calendar icon Oct 31, 2024

Marathon Details - Kiawah Island Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > SC > Kiawah Island > Kiawah Island Marathon

Kiawah Island Marathon

Kiawah Island Golf Resort Kiawah Island Marathon & Half Marathon

location icon Kiawah Island, SC USA

calendar icon December 14, 2024

calendar icon http://www.kiawahresort.com/recreation/kiawah-island-marathon

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Race Details

Course has senic marsh vistas and live oak tree lined streets. Course is a single loop which is flat and fast.

Contact Information

Name: Beth Puckett
Address: Kiawah Island Golf Resort
One Sanctuary Beach Drive
Kiawah Island, SC 29455
Phone Number:  843-768-2780
Fax Number: 843-768-6022
Email: Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (211)

Course Rating Course 4.1 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.4 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.2 
 
 
Number of comments: 211 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 21 > ]

 

KIRK SHAFFER from Floyds Knobs, Indiana (12/11/2023)
"Traffic to Park... Horrendous!!!" (about: 2023)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 3


This race has negative and positives.

Negatives 1st
- The parking was horrible. Probably 75-90% of the runners came from off the island. Way too many cars trying to come in the only entrance. Possible solution, open up the other 2 lanes to have four lanes coming in, but don't squeeze them down to one lane.
- 2nd negative... the start, never saw such a mess!!!
- 3rd negative.. you can't run out of water and Gatorade out on the course at the stops. Went 3 miles without either.
- 4th negative... never run out of medals... PERIOD!!!

The Kiawah Island marathon committee has to ask themselves... HAVE WE OUTGROWN THIS LOCATION???

Now the positives...
- It was a great course. Beautiful scenery!!
- Good fan support (where applicable).
- Expo... good size for this size of marathon.
- The volunteers were very helpful and friendly. The volunteers out on the course were awesome also.
- The post meal... the BEST I've had in all my marathoning.

With all this being said... we did have a great experience!!

Please work on the negatives!!!!!

 

F. E. from Philadelphia, PA (5/13/2023)
"Pretty place but disappointing course" (about: 2022)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 5


I had wanted to run this marathon for some time as I find this area quite beautiful, however I was disappointed to find that much of course felt like running through suburbs with little natural scenery or views. In addition, I guess the island is small because the course had more turns and curlicues than a Candy Land board. There were several overlapping segments, making for an oddly repetitive monotonous experience. The organization was not great: very crowded bib pickup and the start felt chaotic. The race started with several minutes delay as there were a few buses still trying to get on the island. I stayed at the resort thinking that I could walk to the start, however, I didn't quite do my homework. Turns out I had to take the 15-20min shuttle the morning of. On return, there was quite a long wait for shuttle again which I hadn't expected for a smaller race. There were also long lines for food and drink as I think this race is catered more to the overwhelming majority of 1/2 marathoners and spectators. I value smaller races because the logistics are simple and the course more interesting than big city races but that was not the case with Kiawah.

 

R. G. from GA (12/11/2022)
"First Class Event" (about: 2022)

50+ previous marathons | 2 Kiawah Island Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This group knows how to make all runners feel special. The organization is top notch. The course is beautiful.

 

K. B. from Colorado Springs, CO (12/11/2022)
"Flat, fast course, well-organized!" (about: 2022)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


After reading many reviews, we chose to stay on the island for this race. We found a super Airbnb that was convenient to everything (about 2 miles from the start line). I was a little concerned about the course since I struggled to follow the map and many had mentioned the number of turns; however, on race day there were volunteers at every turn to direct runners as well as excellent markings. As with many races, there are a lot more half-marathoners - you can get pretty hemmed in the first 6 miles with the whole crowd. Once you break away from the half marathoners, it is pleasant with plenty of space. Spectators are light because the race is on the island, which is a gated resort community. In addition, most roads are closed ... your support team can rent bikes, though.

The island interior boasts a coastal forest filled with majestic birds, Spanish moss, and lots of shade from the giant trees. There are few views of the ocean, but if you stay on the island, most places are within a block or two of the beach. The day after the marathon, we took a stroll along the beach listening to the surf. Truly magical.

Bottom line, this is a super well-organized race in a stunningly beautiful place. Great post-race party, and lots of resort amenities.

 

J. F. from Atlanta, Georgia, usa (7/2/2022)
"Beautiful, well organized" (about: 2021)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Course is flat and beautiful. Multiple turns after mile 16 sort of have a maze-like feeling.

Well-organized. Nice shirt + medal.

Excellent food at finish.

Need to secure accommodations well in advance due to location.

 

Duane Staley from St George, UT (12/12/2021)
"Unbelievably AWESOME marathon!!!" (about: 2021)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This was my 60th marathon and quite possibly the best organized race I've run. Outstanding organization, well marked course, pancake flat, spectacular scenery, great food at the finish line, awesome medal, outstanding live bands on the course, phenomenal volunteers, absolutely an AWESOME job Kiawah!!!

 

Rob Klein from Paradise, Michigan USA (12/16/2019)
"Palm Trees and Alligators" (about: 2019)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


First, hats off to the owners and operators of Kiawah Island for hosting a marathon event where we could choose to participate and are given access to the Island. There is only one way, one road to get on to the Island, and there is a security check-point all cars have to go through. I likened this resort Island somewhat it to SunRiver, Oregon, a resort community that hosts the Pacific Crest Marathon, near Bend, Oregon. There were about 1100 marathon runners, and a lot more half-marathoners. There were lots of people there, and there were a lot of volunteers too that made this happen. They had registration & check-in going on around the Charleston area during the week, and that probably helped relieve chaos on Friday afternoon. To get from Charleston to Kiawah Island, you have to drive across Johns Island too, and it is a long drive; maybe 27 miles, depending on where in Charleston you are starting from. Then you need to get a pass before coming onto the Island, so you can get through the security check-point. When you get the pass, they tell you, if you are not staying on the Island, that they want you to park in a large parking area off the Island, then ride a shuttle bus to the starting area. Once on the Island and through security, it is perhaps 4 miles to the East Beach Conference Center. Check-in was held there, the start and finish line are there, and there is very limited parking. They had a small expo, were collecting canned goods for needy folks, and were handing out bibs and T-shirts. There was food available for purchase too, like dinner.

Because there were so many folks and only one road on and off the Island, there was an enormous traffic jam early Saturday morning. In my 117 marathons, the Tucson Marathon is the only other marathon I can remember that created a traffic jam on race day morning - that race also using shuttle buses to move people from a parking area to that starting line. If you are thinking about this race for next year - or beyond - start out extra early Saturday morning. There was an absolutely enormous sized field off the Island they used for parking, and tour buses were lined up to shuttle runners on to the Island. Once parking was accomplished, it went more smoothly. But there were lines of people at the buses too, because they only filled one bus at a time. At the starting area, they had bag-drop for warm up clothes. That was good because it was about 50 degrees F before sunrise; warmed to the mid 60's by late morning, I think. They had corrals set up for the start. Of course the faster runners get to be closer to the timing mat (which isn't fair, but such is life). It took several minutes to move all the runners across the mats.

The half and full marathoners stayed together until about mile post 5. Until reaching that point, you were always running with other people near-by. After the split, marathoners were far and few between, as they say. While on the course, I never had a mental picture of where I was on the Island. I looked at the map before, but it did not help me have a mental image of where I was during the event. But the course was extremely well marked, and there were course marshals and law enforcement personnel at critical spots to guide the runners. That was good because a couple of times I was looking at the scenery and was not paying close attention to signs and arrows, and would have missed a turn without a verbal cue from a volunteer.

I did not see much of the Island, except what I saw while on the course. But there were palm trees gracing the landscape, and the homes were ridiculously large and magnificent; just awe-inspiring. And there were numerous small bodies of water - like ponds - with warning signs to not get into the water because of the alligators. I saw what looked like an alligator in one of the ponds, with just it's eyes above the water-line. But I could not tell for certain because it was a distance away. I did not see any alligators out of the water, which might have been a cause for concern.

There were adequate aid/hydration stations throughout the course. I think every station had water and Gatorade. Many had orange slices; some had pretzels (good choices!) and one lady was handing out donut holes. And they were really good too. At least one station later in the course had run out of any carb snacks to hand out. That was unfortunate, but they were doing the best that they could. This course did not have any gels being handed out; I did not know that ahead of time. Typically race organizations have some variety of gels being handed out. But one neighbor did have a handful of her own personal stash of gels that she was handing out from her driveway. I was obliged to have one; for this particular race, I did not bring any of my own carb snacks, and I could feel it toward the end of the race, so the one gel I did have was precious.

At the finish line they had some kind of cold pasta salad which was good. There were orange slices, cookies, and brownies. Hot coffee was available, and I think some were getting beer too. I think there were some other food choices too, but it escapes my mind right now. In any case, we were well taken care of.

I really recommend this race. It is stunningly beautiful, you get to be a guest on a private island, the landscape is almost like a jungle with homes tucked in between the trees, it is flat as a pancake, it is all paved, and though guests, we were treated well by the Island people.

 

D. K. from Ohio (12/15/2019)
"Great, flat scenic race" (about: 2019)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This course is the flattest I've ever run. There are a lot of turns, and it is tough to get to tangents with large crowds at the beginning. You might get an extra 0.2 or 0.3 miles.

There is room for a lot of people inside the conference center before the race if it is cold or raining.

Post race has non-standard fare. Couscous salad and chickpea salad and a soup were options. As well as bananas, orange slices, brownies, and beer. Pretty nice to sit down and eat after the race.

 

E. K. from Rochester, NY (12/10/2018)
"Nice race but parking traffic jam was a nightmare" (about: 2018)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 2


Very flat and fast course and beautiful place. Change of scenery including spectacular marshland views from bridges, golf course views, and views of some amazing homes. Very brief view of the ocean, which was disappointing. Half marathon is like 3x the size of the marathon and runs together for 5+ miles, which was a nuisance - should be separated in the future. Parking is off island and the busses ran perfectly, but we waited for almost an hour in a traffic jam waiting to get in to the lot, and almost missed the start (I'm sure a fair number of folks DID miss the start). Somehow Kiawah figures out how to get 40,000 people onto that island for the PGA; the marathon organizers need to talk to the golf folks. Good race but unless they fix the parking situation, I'm not sure I'd do it again.

 

r. r. from Texas (12/13/2016)
"Beautiful, flat course with a beach to hang out on" (about: 2016)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


Maybe one of the most beautiful courses overall. While some people won't like the numerous turns, I think it allowed for taking in all the beauty the area has to offer. The turns were all marked and monitored expertly so no chance of going wrong. About the flattest course you will find so many PR's. While it started out very cold there were inside protection if desired and once the race got going it felt very good. I liked the 8am start time. One item I could complain was the aid stations in that it was advertised water first and gatorade next. However, in most cases it was all mixed up and runners had to inquire or stop and look in the cups to get what they wanted creating confusion. One table had the great idea in the gatorade people had yellow bibs and the water no bibs. A fantastic idea that might be taken on at other races-either bibs of colored t-shirts. The other complaint is that I paid quite a bit to stay on island at Mariner's Way where a close shuttle stop would take you to the start. The shuttle picked you up all right, however the drop off was further away from the start than the Mariner shuttle stop was. It was closer to walk from my place to the start than the walk to the start from the shuttle drop off point. It was very cold so it was disturbing to those affected. Having the beach close by to stroll on was nice to hang out on before and after the race. I thought about a post race dunk in the cold water but chickened out. I enjoyed this one but would stay off island where hotels were cheaper and an adequate selection of restaurants at reasonable prices are available. Due to seclusion of the resort and being winter, spectators were minimal, but quite a few people rode bikes on the bike trail alongside the runners which was different. I liked that the packet pickup and the race start is at the same location. It ensures you know the layout and how to go which made things smoother as it did here.

 

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