The Myrtle Beach Marathon is a two-day track and field event held mid-February, drawing six-thousand runners annually. A Family Fun Run kicks off events Friday night at 5:30 p.m. The 5K-run, starting at 6:15 p.m. Friday, must be completed within one hour. The marathon and half-marathons begin at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. An hour later, Bicycle Races begin on three different courses: 10 mile, 30 mile, and 63 mile. Start lines are at various locations, but all events finish at Coastal Federal Field.
Runners use timing chips which are distributed at the start of the race; or they may register the serial number of their personal chips. No finishing times are awarded without a timing chip. All finishers receive a medal, with awards going to the top three male and female finishers. Awards are also given within age groups from 19-and-under to 70-and-over, and to the top three wheelchair and crank-chair athletes.
Pre-registration is required for competitive events; all entrance fees must be paid prior to the weekend of the event. Registration forms are available online, or from the Myrtle Beach Marathon, PO Box 8780, Myrtle Beach, SC 29578. Race events are open to the public, free of charge.
A post-race party is held Saturday night at the House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach where all awards and trophies are given out. The event is free to registered racers, but there is an admission fee for non-racers. Sunday night there's a casual, post-race party at Ripley's Aquarium on the beach.
Since 1998 the Myrtle Beach Marathon has raised more than one-half million dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of South Carolina and the local chapter of the American Red Cross.
