Mark your calendar and join the return of the Ghost of Tacoma on Saturday and the Tacoma City Marathon on Sunday with Marathon Relay, Half Marathon and 5K options also available. Run 3 races in 2 days! Kick off Saturday morning with the 5K and afterwards, run the Ghost of …
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Mark your calendar and join the return of the Ghost of Tacoma on Saturday and the Tacoma City Marathon on Sunday with Marathon Relay, Half Marathon and 5K options also available.
Run 3 races in 2 days! Kick off Saturday morning with the 5K and afterwards, run the Ghost of Tacoma Marathon or Half Marathon. Then complete the weekend with the Tacoma City Marathon or Half Marathon on Sunday.
Sunday’s Marathon and Half Marathon are point-to-point courses running across the iconic Narrows Bridge and finishing at Tacoma’s beautiful Dune Peninsula Park, the Northwest’s premier waterfront neighborhood. This picturesque entertainment and recreation hub is situated along Commencement Bay with panoramic views of the Puget Sound, the Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges.
Runners will enjoy a scenic, USATF-Certified and Boston Qualifying course that passes through Point Defiance Park, with over 700 acres of beautiful gardens and old growth forests. After exiting Pt. Defiance, the Marathon and Half Marathon runners will cross over the Wilson Way Bridge with a sweet half mile downhill to the Puget Sound and Dune Peninsula Park where the Half Marathon will finish. The Marathon will continue down the flat and fast waterfront with views of Mt. Rainier and the Puget Sound. The Marathon turnaround is along the Thea Foss Waterway Esplanade and the beautiful Museum of Glass.
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Tough first half with boring second
Tale of two halves. First, is hilly and scenic with windy bridge crossing, few miles through neighborhoods finishing a dense forest before the full and half split. The second half … MORE
Tale of two halves. First, is hilly and scenic with windy bridge crossing, few miles through neighborhoods finishing a dense forest before the full and half split. The second half seemed like an afterthought, out and back along a narrow sidewalk open to the public with a weird section through sculpture garden. Couldn’t imagine how congested that section was later in the race with more runners coming through.
Busses were a little later so the race was delayed slightly, Long lines are the start for bathrooms which was expected. Volunteers and aid stations were fine but there was a bit of confusion at the marathon turn around as a large number of people were instructed to turn around early by volunteers.
Race swag was average. one knock was the prize for winning was a massage at a local place but being from out of town I ended up giving it away to a random other runner since I couldn’t find the second place male.
No Food/Gu at Aid
Overall a well-organized race (though the start was late due to traffic for 5 bonus shivering minutes), but a huge miss on the aid stations. They volunteers were great, and … MORE
Overall a well-organized race (though the start was late due to traffic for 5 bonus shivering minutes), but a huge miss on the aid stations. They volunteers were great, and it’s nice to have a choice between water and Gatorade, but not a single aid station had a single food calorie. For a race of this size/scale/cost, that’s a big miss, and they had at least had some gu at some aid stations last year. Considering how well the rest of the race was run that miss was a big surprise & disappointment.
Tacoma Marathon
When signing up for this marathon I was aware that the hills on the course were going to be engaging, at the very least. I trained for hills - incorporating … MORE
When signing up for this marathon I was aware that the hills on the course were going to be engaging, at the very least. I trained for hills – incorporating them in my tempo runs, strength workouts, and anywhere I could run up a hill, I did! I am glad I did, because there are definitely hills on the course. With that said, the first half of the race was my favorite. The race goes over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. There are beautiful views on both sides, as you run over the bridge. At about mile 9 you enter the Point Defiance Park and run through lush greenery and old growth forests. Around mile 13, the half marathoners peeled off and the marathoners continued along the waterfront, turning around mile 20 and making our way back to the finish. Overall, the race was great! Super nice volunteers and organizers!
My suggestions for anyone interested in running this would be:
– train for hills – the ups and downs
– carry your own water and nutrition
– have fun!
Beautiful point to point!
This is the best Seattle area marathon in a city setting. Much better route than the actual Seattle Marathon with beautiful views in Tacoma. Really love the point-to-point route. It … MORE
This is the best Seattle area marathon in a city setting. Much better route than the actual Seattle Marathon with beautiful views in Tacoma. Really love the point-to-point route. It was pouring rain at the start but slowly turned to sun after 13 miles. The first 13 miles had a lot of hills and the downhills are a bit of quad pounding, it was challenging but also a fun course. The finish area was fun, festive, and right on the water. Quite beautiful. The aid stations were every 3+ miles and it would have been nice if there were a few more aid stations. I’ll run this one again!
Experience all Tacoma has to offer
I have lived in Tacoma 4 years and have never walked/ran across the narrows bridge, that was an incredible experience! After the narrows, there was a large hill followed up … MORE
I have lived in Tacoma 4 years and have never walked/ran across the narrows bridge, that was an incredible experience! After the narrows, there was a large hill followed up by running through a series of neighborhoods and more hills before coming into point defiance. the first aid station was not until mile 7 or so which was difficult. It was great running through point defiance park and point Ruston.
I really enjoyed the race overall and am glad it was my first marathon, hills and all!
A hilly course
This was a small race but very pleasant. The start and finish line is in a pleasant shopping restaurant area on the waterfront. Parts of the course are run with … MORE
This was a small race but very pleasant. The start and finish line is in a pleasant shopping restaurant area on the waterfront. Parts of the course are run with Mt. Ranier in the background.
No nutrition support
There were no bananas or bagels seen anywhere. only water and calorie-free juice. If you want people to bring their own carbs please advertise that on your sign-up page and … MORE
There were no bananas or bagels seen anywhere. only water and calorie-free juice. If you want people to bring their own carbs please advertise that on your sign-up page and in your preparation instructions.
Well organized, not too large a race
I thought this was the perfect size race. There were plenty of runners to include pacers for 10 minute increments, but the field was never elbow-to-elbow once we were over … MORE
I thought this was the perfect size race. There were plenty of runners to include pacers for 10 minute increments, but the field was never elbow-to-elbow once we were over the start line. The biggest downside to that the start and finish are miles apart, so runners are shuttled to the starting line. This is okay for the marathoners who start about an hour after the shuttles stop. However, the Half Marathoners have a long, minimum 2 hour wait for the race to begin. Thankfully, they offer bagels, peanut butter, bananas, and coffee while waiting! And bag check (school busses) don’t leave until shortly before the start of the Half, so you can wear plenty of warm clothing until it’s just about time to run. The course itself has some hills and few spectators, though residents come out to clap as you run through neighborhoods. Volunteers handing out water and Nuun were plentiful. Overall, a good race aside from the early start with a long wait.