Flattest, Fastest 13.1 in the Mid Atlantic! Get ready for beautiful water views, breathtaking communities and tranquil runs down country lanes! All this and more when you run the St. Michaels Running Festival half marathon. You have to experience for yourself the flattest certified half marathon in the mid-Atlantic region. …
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Flattest, Fastest 13.1 in the Mid Atlantic! Get ready for beautiful water views, breathtaking communities and tranquil runs down country lanes! All this and more when you run the St. Michaels Running Festival half marathon.
You have to experience for yourself the flattest certified half marathon in the mid-Atlantic region. On SMRF’s half, you can set a new PR or qualify for New York and other marathons on our USATF certified FLAT and FAST course. With an elevation that averages between 8 and 10 feet (with its highest peak at 16 feet) you are certain to enjoy the scenic views and serene setting while cruising along our course.
You’ll start out at the St. Michaels school campus and head right down the center of historic and charming main-street. After leaving town, the course heads out to the Chance Hope Farm community traversing the miles river for 2.4 miles! After leaving the breathtaking waterfront community of chance hope, you gently wind around the tranquil golf course community of Martingham the head back to town. As you make your way back to St. Michaels, you’ll head down a gentle and tranquil country road culminating in a loop through another waterfront community of Mt. Pleasant Landing. The route then returns you to the heart of St. Michaels where you’ll be greeted by spectators cheering your finish and a rocking after party.
The St. Michaels Running Festival has been one of the premier destination races in the Mid-Atlantic since the inaugural event in 2012. Based in one of the oldest waterfront towns on the Chesapeake, runners will be treated to small-town hospitality, great SWAG, and a rockin’ after-party right on the water!
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Great after party
This race was not local for me, but within a 6-hour drive, so it did require a hotel stay. Since hotel prices were expensive closer to the race, I stayed … MORE
This race was not local for me, but within a 6-hour drive, so it did require a hotel stay. Since hotel prices were expensive closer to the race, I stayed in nearby Easton, about a 20-minute drive to the start. There is basically one road into and out of St Michaels, so plan accordingly if driving that morning.
The course was flat but kind of boring. It started in town, then went out through neighborhoods before returning to town, finishing a few blocks away from the start.
The after party was a few minutes’ walk from the finish line, by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. There was pizza and a large variety of beer to choose from (one free) and a live band.
Flatter than a Pancake
This is a 5K, 10K or half marathon located in Maryland along the Chesapeake Bay and is about 1-1.5 hour drive from Baltimore. I have already done a few half … MORE
This is a 5K, 10K or half marathon located in Maryland along the Chesapeake Bay and is about 1-1.5 hour drive from Baltimore. I have already done a few half marathons in MD but I was looking for a double and this was the day before the Marine Corp Historic Half which was on my bucket list. I flew into Baltimore Friday night. Most of the hotels are not in St Michael’s but in a town called Easton which is about 15-20 minutes from St. Michael’s. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express there. Pre race communication was good though I found the parking instructions a bit confusing they were just kind of like go to town we will direct you and you may need to take a shuttle or you may park at the finish and have a short walk to the start. That did summarize the parking situation but I prefer a specific address to put in your GPS more than a just drive into town if I am driving to a town I’ve never been to. I woke up early think I could get prime parking at the finish and avoid the shuttles. However they directed the earlier arrivers to the shuttle areas since it made traffic flow better. I was able to park right at the shuttle stop and the shuttle was there right away so it was not a big deal but I’d probably have slept in more if I knew this. The race starts at the high school in town and ends near the Maritime museum which is less than 1 mile from the start. There is race day packet pick-up which is great but also the option for earlier packet pick-up or packet mailing. I got race day packet pick-up. Packet included a nice jacket along with bib. The only negative about race day packet pick-up is I had to do bag check which I usually don’t do as I couldn’t get back to my car since I took the shuttle. There were a good amount of porta potties near the start. There were lines but they were shorter than most races I’ve done of similar size. This was mid-sized race with about 1000 in the half marathon. The start was pretty well organized and there were pacers to help you line up. I lined up a bit behind the 3 hour pacer. I was planning to take the race pretty easy since it had a 3:30 time limit so wasn’t planning to try to keep up with them. the course is fairly nice but very boring. There were no waterfront views but it had woods, fancy houses, some farmland, some golf courses and lots of greenery. It was just a bit monotonous as a lot felt the same. The course is also pancake flat which makes it easy but doesn’t help the monotony. The course also had some random loops and out and backs to make the miles work. Overall it was well marked and well organized. Roads were mostly coned off and it felt safe. There were plenty of police support and course marshals directing traffic. A few mile markers were slightly off which would be one minor production issue. There were good aid stations except there was one stretch that went a little long between aid stations 2 and 3. Aid stations had water, electrolyte and there were gels at at least one of them. It was a rainy day so it wasn’t the best running weather and there were little spectators. Not sure this is always the case or just because of the rain. I had no issues being back of the pack and there were plenty of people my pace. They also weren’t strict with the time limit as some people were over 3:30 and got finishing times. My finishing time was fine. It wasn’t bad but I feel like I could have been faster on such a flat course though I do find I tend to actually finish faster in races with some mild elevation changes as I get stuck in a slow, steady pace on flat courses. The finish line was good and you get the medal which I would say is average. There were a few snacks at the finish line but most of the food at the post race party. I did thinks signage at the finish line could be a little better. There were clear directions to the finish festival. However I wasn’t sure if the bag drop pick-up and shuttle were at the finish line or the festival. I’m sure it was in the race guide so this is partially on me but it’s hard to recall these type of things right after you finish a long race. I didn’t see the shuttle or bag drop so assumed they were at the finish festival and luckily was correct. The finish festival was nice and had additional snacks, pizza (including cheese), beer, soda and live music. The bag drop was also there and there was no line. One thing that could be better is a sign for shuttle pick up. I just saw a group of runners waiting for something and assumed it was the shuttle pick-up. They said they thought it was but no one seemed 100% sure. Luckily it was. The shuttle wasn’t too bad. I did wait about 15 minutes as traffic was slow in town and it was just one shuttle going back and forth. Overall I thought this was a very nice though slightly boring race. I would definitely recommend this race to locals and it is not a bad choice for Maryland especially if you like flat races. Personally I enjoyed Baltimore Running Festival a little more as the scenery was more varied and there was a ton of spectators but I could see how if you prefer more mid-sized races and hate hills how you could prefer this race to Baltimore. This also worked great as a double with Marine Corp Historic Half so if you are looking to get MD and VA in the same weekend I doubt you can find a better double than that.
Boring course, yet nice and flat
Overall good race but what a boring course. It rained the entire time although the temperature was good. It was relatively easy to get to - I flew into Salisbury, … MORE
Overall good race but what a boring course. It rained the entire time although the temperature was good. It was relatively easy to get to – I flew into Salisbury, Maryland and drove about an hour where I stayed in Easton. St. Michaels was about a 30 minute drive from Easton. As far as I could tell – there were no hotels in St. Michaels. The closest town with hotels was Easton which was nice with plenty of places to eat and stay. The packet pickup was in St. Michaels – so that was two trips there. Packet pickup was at the local high school – very easy and also the local running store has race specific merchandise to purchase. The race shirt was a half zip pullover – very nice! The race started at a reasonable time but parking in St. Michaels was a nightmare. The official parking lot was .6 miles to the start line and didn’t have that many spaces so I got there ridiculously early because I was afraid there’d be no where to park. There’s only one road in and out of St. Michaels – so it became very congested. There were plenty of bathrooms at the start. There was no National anthem at the beginning (that bothers me) – someone just said “Go”. The course was through the town then through endless residential neighborhoods and then rural roads. It was incredibly boring but completely flat. I thought I’d see water and boats and I saw none. The finish line was sad with little or no after snacks but maybe that’s because I finished near the end. The medal was nice and pictures were a free download. There was very little crowd support but I think that was because of the rain and that’s ok. I would recommend this race although I wish I’d done the Baltimore running festival for Maryland.
Rain is better than heat
It rained the entire race which meant I have no pictures to post but I prefer rain over heat. Coming from Los Angeles, I thought the course was beautiful. It … MORE
It rained the entire race which meant I have no pictures to post but I prefer rain over heat. Coming from Los Angeles, I thought the course was beautiful. It was running in nature , plenty of tall trees and lovely houses and unique street names. There were plenty of volunteers in bright yellow shirts with water and Gatorade and keeping me on course. There were two stations with gu . The post party had pizza from Sam’s and there was plenty of pizza and you enjoy it out of the rain. First race that didn’t have a long line for the beer and they had four choices on tap. Don’t remember a race where I got a glass of beer. The long sleeve shirt from Brooks was high quality and liked the medal too. Great communications and at packet pickup at the high school, brooks was there and I got new running shoes and running shirt that race course on it
Great Swag
I had such a great time at this race. While the course isn't anything spectacular, the volunteers were great, there are lots of pacers, a fantastic finish line party and … MORE
I had such a great time at this race. While the course isn’t anything spectacular, the volunteers were great, there are lots of pacers, a fantastic finish line party and a quarter zip top.
Flat, WET Small Race
Ran this for POT since it is so flat. Kicked off in St. Michaels and then headed into neighborhoods. This was not totally closed course, so a decent amount of … MORE
Ran this for POT since it is so flat. Kicked off in St. Michaels and then headed into neighborhoods. This was not totally closed course, so a decent amount of cars going thru the course at points. Terrible weather leading up to the run, so started in rain and ran thru standing water (yuck!). Still well produced event and plan on running in 2019
Fast and flat
2nd time running this race. They changed the course so instead of running down the highway it was more backroads which is alot more scenic and more protection from sun/elements. … MORE
2nd time running this race. They changed the course so instead of running down the highway it was more backroads which is alot more scenic and more protection from sun/elements. Very flat – no hills. Lots of volunteers. This was a PR for me for 5 Years.
Fast and Flat
Second time running this local race to me. Flat and fast but it somewhat a boring course - out and back with not alot of scenery. Very well supported and … MORE
Second time running this local race to me. Flat and fast but it somewhat a boring course – out and back with not alot of scenery. Very well supported and put on by organizers.
Running through a Hurricane
I think I would have liked this race more if it hadn't been during a freezing monsoon. It ended up being one of those runs that you just get through, … MORE
I think I would have liked this race more if it hadn’t been during a freezing monsoon. It ended up being one of those runs that you just get through, get in the car and go home. No celebration, just a sigh of relief that it’s over. I’d like to try it again under better circumstances. The course itself was flat and straightforward. Bus transportation was simple to navigate.
First Race
My first half. Super flat course - out and back on two lane highway. Hot. I was super slow - turtle pace. Reviewing years after doing it :) MORE
My first half. Super flat course – out and back on two lane highway. Hot. I was super slow – turtle pace. Reviewing years after doing it 🙂