Salisbury Marathon
Salisbury, MD
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Salisbury Marathon features a flat and FAST marathon and half marathon course! Its BQ percentage is tremendous, so this could be your chance to qualify for a major! The Salisbury Marathon and Half Marathon courses share the same course for the first 10.8 miles before splitting off to finish … MORE
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Even Better Than Expected
I was looking through MarathonGuide for a marathon on the weekend of April 5-6, 2025. I checked out the Salisbury Marathon and found that it had pretty good reviews so … MORE
I was looking through MarathonGuide for a marathon on the weekend of April 5-6, 2025. I checked out the Salisbury Marathon and found that it had pretty good reviews so I decided to give it a shot. I was not disappointed. This is a top notch race. Of all the marathons I’ve done, this one’s ranks among the best in all aspects. The organization and execution were flawless. Starting with the website and sign up process to communication, updates, easy packet pick up, nice race shirt, easy free garage parking, excellent signage , super easy bag drop, good start line vibe, beautiful rural course, wonderful and safe course management from plenty of police at major road crossings to fire department EMTs on bikes, supportive volunteers, adequately stocked aid stations, finish line announcer calling out runners’ names, a nice variety of finish line food and drinks, different medals for different distances, heat wraps, free massages, free race photos including a personalized finish photo with your own personal finishing time, several great bands made up of very talented kids, and 2 free craft beers with the option to buy more……everything was great. This is a race organization that takes runner feedback seriously and is open to any advice, suggestions, or criticism in order to continue to try and deliver a great runner experience. I don’t think you can go wrong choosing this race.
Decent course, great production
Race production was excellent. Scenery was worse than I thought (lol) but nobody's fault - course is generally flat with some small hills. Loved that they had PT's at the … MORE
Race production was excellent. Scenery was worse than I thought (lol) but nobody’s fault – course is generally flat with some small hills. Loved that they had PT’s at the end to stretch you out. Nice to get a few beers after too. Would do it again if looking for a smaller race.
Great communication
This is a fine race. The race director does a great job with communication. I received many emails and lots of Facebook posts. The race itself was great. The course … MORE
This is a fine race. The race director does a great job with communication. I received many emails and lots of Facebook posts. The race itself was great. The course is very flat with lots of long stretches with no turns. The scenery is mainly rural countryside with occasional river crossings and sightings. There were few spectators so you will run alone a good part of the time.
Course support was a little sparse. There are only two aid stations in the first 6 miles. After that, they are more regular but one spot around mile 15 had been abandoned and many had only one volunteer. The weather was cool so hydration was not too much of a concern.
The medal and shirt designs are attractive. Overall a great smallish race. Give it a try!
Great small town race!
Everything about this race went smoothly. The packet pickup was easy peasy, the swag was basic - a t shirt and mug or belt, and getting to the start from … MORE
Everything about this race went smoothly. The packet pickup was easy peasy, the swag was basic – a t shirt and mug or belt, and getting to the start from our hotel was simple. Nice small race with lots of water stops, including gels and granola bars. Volunteers were amazing and friendly. I got a PR because the course was flat. The only negative about the race was the wind. After mile 11 you get hit with a headwind for the next 10 miles. Would do this again for sure !
Excellent conditions!
I ran this marathon in 2023 for the second time and the weather was IDEAL! 37 at the start, some cloud cover, low 50s for the high. Instead of most … MORE
I ran this marathon in 2023 for the second time and the weather was IDEAL! 37 at the start, some cloud cover, low 50s for the high.
Instead of most of my mental energy thinking about the rain (2023) I noticed other things!
* fu, granola bars, water, Gatorade at all water stops. First stop at 5k, then every two miles until mile 22 then (I think) more frequent.
I brought a handheld and they refilled it for me in two occasions—lovely volunteers.
I like the course—lots of big straightaways, mostly rural, some neighborhoods. A weird two mile stretch in the teens with weird pavement but nice trees, some river views. Elevation gain 516 according to my garmin. I was fighting a cold so knew I would not have Goal A time. Started easy and actually managed a negative split!! Passing people the whole second half except for the twenty year olds who kept stopping to do shots hahaha.
Some race photography at the finish (free!) also a bonus. Easy easy parking and plenty of port a potties by the garage (hang out in car , use the bathroom, adjust accessories until 20 minutes to start then walk over to start).
Bananas and pizza and beer at the end, massage table and band. Swag =cotton t shirt (I wear these more than technical ts) and same medal for every without year on it (not my fave but I’ve had worse).
I will be back—easy drive from nova, bib mailing option is great! Oh, this year the swag was an elastic waist band with gu holsters and bib ties—I am too set in my ways to try this! Luckily I have a safety pin collection! Marathon 72 for me!
Scenic, flat run
Very scenic race around fields and other wide open greenery. It rained for a good chunk of the race and was super windy, plus some lightning near the end made … MORE
Very scenic race around fields and other wide open greenery. It rained for a good chunk of the race and was super windy, plus some lightning near the end made it a bit less than ideal and limited crowd support. However, it was relatively flat and had a decent finish line festival.
Small race in cute town.
Nice course with really bad weather. It was nice to have my bib mailed so I didn’t go to expo. Race director had a tough situation with such bad weather. … MORE
Nice course with really bad weather. It was nice to have my bib mailed so I didn’t go to expo. Race director had a tough situation with such bad weather. I would add a few more aid stations. Don’t stay at La Quinta next to start and finish, it was a dump.
Well-executed race!
I enjoyed this race. Drove up from northern VA the morning of (paid $20 for bib mailing). Easy drive there (a bit trafficky on the way home) and easy parking … MORE
I enjoyed this race. Drove up from northern VA the morning of (paid $20 for bib mailing). Easy drive there (a bit trafficky on the way home) and easy parking in a garage with lots of port-a-potties.
The biggest question mark/challenge was the weather. 70% chance of showers, scattered thunderstorms in the forecast. I hung around the parking area/my car/ the port a potties until 6:30 and then walked over to the start. Decided I would not take my hydration vest because it would get heavy/annoying in the rain (just my preference–saw lots of folks with theirs), also decided not to run with my phone because of the rain/scarcity of pockets in my outfit. I did have my fancy new Garmin that could play music, so this was its maiden voyage.
The course was good–relatively flat (Garmin says 1000 feet gained) and lots of straight-a-ways. The highest energy was around mile 9/10 going through campus, where there was an event, and the crowds cheered for us, too. Not a double loop or out and back. 🙂
Good mid-sized field, lots of NAVY RUNNERs, pacers, GUs at every aid station. The volunteers and police were real troopers in the weather we had. There was thunder and lightening on the course, but I used my one-mississippi counting to determine that it was not close and I was a little worried they would shut it down mid-race, but luckily the storm just moved on by and then we got drizzled on for the entire second half. (First half the big challenge was periodic gusts of wind.) It was a day where you feel accomplished for being out there, doing it!
The finish had pizza, unripe bananas (sob), bottles of Gatorade/water and rice krispie treats. The finish was (surprise for me–didn’t study the map) one block from the parking garage! Woo hoo–dry clothes. They had a DJ at the finish and lots of cute restaurants in Salisbury.
The literal ONLY complaint I have is that it’s the same medal for the full and half–would prefer a unique ribbon for each race.
The shirt is cute, standard sizing, and I’ll wear it!
Great Small Town Race
This is a great small town race. The starting line is a quick 1/2 mile from the free parking garage. You don't have to worry about corrals just show up … MORE
This is a great small town race. The starting line is a quick 1/2 mile from the free parking garage. You don’t have to worry about corrals just show up 30 mins before and run 🙂 I felt very safe running on the course with police blocking intersections and paroling the course on motorcycles. One lane is closed for runners however there wasn’t a lot of traffic on the roads. Water was every 3 miles so if you need it more often BYOB.
Very little crowd support so bring your music. Although you run through a tunnel on Salisbury University’s campus lined with students cheering which was cool.
The medal ribbon wasn’t distance specific which was disappointing so 10 years from now I won’t be able to tell which distance I completed. LOL!
The course is scenic, flat and fast.
The weather was terrible with rain, wind, thunder and lightning so I didn’t really enjoy the run.
I recommend this race if you don’t mind a quiet solo run around town. I will definitely run this race again hopefully the weather will be better.
Highly Suggest this Small Race
I love smaller races. The "expo" was just packet pickup which is fine with me. They gave out frames and shirts. Love my shirt by the way. Parking was easy … MORE
I love smaller races. The “expo” was just packet pickup which is fine with me. They gave out frames and shirts. Love my shirt by the way. Parking was easy for race day and a short walk to the start. Plenty of port-o-potties which is always a plus. Race started on time and you could feel the positive energy. I ran the 3:35 pacer for half the race and he was fantastic. A few miles of the course was on a road that had the top scraped off and that was uneven. Not the race peoples fault, but still needs to be noted. Parts of the course were pretty, while others were pretty mundane. Aide stations were frequent and EVERYONE was so friendly!!!! Medals and music at the finish were nice. I would highly suggest this race!
Tour of Salisbury
It was crisp morning in the mid 30’s. There was a 1/2 mile walk from the parking near the finish line to the start line in a park downtown. The … MORE
It was crisp morning in the mid 30’s. There was a 1/2 mile walk from the parking near the finish line to the start line in a park downtown. The course had no major elevation gains but for the most part was continually rolling.
The first half of the race led away from downtown and through some agricultural area. There were a few nice wooded areas and ponds, but otherwise this portion of the course was not very scenic. There was road work between miles 4-6 on these rural roads. There were rain grooves cut into the surface for most of this section which made this portion of the course rough with sketchy footing (the race organizers could not control this). Other than this work zone the road conditions were excellent.
The scenery during the second half of the race was great. The course ran through the heart of the beautiful Salisbury University, estate homes on the water and finished in the charming downtown area.
The volunteers and law enforcement officers were fantastic. Drink stations (water & Gatorade) were provided every couple of miles. Good and granola bars were also offered at some of the stations.
There were drinks, snacks 7 pizza at the finish line. The race shirt was a dri-fit t-shirt.. The race also provided a nice commemorative phot frame and free download of race pictures. There was also a 13.1 sticker and magnet provided. The finisher medal feature a spider monkey climbing on some tropical plans which, as an out of state visitor, confused me. After a google search, I learned that the local zoo had acquired some of these monkeys recently.
All in all, I think this was an enjoyable course and I would give it a try if you are ever in eastern Maryland.
Safety issues!
I was surprised to find a car driving on the marathon course. Since this occurred where there was no intersection, there were no police around. Then on another stretch of … MORE
I was surprised to find a car driving on the marathon course. Since this occurred where there was no intersection, there were no police around. Then on another stretch of a country road, a car was driving the wrong way on the other side of the double yellow line. Two cars started driving down the aforementioned lane, so the driver driving the wrong way proceeds to drive in reverse! The runners were on the other side of the road. I have never witnessed this before in a race. Other than these safety issues, the race offered plenty of support on the route.
Easy course, smooth production
Course is gently rolling. Pretty darn easy. Everything went off sooooo smoothly. Swag was pretty weak, but that's not why I run. I enjoyed myself and I will do this … MORE
Course is gently rolling. Pretty darn easy. Everything went off sooooo smoothly. Swag was pretty weak, but that’s not why I run. I enjoyed myself and I will do this again!