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Marathon Details - Whidbey Island Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > WA > Oak Harbor > Whidbey Island Marathon

Whidbey Island Marathon

Whidbey Island Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K, 5K

Oak Harbor, WA USA

April 21, 2024

http://www.runwhidbey.org

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Race Details

Rolling highly scenic course featuring wildlife and vistas of snow-capped mountains and water/beach views.

Contact Information

Name:	City of Oak Harbor
Address:	865 SE Barrington Drive Oak Harbor, WA 98277
Phone Number:	360-279-4500
Email:	Email the organizers

Race Organizer

Whidbey, come see the paradise. (10/11/08)

Whidbey Organizing Committee

Due to popular demand, we are revising the 2009 courses to include more waterfront views and safer roads. We will have both a replenisher drink and energy gel available at 4-5 aid stations again, yet to be confirmed which brands. We invite all to join us on the island for our 8th annual event.There is no race day registration.

Runner Reviews (90)

Course 4.1

Organization 4.1

Spectators 3.5

Write a review

Number of comments: 90 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 > ]

C. N. from TX (5/12/2017) "Scenic course, very hilly, no spectators" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Summary: Hilly. Perfect weather. Nice scenery. No spectators. Not a BQ course. Except it was.
C. C. from Austin, TX (4/26/2015) "Beautiful" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Beautiful but very difficult course....just not a PR course. Very well organized, few spectators, but very friendly and enthusiastic when you see them. Would be a great destination race. My only complaint, and it's minor, is no Gatorade on course. There's Nuun and it's a little sporadic, so next time I'd run with a bottle of sports drink. Volunteers very helpful and friendly.
D. H. from Albuquerque, NM (4/23/2015) "Beautiful, challenging course" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great, small race. Well run, beautiful scenery, GREAT volunteers. Oak Harbor was very hospitable. Nice medal & shirt. I loved this race, even though the hills make it moderately tough. I recommend it.
C. K. from Michigan (4/22/2015) "Well organized small marathon" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my 7th marathon and I really enjoyed it. Pros: It's a nice course, hilly (especially big and tiring hill at mile 17) and mainly on small rural roads. Although it is not a closed course, traffic was not a big deal, as there wasn't much, and there were volunteers posted at all of the intersections to hold traffic. The views over Deception Pass were really stunning. Very nice tech t-shirt and medal was fine, although the swag isn't really a good reason to run a marathon (in my opinion!). Lots of portapotties on course and water every couple miles or so, also gu, gummie bears, pretzels at a few stops. Nice shuttles to start, which had plenty of heaters (thanks!) and a gear truck bag where you could toss stuff at 5 minutes to race start. They even had pacers! Very surprising for a race with less than 200 finishers! Cons: Don't expect spectators - there were hardly any! This wasn't a con for me, but might be for some folks. The end of the course is probably the most boring, and the torn up road through the military base was kind of rough going on sore feet. I was very glad I wasn't going for a PR - just as I passed the 26 mile mark, they started a kids fun run, on the exact same very small path as the marathon. So I spent the last 0.2 miles dodging tiny runners. They were super cute, and since I wasn't trying for a PR it didn't really matter much to me, but it was a supremely bad choice (in my opinion) for the race director to do this. I was just hoping I would not wipe out on a swerving or stop & go tiny runner.
t. p. from calgary, alberta (4/22/2015) "Should be on Everyone's Bucket List" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Well organized, great weather, spectacular scenery, few spectators but all enthusiastic, and the hills are not nearly as bad as they look on the elevation chart. Also a great location to relax and dine before and after
K. E. from Seattle, WA (4/15/2014) "Amazing marathon!" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As a first time marathoner, I was very nervous leading up to the race! But it turned out to be an amazing experience. The course was beautiful and the organization was exceptional. I will never forget this race! The hills weren't too bad, the one at mile 17 is the trickiest. Looking at the elevation charts, I thought it would be all downhill and easy after around mile 18, but there were a few short uphill segments that were challenging to me, particularly the tiny little hill at mile 24. Usually it would be no problem, but any small hill is a challenge at mile 24! All in all, it was a challenging but wonderful race and I had a blast!!
K. S. from Boston, Massachusetts (4/17/2013) "well organized, small town marathon" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very impressed by how well this race was organized. It's a small town marathon with beautiful scenery, enthusiastic spectators (though no large crowds), and a no-hassle start and finish. Getting to the start was easy on the shuttle busses. There were heat lamps, bathrooms, and a tent available at the start, and our bags were easily dropped off at bag check and then picked up at the finish. I even got my throw away shirt back! The course is challenging- the whole race is rolling ups and downs, with 2 large hills mixed in. The last few miles are run on a rough path that was a little hard on the feet, and there were quite a few twists and turns to get to the finish. It's not a PR course, but the scenery and hospitality of Oak Harbor make up for that. There was plenty of food and entertainment at the end of the race as well. I would definitely recommend this marathon!
K. M. from Victoria, BC (4/16/2012) "Beautiful scenery, train for hills!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Ran this for the first time yesterday and my legs are killing me! There are certainly a lot of hills on this course, both the up and down kind! I tried to run on the gravel at the side of the road as much as possible on the downhills to save my legs a little but they're still pretty sore! There is a lot of up but there is also a lot of down, sometimes enough to help you forget the previous up until you get smacked with the next one! :) Beautiful scenery (especially the bridge and spots neat the water) and largely rural. Although there aren't hoards of spectators lining the course the clusters that are there are extremely supportive and loud, you can hear them before you see them! Volunteers were excellent. Although the roads aren't closed there really isn't much traffic. Space heaters at the start line were a really nice touch! I like small races that the host town gets behind, you saw all sorts of welcomes all over town for the runners which was nice. Shuttles ran pretty smoothly so no complaints there for me. Just hopped on a bus at my hotel and went directly to the start. Gear check went smoothly and the volunteer at the finish line already had my bag in hand for me before I reached the booth. Expo was reasonable size for a small race and all the volunteers were friendly and helpful. Medal was pretty sweet! All in all I'm very glad I did it, it's been on my list for a while and the fact that it went across the Deception Pass bridge this year was the decider. Victoria folk, it's easily reachable by the Sidney-Anacortes ferry but you'll have to take BC Ferries back after driving up the I5 on the way home unless you leave the next morning.
S. D. from Mount Vernon, WA (4/16/2012) "They did a great job this year!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Whidbey Island Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very surprised at how well this marathon was put together this year. The course was great with the start going over the Deception Pass bridge and the last 4 miles along the water. Very little traffic on the course and when there was traffic, there were a ton of cones giving the runners a safe lane to run in. It seemed like there were aid station at least every couple of miles. There was lots of food at the finish since they had a separate food tent for the marathoners. Everyone seemed very friendly and happy to be there. The course is probably the most difficult road marathon in Washington due to the hills, but most of the last 8 miles are downhill or flat. Any course on Whidbey is going to be hilly, but at least the hills aren't at the end. I would definitely do this one again.
G. G. from Oak Harbor, WA (4/13/2011) "Nice enough, though small" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Since there are 5-6 times as many half marathoners as full marathoners (1,200 versus 200), it's reasonable for organizers to focus on their larger audience. Much of what results, however, is unfortunate. The half marathoners run the same course starting just 30 minutes later. What that means is that most of the resources are gone by the time marathoners reach those areas. It also means that marathoners have to weave through the rump elements of the shorter race, particularly walkers. And when marathoners finish, many of the resources are gone. I was in the middle of the marathoning pack, and the beer cart was gone by the time I arrived. Not running low or difficult to find, just gone. But I guess that's par for the course, because the music was also closing up at the same time. The wind was atrocious this year, but that's just weather. Since the marathon is owned by the City of Oak Harbor, it's reasonable they'd want the whole course within their borders. But it'd be better to have a south-to-north passage (since that's the prevailing winds) and perhaps one that started in Coupeville. At the very least, eliminate all those out-and-backs on the course. Turning around and running the same path seems unnecessary on the third-largest island in the US.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 > ]



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C. N. from TX (5/12/2017) "Scenic course, very hilly, no spectators" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Summary: Hilly. Perfect weather. Nice scenery. No spectators. Not a BQ course. Except it was.
C. C. from Austin, TX (4/26/2015) "Beautiful" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Beautiful but very difficult course....just not a PR course. Very well organized, few spectators, but very friendly and enthusiastic when you see them. Would be a great destination race. My only complaint, and it's minor, is no Gatorade on course. There's Nuun and it's a little sporadic, so next time I'd run with a bottle of sports drink. Volunteers very helpful and friendly.
D. H. from Albuquerque, NM (4/23/2015) "Beautiful, challenging course" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great, small race. Well run, beautiful scenery, GREAT volunteers. Oak Harbor was very hospitable. Nice medal & shirt. I loved this race, even though the hills make it moderately tough. I recommend it.
C. K. from Michigan (4/22/2015) "Well organized small marathon" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my 7th marathon and I really enjoyed it. Pros: It's a nice course, hilly (especially big and tiring hill at mile 17) and mainly on small rural roads. Although it is not a closed course, traffic was not a big deal, as there wasn't much, and there were volunteers posted at all of the intersections to hold traffic. The views over Deception Pass were really stunning. Very nice tech t-shirt and medal was fine, although the swag isn't really a good reason to run a marathon (in my opinion!). Lots of portapotties on course and water every couple miles or so, also gu, gummie bears, pretzels at a few stops. Nice shuttles to start, which had plenty of heaters (thanks!) and a gear truck bag where you could toss stuff at 5 minutes to race start. They even had pacers! Very surprising for a race with less than 200 finishers! Cons: Don't expect spectators - there were hardly any! This wasn't a con for me, but might be for some folks. The end of the course is probably the most boring, and the torn up road through the military base was kind of rough going on sore feet. I was very glad I wasn't going for a PR - just as I passed the 26 mile mark, they started a kids fun run, on the exact same very small path as the marathon. So I spent the last 0.2 miles dodging tiny runners. They were super cute, and since I wasn't trying for a PR it didn't really matter much to me, but it was a supremely bad choice (in my opinion) for the race director to do this. I was just hoping I would not wipe out on a swerving or stop & go tiny runner.
t. p. from calgary, alberta (4/22/2015) "Should be on Everyone's Bucket List" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Well organized, great weather, spectacular scenery, few spectators but all enthusiastic, and the hills are not nearly as bad as they look on the elevation chart. Also a great location to relax and dine before and after
K. E. from Seattle, WA (4/15/2014) "Amazing marathon!" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As a first time marathoner, I was very nervous leading up to the race! But it turned out to be an amazing experience. The course was beautiful and the organization was exceptional. I will never forget this race! The hills weren't too bad, the one at mile 17 is the trickiest. Looking at the elevation charts, I thought it would be all downhill and easy after around mile 18, but there were a few short uphill segments that were challenging to me, particularly the tiny little hill at mile 24. Usually it would be no problem, but any small hill is a challenge at mile 24! All in all, it was a challenging but wonderful race and I had a blast!!
K. S. from Boston, Massachusetts (4/17/2013) "well organized, small town marathon" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very impressed by how well this race was organized. It's a small town marathon with beautiful scenery, enthusiastic spectators (though no large crowds), and a no-hassle start and finish. Getting to the start was easy on the shuttle busses. There were heat lamps, bathrooms, and a tent available at the start, and our bags were easily dropped off at bag check and then picked up at the finish. I even got my throw away shirt back! The course is challenging- the whole race is rolling ups and downs, with 2 large hills mixed in. The last few miles are run on a rough path that was a little hard on the feet, and there were quite a few twists and turns to get to the finish. It's not a PR course, but the scenery and hospitality of Oak Harbor make up for that. There was plenty of food and entertainment at the end of the race as well. I would definitely recommend this marathon!
K. M. from Victoria, BC (4/16/2012) "Beautiful scenery, train for hills!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Ran this for the first time yesterday and my legs are killing me! There are certainly a lot of hills on this course, both the up and down kind! I tried to run on the gravel at the side of the road as much as possible on the downhills to save my legs a little but they're still pretty sore! There is a lot of up but there is also a lot of down, sometimes enough to help you forget the previous up until you get smacked with the next one! :) Beautiful scenery (especially the bridge and spots neat the water) and largely rural. Although there aren't hoards of spectators lining the course the clusters that are there are extremely supportive and loud, you can hear them before you see them! Volunteers were excellent. Although the roads aren't closed there really isn't much traffic. Space heaters at the start line were a really nice touch! I like small races that the host town gets behind, you saw all sorts of welcomes all over town for the runners which was nice. Shuttles ran pretty smoothly so no complaints there for me. Just hopped on a bus at my hotel and went directly to the start. Gear check went smoothly and the volunteer at the finish line already had my bag in hand for me before I reached the booth. Expo was reasonable size for a small race and all the volunteers were friendly and helpful. Medal was pretty sweet! All in all I'm very glad I did it, it's been on my list for a while and the fact that it went across the Deception Pass bridge this year was the decider. Victoria folk, it's easily reachable by the Sidney-Anacortes ferry but you'll have to take BC Ferries back after driving up the I5 on the way home unless you leave the next morning.
S. D. from Mount Vernon, WA (4/16/2012) "They did a great job this year!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Whidbey Island Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very surprised at how well this marathon was put together this year. The course was great with the start going over the Deception Pass bridge and the last 4 miles along the water. Very little traffic on the course and when there was traffic, there were a ton of cones giving the runners a safe lane to run in. It seemed like there were aid station at least every couple of miles. There was lots of food at the finish since they had a separate food tent for the marathoners. Everyone seemed very friendly and happy to be there. The course is probably the most difficult road marathon in Washington due to the hills, but most of the last 8 miles are downhill or flat. Any course on Whidbey is going to be hilly, but at least the hills aren't at the end. I would definitely do this one again.
G. G. from Oak Harbor, WA (4/13/2011) "Nice enough, though small" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Since there are 5-6 times as many half marathoners as full marathoners (1,200 versus 200), it's reasonable for organizers to focus on their larger audience. Much of what results, however, is unfortunate. The half marathoners run the same course starting just 30 minutes later. What that means is that most of the resources are gone by the time marathoners reach those areas. It also means that marathoners have to weave through the rump elements of the shorter race, particularly walkers. And when marathoners finish, many of the resources are gone. I was in the middle of the marathoning pack, and the beer cart was gone by the time I arrived. Not running low or difficult to find, just gone. But I guess that's par for the course, because the music was also closing up at the same time. The wind was atrocious this year, but that's just weather. Since the marathon is owned by the City of Oak Harbor, it's reasonable they'd want the whole course within their borders. But it'd be better to have a south-to-north passage (since that's the prevailing winds) and perhaps one that started in Coupeville. At the very least, eliminate all those out-and-backs on the course. Turning around and running the same path seems unnecessary on the third-largest island in the US.

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Marathon Details - Whidbey Island Marathon