well supported. The views were amazing and the volunteers were first-rate. Proceeds benefitted the Salem Food Pantry, Salem Children’s Charity and Fit Girls Marblehead; Salem is one of my favorite cities as my Mom grew up there, and I’m so happy to support any local charities that B&S supports. This has quickly become my favorite fall half marathon and I plan on doing it again next year! 10/10 highly recommend.
Nice run in historic Salem
Not sure why this got such bad reviews. I thought it was a pretty decent race. They communicated very well. Had some nice views, although through town did have a … MORE
Not sure why this got such bad reviews. I thought it was a pretty decent race. They communicated very well. Had some nice views, although through town did have a lot of traffic. They gave decent swag that was a long sleeve athletic shirt and themed medal and bib (this was personalized) I think I did read somewhere that they give the same medal every year so that could be a problem for some but I don’t run the same race twice. Also nice post race goodies!
First time doing this race
Loved this race, only did it one time. Perfect course and went to Flatbread after and got pizza and beer. Great medal! Love the bib too, one of my favorites. MORE
Loved this race, only did it one time. Perfect course and went to Flatbread after and got pizza and beer. Great medal! Love the bib too, one of my favorites.
A 'wickedly' disappointing experience
I was very disappointed in many aspects of this race. First, there were no road closures, so be prepared to share the race path with significant traffic, including large trucks. … MORE
I was very disappointed in many aspects of this race. First, there were no road closures, so be prepared to share the race path with significant traffic, including large trucks. While there are traffic cops at the major intersections, many of them start to pack up as the runners start to thin out. One of my family members was the last to cross the finish line (well under the time limit) and was nearly hit by several vehicles and yelled at by a few drivers as he was trying to navigate his way to the end of the race. Secondly, there was minimal community support. I counted around 20 spectators total, and only two or three had signs. I’m not sure if it is because people did not know about the race, or just that the city has not gotten behind the idea of having a half marathon at the start of its big tourist season. Third, the race organization was pretty minimal. There was very little at the start and finish of the race to make it feel like an event, no pacers, no photographers, no tracking except for at the finish, and no aid stations (there were water/gatorade tables). And fourth, it just wasn’t very fun. You would think that at least the mile markers would have a Halloween theme (it is called the Wicked Half) but everything was very straight forward and generic — boring even. There was no themed music, costumes, or decorations. The one exception was the shirt and medal, which were fun and spooky. I hope in the future, the race organizers will take a little more time to make the experience safe, special, and fun for its runners.
My first half marathon
My first half marathon and I was not sure what to expect. Training did not go as well as I hoped, but Salem is one of my favorite small towns … MORE
My first half marathon and I was not sure what to expect. Training did not go as well as I hoped, but Salem is one of my favorite small towns and I was looking forward to it. I knew I would be slow so I took a spot near the back. This was also the inaugural half marathon, and now there is sponsorship so hopefully it is better.
The course started at the park, went through town, and out along the waterway. We went through some of the streets through the houses on the peninsula and back to the park. Good thing I looked at the course map ahead of time so I knew where I was going. There were plenty of volunteers at first, but as my slow pace dragged on, everyone started packing up. The last few miles there were no volunteers and no aid stations. Another guy was behind me and we kept going. Making it back toward town I followed the street signs that directed people to the park location. Running down the sidewalk two times people stopped me for directions. I guess I was so slow that they didn’t realize I was in a race. As I approached the end I could hear the band playing at the school and started to turn down a side street. The guy behind me yelled out that it was not the way to go. We were supposed to continue straight (but again, no volunteers to guide us). SInce he helped me, I waited for him and we walked toward the end together. The last quarter mile he thought he would run and leave me. No thank you – I kept up and we finished together. Being that we were the dead last two and there were no volunteers I felt very slow and challenged. Afterward I could barely walk for more than a day. That is the sorest I have ever been in a run.