Big Beach Marathon
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Event Overview
The Big Beach Marathon weekend takes place in Gulf Shores, Alabama, offering a variety of road and trail races. The event features scenic courses that run through the Gulf State Park on fully paved trails. The routes are characterized as flat and serve as USATF Certified Boston Qualifiers for the marathon distance.
The weekend is split into two days of activity. The shorter distances and family events are held on Saturday, while the longer distance races occur on Sunday. The marathon and half marathon share a beach-side start and finish line located at The Hangout, providing views of the Gulf Shores beaches.
Distances and Challenges
Participants can choose from several individual distances or take part in multi-day challenges:
- Marathon (Sunday)
- Half Marathon (Sunday)
- 5K (Saturday)
- Safari Family Fun Run & Walk (Saturday, untimed)
- Dolphin Challenge: Includes the 5K on Saturday and the Half Marathon on Sunday.
- Shark Challenge: Includes the 5K on Saturday and the Marathon on Sunday.
Participant Information
Challenge participants who finish both their Saturday and Sunday races receive a specific challenge medal in addition to their individual race medals. A post-race celebration takes place Sunday at The Hangout, featuring food and refreshments for participants. Remote participation is also available through virtual options for the marathon, half marathon, and challenge categories. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
