University of Charleston Marathon
Charleston, WV
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The UC Marathon, presented by United Bank, marked the return of a full marathon to Charleston for the first time in nearly 30 years, welcoming 785 runners from 40 states and three countries to the Capital City for a memorable race weekend. Hosted by the University of Charleston in partnership … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Apr 10):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 81 | 62 | 69 | 70 | 60 |
| L (°F) | 47 | 43 | 57 | 32 | 38 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Smooth Operatin’..Smidge Incline
Charleston, WV is a small city feel with big city flare. It’s my home turf and the community is awesome and our running community is even better! Flat mostly which … MORE
Charleston, WV is a small city feel with big city flare. It’s my home turf and the community is awesome and our running community is even better! Flat mostly which is hard to come by in WV. The course runs through the whole city, with two bridge crossings running both sides of the Kanawha River. Lots of great people-running-cheering and volunteering! Great atmosphere!
FAST, FUN, PR FRIENDLY, PEPPERONI ROLLS!
The UC Charleston WV Marathon is amazing!! Beautiful downtown along the Kanawha river surrounded by mountains. The course does a great job showing off the scenery by looping the river … MORE
The UC Charleston WV Marathon is amazing!! Beautiful downtown along the Kanawha river surrounded by mountains. The course does a great job showing off the scenery by looping the river and giving great views of Charleston’s iconic capital building while showing taking you through different neighborhoods. The race organization was outstanding and had a personal feel while nailing the details. The course is exactly as advertised – flat with well run aid stations. The only hills come from two bridges and are short. Make sure you eat a pepperoni roll (a West Virginia staple) for carbs before, after, or during the race!
Perfect race for your PRs!!
Overall it was hard to believe this was the first time the marathon was put on!! i’ve completed multiple marathons and this gave the same level of experience i would … MORE
Overall it was hard to believe this was the first time the marathon was put on!! i’ve completed multiple marathons and this gave the same level of experience i would expect from a seasoned race! the expo was excellent and i loved how it tied into the WV culture as someone who was coming from out of state. the course was flat and well marked! it is a bit twisty and lots of turns but it’s flat so perfect for your PRs!! the field size was on the smaller side so at times i was running alone but compared to the Majors, it was nice to have the space to run your race and run the tangents without anyone being the way! the finish line was a fun celebration and the free post beer at a local brewery was great! hopefully even more people come out to cheer in 2027 now that they know this race exists. would absolutely come back!!
Inaugural Race!
This was the inaugural race, so I never expect the race directors to get everything right! However, they did much better than I thought! There were tons of updates and … MORE
This was the inaugural race, so I never expect the race directors to get everything right! However, they did much better than I thought!
There were tons of updates and clear communication leading up to the race. The packet pick up was quick and easy, along with multiple areas to take photos with friends/family! The swag included a towel, tech shirt, pepperoni rolls, and cookies. Later that night, there was a free pasta dinner, so I was able to carb-up!
The course was easy to follow since there were large signs at every mile. The first few miles were kinda through industrial areas, but roughly around mile 5 we ran over a bridge! The half-marathoners split off from us around mile 7, so we had an out-and-back towards mile 14. We ran towards the University of Charleston campus, which had the most spectators! The out-and-back portion was kinda quiet and lonesome. The area was nice at least! Running back around mile 19-20, we ran over the bridge and in front of the capital building.
We ended downtown and the finish line festival was fun! There was music, a free beer, and free juice shots.
I think I would do the half-marathon if I were to run this again since it was hot!
Friendly folks, mostly flat course
This was an inaugural race in 2026 (or maybe revived from 20 years ago?). It was very well-organized, with email and FB updates, an easy packet pick up. The SWAG … MORE
This was an inaugural race in 2026 (or maybe revived from 20 years ago?). It was very well-organized, with email and FB updates, an easy packet pick up. The SWAG is a LS tech shirt and a towel, and they hosted a free pre-race pasta dinner that I really enjoyed. The course was well-marked. It started and ended downtown Charleston. The first few miles were through some industrial and not beautiful areas, but by mile 5 we were running over a bridge and then along the river to a second bridge, more riverside running and then looping through some landmark neighborhoods and downtown. There was a finish festival with a juice/sandwich truck with free juice shots, free beer from Fife Brewery, and sponsor tables. There were so many friendly volunteers along the course at every turn, which was wonderful!
Inaugural Charleston Univ Marathon!
The Charleston University Marathon was such a fun and memorable experience! This race had a smaller, welcoming feel that made it incredibly enjoyable from start to finish. The volunteers and … MORE
The Charleston University Marathon was such a fun and memorable experience!
This race had a smaller, welcoming feel that made it incredibly enjoyable from start to finish. The volunteers and race staff were wonderful — encouraging, organized, and genuinely appreciative of every runner out on the course.
The course itself offered a really nice mix of city scenery (especially the beautiful capital building), river views, and the beautiful backdrop of the West Virginia hills. There were definitely some rolling sections that kept things interesting, but overall it felt very runnable and well supported throughout.
One thing I especially loved was the atmosphere around the university and downtown Charleston area. Packet pickup was smooth, the race day logistics were easy, and the finish line experience felt personal and celebratory. The students were all out there cheering us on with enormous energy!
Most of all, I’m grateful for another state completed on my 50-state marathon journey and for the memories made along the way. Every marathon has its own personality, and Charleston delivered a warm, friendly, community-focused experience that I’ll always remember fondly.
Fast, Great Tour of WV Capital
30 minute PR, great crowd support through most of the course, many aid stations, and a fast field, all culminating in an extremely fun, competitive race. I loved every second … MORE
30 minute PR, great crowd support through most of the course, many aid stations, and a fast field, all culminating in an extremely fun, competitive race. I loved every second of this race. The weather smiled upon us as well.
Great Prerace Dinner and Fun race!
The prerace dinner provided was wonderful - potatoes, pasta, red sauce, broccoli, dessert, etc. The race director, Haley is like a tanned comet. I think I ran into her five … MORE
The prerace dinner provided was wonderful – potatoes, pasta, red sauce, broccoli, dessert, etc. The race director, Haley is like a tanned comet. I think I ran into her five times. She was everywhere. The students that helped manage the race were friendly and smart. The racecourse could be simplified. I lost several minutes by taking the wrong turn. City is wonderful. We loved the Capitol building, the adjacent museum and the Capitol river walk. The downtown restaurants all had wonderful food. My wife and I were both very happy with our four days in Charleston, WV.