We Run This Beach Marathon
Gulf Shores, AL
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Time to book your Runcation and punch your ticket to the Boston Marathon! The We Run This Beach Marathon will be a beautiful 🏖, fast 💨 and scenic 🌴 course with gorgeous views of Lake Shelby, Middle & Little Lake’s. The course will start and finish near the Gulf State … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Feb 21):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 80 | 52 | 68 | 71 | 72 |
| L (°F) | 68 | 28 | 39 | 66 | 54 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Poor information
I'll start by saying I've run 47 marathons. The race itself was not difficult at all, it was contained in a park. The issue I have is poor information. We … MORE
I’ll start by saying I’ve run 47 marathons. The race itself was not difficult at all, it was contained in a park. The issue I have is poor information. We stayed at the host hotel, and were not able to pickup bibs the day before. The directions were bib pickup was at the pavilion at the start of the race. No one at the host hotel could tell us where that was. It end up being 1.5 miles away, which we had to jog too. The course was not well marked and I ran .75 over due to getting lost at mile 25. I was disappointed in all of this being this race has been around awhile.
Windy day, beautiful park. Small race
Beautiful, flat course through Gulf State Park. 30mph winds on race day, but trees around course helped limit the damage. Smaller race, little to no crowd support (a few random … MORE
Beautiful, flat course through Gulf State Park. 30mph winds on race day, but trees around course helped limit the damage. Smaller race, little to no crowd support (a few random spectators). Adequate hydration stations. Packet pickup was in a hotel meeting room with a local store displaying a bit of gear.
Beautiful Course
This course is through the Gulf State Park - Beautiful - It was very windy and we fought it for 13.1 miles. Small expo, shirt and medal were nice - … MORE
This course is through the Gulf State Park – Beautiful – It was very windy and we fought it for 13.1 miles. Small expo, shirt and medal were nice – shirt very large. I stayed at the Lodge – Host Hotel – I found it very expensive there are others around less expensive. I didn’t see any post race food but I heard they had pulled port sandwiches.
Windy day
This was a nice race close to the beach but it went through the state park trails. At the end we ran over the highway and sprinted down the other … MORE
This was a nice race close to the beach but it went through the state park trails. At the end we ran over the highway and sprinted down the other side right into the finish line. They had BBQ sandwiches and live music for all runners at the finish.
Course route was confusing
Course route was a bit confusing on Saturday for the 10k and even more confusing on Sunday for half marathon. They ran out of medals on Saturday. MORE
Course route was a bit confusing on Saturday for the 10k and even more confusing on Sunday for half marathon. They ran out of medals on Saturday.
Great course, but terrible host…
Overall, I had a positive experience running this course. The incline was steeper than anticipated, but the beautiful scenery made for an engaging and enjoyable run. I participated in the … MORE
Overall, I had a positive experience running this course. The incline was steeper than anticipated, but the beautiful scenery made for an engaging and enjoyable run. I participated in the Marathon/5K challenge, which involved running a 5K on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday. The 5K event went smoothly, and I was looking forward to tackling the marathon the following day.
However, upon arriving at the marathon start line on Sunday, I was met with confusion among many runners. The starting line was located over a mile away from where we had expected it to be, and this change was not adequately communicated in advance. The maps that were provided were unclear and difficult to read, which contributed to the disorientation. By the time we reached the start, we were approximately 15 minutes late, only to find that the race organizers had already packed up the equipment necessary to track our start time via our bib numbers.
When we approached the race organizers for clarification, their response was dismissive, suggesting we simply “track it on our watch” instead. To make matters worse, as we walked away, we overheard them laughing. This lack of professionalism and organization was disappointing and left a negative impression on the event.
Additionally, while I am accustomed to an atmosphere of positivity and support at races, the majority of the event staff appeared disinterested and frustrated, with the exception of a few volunteers at the fueling stations who were more engaged.
Although this was my first full marathon, and we made the best of the situation despite the challenges, I will not be participating in this race or any future events organized by this company.
Beautiful Gulf Coast Location
This race is a great location worth the visit each year to enjoy a winter weekend run weekend. The race check-in for two years has felt organized and standard with … MORE
This race is a great location worth the visit each year to enjoy a winter weekend run weekend.
The race check-in for two years has felt organized and standard with a normal advanced, hooded, long sleeve technical jersey provided. These hooded shirts come in handy in winter months for lightweight layering for running.
The race course through the coastal area, not quite the beach, but near the beach, and at time involving sand, is an organized race on paved and swamp boardwalk trail, through the park.
They know what their are doing. They are not always perfect, but do a good job of putting on this race, and providing timing, awards, and medals.
This race has potential
I think that in a few years this race will be something special. The scenery is lovely, though it's all on the state park side of the road (no beach … MORE
I think that in a few years this race will be something special.
The scenery is lovely, though it’s all on the state park side of the road (no beach view). Water stops are limited so definitely bring your own if you can.
The course was pretty well marked, with colored arrows differentiating the 5K & 10K Saturday and the half & full on Sunday. There was just one place in the half that was a bit vague, had there not been a volunteer there and the person ahead of me hadn’t asked I’d have skipped a mile or so of the course altogether.
There were some sections of both 10K & half courses that were quite narrow which meant sometimes being stuck behind walkers, and the last mile of the half was on a wooden boardwalk so be prepared for that.
The biggest issue for me was lack of communication. The host hotel didn’t seem to know anything about the event when we checked in, nor did we ever end up seeing the room afterwards with massage guns and other things. The race organizers did send out emails with race info, but it just wasn’t as tightly buttoned up as many of the other races that I do. Swag was okay. If the company putting on the race decided to sell shirts that reference the race vs just their own logo they would probably sell a ton of them!
It was a fun weekend, and I think in the future this will be a great race. It’s good now, and the location is awesome.
Come for the sand stay for the party
Beautiful course through the nature preserve you start on the highway and quickly take things off road. The trail is paved with asphalt most of the way and there are … MORE
Beautiful course through the nature preserve you start on the highway and quickly take things off road. The trail is paved with asphalt most of the way and there are some bridges that are made of composite wood. Race day packet pick up is available.
Nice run through State Park
Packet pickup was crazy Friday night. over an hour wait. no on course entertainment, just a scenic run through the state park. water stations were sparse, and under manned. Swag … MORE
Packet pickup was crazy Friday night. over an hour wait. no on course entertainment, just a scenic run through the state park. water stations were sparse, and under manned. Swag was nice, but I was a little mislead with the challenge medal. No extra medal, just a bigger medal for completing mileage both days.