Ocean City Running Festival Marathon

Ocean City's fall festival gives mid-Atlantic runners a sea-level marathon after the summer crowds leave. The full shares race day with a half, 8K, and 5K, and the course trades city noise for beach-town streets, a bay crossing, and state park scenery.

The marathon starts and finishes in the inlet parking lot, crosses Isle of Wight Bay into West Ocean City, then follows a long out-and-back to the turnaround at Assateague State Park. The route is flat at sea level, and the return covers nearly a mile of the Ocean City boardwalk before the finish.

Mid-November at the Maryland shore usually means starts in the 40s and steady ocean wind. Exposed bay and highway stretches can feel colder than the forecast, and the breeze often decides whether the out or the back feels faster.