2020 EVENT RESCHEDULED FROM MARCH. This is a USATF certified 6.55 mile loop (Boston qualifying), quiet road, tree lined on Skidaway island, starting & finishing at the UGA Institute of Oceanography. This will be a low touch, staggered start event allowing for all social distancing protocols to be complied with. …
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2020 EVENT RESCHEDULED FROM MARCH. This is a USATF certified 6.55 mile loop (Boston qualifying), quiet road, tree lined on Skidaway island, starting & finishing at the UGA Institute of Oceanography. This will be a low touch, staggered start event allowing for all social distancing protocols to be complied with. This includes race bibs to be picked up Friday prior to the race, self-serve aid stations with min volunteers. The event includes a finisher shirt, finisher medal, free photos and finisher sunglasses for the marathon. There will be a staggered start / wave process to break up the starting line into groups of 10 or less. With the staggered start official times will be delayed until after the close of the race around 1pm.
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Savannah has been called “America’s most beautiful city” and Skidaway Island is one of its jewels. This is your opportunity to run where Savannahians want to, it isn’t on your every day tourist website because this course is hosted in the premiere Island Neighborhood; The Landings Association and The Landings Club.
Come to Savannah Friday and enjoy a community dinner with other runners both local and from around the world. Run Saturday at 7am in either the half or full marathon. Enjoy beautiful scenery, a quiet and peaceful course hosted by a local race company. About 70% of our runners will participate in the half and 30% in the full. Then enjoy an afternoon in the fabulous Savannah Area. You can tour downtown, hit the beach on Tybee Island or explore the rivers looking for dolphins or fishing.
The Course: You will enjoy miles of perfect scenery, amazing marsh and river front views, elegant homes and sneak peaks of the Landings Golf Courses. This is mostly an open course because the traffic is minimal, and you’ll likely share the road with a homeowner enjoying their daily golf cart ride. The course is almost entirely paved; generally super flat other than a Savannah hill (one over pass). It is certified by US Track and Field and can be used as a qualifying time. You can expect green grass, flowers and cool breezes off the marsh. The average temperature has been in the high 70s. It is small next to the national races so you won’t be fighting an crowds for your free parking.
Finishers receive a Finisher Medal, Finisher Shirt and free photo downloads of any pictures we take. Marathon finishers also receive Tifosi Sunglasses.
This race will be limited to 1000 total runners. Estimated 600 Half Marathon and 250 Marathon Passes, max of 150 5K runners. We use a gun start with chip/manual/photo finish line. Using our corral system we have less then 30 seconds between the start of a wave and the last runner to clear the start line making your time extremely accurate.
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Nice flat course!
Great community and race team support. Love my Orange Mud Towel (swag) Marathoners only Enjoyed the course that was mostly on golf course cart paths and neighborhood roads. Aid stations … MORE
Great community and race team support.
Love my Orange Mud Towel (swag) Marathoners only
Enjoyed the course that was mostly on golf course cart paths and neighborhood roads. Aid stations were well staffed and stocked. I know this is out of the race directors control but the weather was perfect on race day!
Pretty course, but lonely at times
Pros: Flat and scenic course Easy race logistics. Bib shirt and pick up at Dick's Sporting Goods was a breeze. Nice medal and a finisher's towel too. Savannah is a … MORE
Pros:
Flat and scenic course
Easy race logistics. Bib shirt and pick up at Dick’s Sporting Goods was a breeze.
Nice medal and a finisher’s towel too.
Savannah is a fun place to visit
Cons:
On the course there were very few restrooms.
Plastic cups at water stops and also handed out plastic bottles, which were littered along the course (in high end gated community).
Too few water stops, but I carried a bottle.
Lots of turns, some of which are unmanned (with arrows). I never got lost, but sometimes I’d think I missed a turn because there was nobody else around me.
It can be a very lonely run. I’m glad I had my music!
Flat, Shaded, Beautiful Course!
Overall a great race. Small race. Beautiful, flat course with shade throughout. Good race production and it is a good course to PR on if that is your goal. Cool … MORE
Overall a great race. Small race. Beautiful, flat course with shade throughout. Good race production and it is a good course to PR on if that is your goal. Cool this time of year. Conditions were ideal the day we ran. Nice medal but place finishes only receive a pin. Would have enjoyed a post race party but there wasn’t much happening after the race. All in all it was a great experience and served its purpose for a spring break get away and Boston tune up. A lot to do in Savannah and/ or Hilton Head.
Gorgeous waterfront course!
I can't say enough about this race, plenty of parking, lots of portopotties, the race course itself was a spectacular sneak peek of a exclusive waterfront community! Lots of water … MORE
I can’t say enough about this race, plenty of parking, lots of portopotties, the race course itself was a spectacular sneak peek of a exclusive waterfront community! Lots of water stops, course is well marked, and the race director actually ran with us the last hundred feet to the finish! This race is a hidden gem! The only marathon I have run twice!
Nice small well run marathon.
Nice small marathon. Very well run. Laid back atmosphere. Nice neighborhood and marshes scenery. Loved the towel as swag. Big hit. Great destination for getaway weekend with Savannah, Tybee Beach, … MORE
Nice small marathon. Very well run. Laid back atmosphere. Nice neighborhood and marshes scenery. Loved the towel as swag. Big hit. Great destination for getaway weekend with Savannah, Tybee Beach, Skidaway. Although very flat, runners should know there are lots of turns. Does not affect me but does affect some people.
Run Skidaway!
The Run Skidaway Island Half Marathon began at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. It took runners through The Landings, the private, gated community on Skidaway Island. Miles 5-6 were most … MORE
The Run Skidaway Island Half Marathon began at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. It took runners through The Landings, the private, gated community on Skidaway Island. Miles 5-6 were most magnificent as runners were taken on a path bordering the marsh of the Wilmington River. Aid stations were located every 2-3 miles, so it was recommended runners carry a water bottle.
What made the finish line more special that most was the enthusiasm of race director Dan Pavlin, who met nearly every runner about 100 meters from the finish line and ran with them nearly to the end. We’ve run over 100 half marathons and marathons together, and have never seen a race director more personally invested in the finish of every single on of his runners.
Another thing that made Skidaway unique: women were given technical tanks instead of the standard t-shirt.
If you plan on running this race beware of a few things:
1. Savannah is always an expensive city for overnight accommodations. Know that you will pay close to $200 a night for a hotel room. Also know that the closest hotel you can get to the starting line is about 25 minutes away.
2. If you are finish medal connoisseur, this may not be the race for you.
You can check out photos of the finisher medal, race shirts, and more at our blog, serialrunner.com.