Marathon Details - Clearwater Marathon

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Clearwater Marathon

Clearwater Marathon & 50K, Half Marathon, Relay, 5K

Clearwater, FL USA

January 26, 2025

http://www.millenniumrunning.com/clearwater

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Race Details

With four competitive races and a non-competitive, untimed walkathon on a winter weekend on Floridas beautiful west coast, we invite athletes of all abilities to join us in celebrating a healthy, active lifestyle. All our races start and finish on Clearwaters downtown waterfront. Weather is typically ideal at this time of year in Florida for distance running and a mid-winter vacation.

Scenic, along waterways, through parks and beach communities, on paved Pinellas Trail, finishing bayside at Clearwater's downtown waterfront.

Mostly flat, except for 2 tall bridges (75 feet), 1 short bridge (25 feet), and 3 overpasses (25 feet).

USATF certified, and therefore a Boston Qualifier.

Contact Information

Name:
Address:	Millennium Running 138 Bedford Center Road Bedford, NH 03110
Phone Number:	603-488-1186
Email:	Email the organizers

Race Organizer

2020 Clearwater Distance Classic will NOT be held! (4/23/19)

Chris Lauber

Due to an ongoing legal dispute, we are very disappointed to announce that we will NOT be staging the Clearwater Distance Classic in January, 2020.

Instead of the Clearwater Distance Classic, please join us for the 2ND ANNUAL ST. PETERSBURG DISTANCE CLASSIC. With a marathon, halfathon, 10K, and 5K Race / Walk, we invite athletes of all abilities to these gorgeous courses on Florida's westcoast most beautiful waterfront. All races start before sunrise, adding to the natural beauty overlooking Tampa Bay. All courses are accurately measured and USATF certified, which means our marathon course is a Boston Qualifier. In our first year, about 5% of our finishers ran qualifying times.

For our friends up north, "February in Florida" can't be beat for a winter vacay, especially in St. Petersburg with its abundance of museums, galleries, and nightlife. St. Petersburg is just minutes from some of the finest beaches in the world.

As a local race director with 20+ years experience and the only race director to ever create a full marathon in Pinellas County, I am honored to showcase my city of 30 years. The St. Petersburg Distance Classic features the best race courses I have ever created. They include a tour of our exclusive waterfront residential areas, our downtown waterfront, our dynamic and diverse downtown, along with mileage on the secluded, mostly-flat Pinellas Trail - a crown jewel popular with local endurance athletes.

But don't just take my word for it. Here are some runner reviews:

"What a satisfying experience! The highlights: the stunning sunrise at Coffee Pot Bayou, Central Avenue totally taken by runners, the massive Pinellas Trail challenge with two big overpasses and moments of solitude that required mental strength, seeing all the leaders of the 5K, 10K, Half and Marathon. All stressing the jewel that city is. Plenty of aid stations with awesome volunteers, all corners closed by a battalion of police officers, easy to follow course, superb design of medals and shirts." - Marcia Sussman

"I loved the half marathon course! It was a great tour of my home!" - Carolyn Kiper

"I especially liked the way the 10K, half and marathon ran together with first the 10K splitting off and then the half and marathon going in opposite directions on the Pinellas Trail. Definitely a must do for anyone on the fence for next year." - Jim Baker

"I loved everything about this race. The course views along the St. Pete waterfront were spectacular! Congrats and thanks for staging another fabulous event." - Kurt Gleeson

"The best 10k we have ever done. The course was so interesting and so much to see. Perfect course, perfect weather and we loved it." - Peggy and Rob Dlugozima

"This race was awesome!!!!" - Regina Krauss Goolsby

"Very well-organized and executed race today! Easy to follow course, plenty of water stops, nice start/finish area and a good place for post-race activities, including awards. Well done...Thanks!" - Gary Saxton

"Thanks so much for putting this race together. What an extraordinary course! I can't wait to come back next year and bring some friends with me." - Sarah Donovan

"My favorite half marathon course! Fantastic race and bad ass medal. You and Rya outdid yourselves once again. Thank you for putting on the best races!" - Mitzy Ake

"Beautiful course and very well-organized from packet pick-up to post-race celebration. The volunteers and law enforcement were nice and helpful. I even encountered several friendly locals as I walked back to my car who didn't hesitate to say congratulations when they saw my medal. It's always a top-notch experience to be part of one of your races and I look forward to running in another one soon." - Lisa Kagan

"It was by far my favorite race!! Amazing job as always!!!! - Lauren Deni-King

Info: www.StPetersburgDistanceClassic.com

Or visit our listing here at MarathonGuide.com:
http://www.marathonguide.com/races/racedetails.cfm?MID=6838

Hope to have you join us!

Best regards,
Chris Lauber
Race Director
FLRoadRaces@aol.com
(727) 347-4440

Runner Reviews (170)

Course 4.1

Organization 3.8

Spectators 3.1

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Number of comments: 170 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

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J. C. from CT (1/25/2018) "Flat, long straightaways and very small race" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Clearwater Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Perks of this race: Logistics are great! Easy to get to and parking is next to the start so you don't need to check a bag. Plenty of Port-o-lets at the start. Bib pick up is available on race day. NICE race shirts. Not the typical tech material - but a nice soft blue t-shirt. Nice medal, post race had plenty of food and beer. Cons for this race: Very small race so if you're running alone, you are alone. There was no one in front of us or behind us. Expect LONG STRAIGHTAWAYS! It seemed NEVER ENDING and FLAT! Almost got lost - cones were no where to be found at before the 9+mile bike path. Finish confusing too - had to ask directions.
R. J. from Bedford, NH (12/19/2017) "How can you rate a marathon that was canceled?" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Poor communication by race organizers in 2017. Last minute cancellation! This race is now under NEW ownership and management for 2018...Millennium Running. I work for this company and have run many of their races during the past two years, and ALL have been first rate, top quality events! Can't wait for the Clearwater Marathon 2018!
B. W. from Fairfield, CT (10/23/2017) "Canceled again! Amateur organization" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Sure there are reasons for an event to be cancelled but this was handled so poorly it raises questions. Race cancelled the afternoon prior to the event. Met many who had just traveled to Florida to run. Sign blames local police and weather report. Their response. Sorry, these things happen. How about a 'virtual' race?!?! So they just handed out the swag and said see you next year. No consideration or discount offered to skunked runners. Need a discount? There is a charity fund for low income runners!!! How insulting. Would not consider this race until new organization brought in. In fact, think the USTAFA should look into their certification for putting on events.
L. B. from New Hampshire, USA (1/30/2017) "Race cancelled" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I signed up for this race knowing it had been cancelled the year before but I thought chances were slim that it would happen 2 years in a row. I flew in from NH, leaving Boston at 6am Saturday morning. I found out in the expo line that the race had been cancelled. I received an email notification at 9:42 that night that the decision to cancel had been made at 5am that morning. Had notification gone out sooner, I would not have made the trip. Runners were given their medals and shirts and had the option to run it as a virtual run. I did not come prepared to run a marathon without race support. I respect the difficult decision to cancel such an event. I don't quite understand the delay in letting the runners know.
K. B. from Florida (1/26/2017) "Marathon Canceled 2 Years in a Row" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Clearwater Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 While I appreciate the need for safety and understand that the organizers had expenses, not providing any break in registration fees for marathoners who registered two years in a row doesn't cut it. I won't waste my money a third time.
D. N. from Nova Scotia, Canada (1/25/2017) "Can't Hold a Marathon if the Weather Might be Bad!" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Full cancellation in 2017 due to possibility of bad weather. I learned this standing in the kit pick-up line 14 hours before start time. I was quite disappointed after travelling all the way from Canada. I re-checked the forecast and the bad weather wasn't forecast until 3 PM on race day. I showed up on race morning and ran most of the course anyway, unsupported and in fine weather. The bad weather held off until about 8 PM. No refunds, just told to run a virtual race, the stupidest thing in running today. Just an opportunity for people to buy a shirt and a finisher's medal. Does the city of Clearwater think we don't want to run in rain? Races are supposed to happen rain or shine. The race organizers have our money and still made their profit and Clearwater got the economic benefit due to late cancellation. The runners appear to be the only losers in this situation. I can appreciate the no refund policy, but given the poor judgement used in cancelling this event I won't be returning to Clearwater.
J. M. from Ohio (1/24/2017) "Didn't happen - again" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 It seems the Clearwater city council and/or the police department do not want this race to exist. We were informed that the race was canceled while standing in line for packet pickup at the expo. Apparently the race permits were revoked due to the weather that was forecast for Sunday. We were given our packets and medals, told that it was now a 'virtual' race, and sent on our way. This also happened last year but only the marathon and 50K were canceled - on the starting line. I can't say anything for the course since I never got to run it but if you are looking for a BQ or PR you may want to keep looking. Between the weather and the city there's a good chance this race won't happen. It's tough to put so much effort into training for an event only to be turned away at the last minute. We ran our 'virtual' race on schedule in Tampa with hot and windy weather. The storm that was forecast didn't hit until around 9PM.
T. M. from Florida (1/22/2017) "Don't register until race day" (about: 2017) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Clearwater Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Two years in a row they have canceled the marathon at the last minute. This year was particularly egregious, as they waited until 9pm the night before to send out their email. At the time they canceled the forecast showed that the bad weather in question was not set to arrive until mid afternoon race day, when all but the straggliest of stragglers (7.5 hours plus) would be well-finished. Upon canceling in these circumstances, they referred to their decision to cancel as an 'act of God' and are not giving any refunds...not even partials. Given that this has occurred 2 years straight one is left to wonder whether they are acting in good faith. Its a great course, but fool me once shame on you... Unless you like paying money and getting nothing in return, wait until race day to register.
K. B. from Seminole, Florida (1/24/2015) "Great course and perfect weather!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Clearwater Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was thrilled when this marathon started again. With the exception of the bridges, the course is flat and scenic. Aid stations perfectly placed and staffed with enthusiastic volunteers. All stations had plenty of water and Gatorade, which is important since I've run in marathons where stations ran out. Traffic control was excellent and I appreciated that they did not reduce the runners to one lane for the first two miles this year. Organization of packet pickup was right on track this year. I think the disposable chips were a great addition. I will run this marathon every year that I am physically able!
J. F. from New York, NY (1/21/2015) "Really nice race to escape winter doldrums" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Clearwater Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I came for the weekend from NYC for the Clearwater Marathon and really enjoyed it! Weather was ideal - in the mid-60's with pockets of sun. Packet pick-up is offered multiple times the days leading up to the race. I picked mine up at the start/finish line (Coachman Park) the day beforehand, which was really easy. The first 7 or 8 miles of the marathon are run with the half marathoners, with the marathoners and 50K ultra runners completing most of the remainder of the race together. I thought the first 5 miles or so were beautiful with views of the water and nice hotels, and then scenery becomes less impressive, yet still nice and comfortable. The last 10 miles or so are run on what seems like a long strip in a grassy area/park. I enjoyed this because there were no cars, but also few spectators or scenery to absorb. The medal is amazing, and the post-race festivities were great with free beer, hot pasta, delicious oranges (which were also served throughout the course) and cool classic rock. Recommendations for future races: it'd be great if gels could also be distributed and perhaps some shuttle transportation. I had to take cabs to and from the start/finish line, which was easy enough to manage and only costs $10 each ride, but logistically would have preferred a shuttle bus to nearby hotels. In summary, I had a great experience and recommend the marathon.