Surfside Beach Marathon and Half Marathon
Surfside Beach, TX
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Kids Run
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
Surfside Beach Marathon is more than just a stroll on the beach, proceeds from the Surfside Beach Full and Half Marathon will benefit the Save Our Beach Association (SOBA) and Lion’s Club out of Surfside Beach, Texas. Proceeds also benefit FTR Kids, a nonprofit organization devoted to encouraging active lifestyles … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Feb 21):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 81 | 41 | 75 | 77 | 79 |
| L (°F) | 63 | 36 | 58 | 68 | 63 |
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Unique event
The idea of running a half marathon on a beach in February appealed to me! This race takes place entirely on the sand beach. The sand was hard packed, so … MORE
The idea of running a half marathon on a beach in February appealed to me! This race takes place entirely on the sand beach. The sand was hard packed, so as far as running surfaces go, it was perfect in my opinion.
Pre-race communication was excellent. Parking was easy, on the beach near the start/finish line.
I expected my time would be better, given the course. I’ll blame my poor time on the cool weather and biting wind.
Swag: Long sleeve running shirt of excellent quality.
amazing beach run
This race is almost entirely on the beach. Due to high tide this year, there was about 3 blocks total not on the actual beach. The course is flat. The … MORE
This race is almost entirely on the beach. Due to high tide this year, there was about 3 blocks total not on the actual beach. The course is flat. The sand is hard packed. I ran in road shoes with ease. I am a back of the pack runner and there was still plenty of post race food available.
The Beast on the Beach
The title says it all, this was a tough run. Here are the details: This entire marathon is run on the beach, and although the sand is fairly hard packed, … MORE
The title says it all, this was a tough run. Here are the details:
This entire marathon is run on the beach, and although the sand is fairly hard packed, it is not an easy run. I had never run on sand, so I took the 5:30 early start. Thinking there would be enough ambient light to run without a headlamp, I left mine at the tent…there was not enough ambient light…it was really dark (my fault). We ran with the wind for a couple of miles and then turned back for 13 miles directly into 15-20mph non-stop, unrelenting, will sapping wind in the face. But no problem right, when you get to mile 15.5ish you get to turn around with the wind at your back and cruise down the open beach…wrong…at about mile 14 the tide started coming in and the nice wide flat beach disappeared and left hard packed wash outs or dry sand; aka ankle death trap. So what I thought would be a medium difficulty run turned into a tough run. Not a big deal. No complaints. Take what you get, and don’t throw a fit.
The swag at this race was sweet, a 1/4 zip pullover, nice medal, and cool little stone coasters, but that’s the best of it.
Please know that I’m not a complainer by nature, but if I’m going to write a review, I’m going to write the truth. I have never been an RD, so I don’t know the pain…but the production at this race was not great.
My wife and two daughters were volunteering at an aid station, and trying to get all of that sorted out was a mess…there was a seemingly large shortage of volunteers, and I suspect the organizational process was part of it.
Getting registered was a fairly chaotic ordeal, although I did wind up with the right stuff. Getting the race started was the same, it wasn’t really ready, perhaps because I was in the early bird section, but still seemed pretty disorganized-but, it did start, and the timing worked. There were a lot of unmanned aid stations, which is not a big deal for me since I carry my own stuff, but if you were depending on them, you may have to mix your own drink.
The finish was fine, and the RD (guy in charge) seemed like a nice guy.
All summed up, I would say this. This race is tough to run, and will get started and finished, but if you’re looking for a super smooth flow and flawless race management, this is not it. The swag was excellent and food delicious. It is a unique experience, and barring the relentless wind that just happened to be there that weekend, could be a much easier run.