OBX Marathon

I've vacationed in the Outer Banks for 20 years so I was happy to run this one on what I thought would be familiar terrain. However, I was pleasantly surprised as the course took through some areas that I had no idea exited down there. The Wright Brothers memorial and Nags Head highway section I expected. But there were some nice neighborhoods, some cool views along the sound and a few miles through the woods that I'd never seen before. The woods section is definitely not trail running, it's about three miles of a hard-packed rolling dirt road through a park which I thought was great, it felt like a rain forest. Then there is about ¼ mile of actual trail running that takes you from the dirt road up a mild hill, down a mild hill and out to a neighborhood with the halfway point then onto the highway portion. That wooded section is pretty straight forward and I was with a pace group at that point, but there are areas where I could see people running alone might question the right direction to go. It definitely could have used a few more markers or arrows&runners should never, ever be wondering that they may have strayed off the course. Overall, this is what you'd want with a smaller marathon. Small efficient expo, the half marathoners start way ahead so are never seen or in the way, easy and enthusiastic start area, adequate number of port-a-johns, point to point flat course, excellent aid stations and staff, decent overall crowd support but a few lonely miles in the 2nd half, particularly miles 22-25, and then a very nice finish area. This could definitely be a PR and/or BQ course. My only reservation would be to watch the weather. The Outer Banks can get some strong winds out of the southwest that could make it a tough day, but this year the winds were a non-issue. The temp did get to about 60 degrees and though it never felt overbearing that's not ideal for a PR. The temp took its toll on me by the last five miles but then again that may have also had more to do with me going harder early than I should have. The silver lining is that when I got to the top of the bridge at 23 my chance at a BQ was gone so I stopped and took in a little 360 view of the both sound and ocean, which was beautiful. This is no big city marathon but if you want a low key, 400-500 runner, enthusiastic race of marathoners only, this is a good one. Definitely recommended.

This is a beautiful marathon marred by missing directions and mile markers, unstaffed positions, and terrain. The run between Kitty Hawk and Manteo took my breath away. Running through a maritime forest, past the Wright Brothers National Monument, and over the blue blue waters of Roanoke Sound highlight my 11-year marathon career. Will I run OBX again? No. Will I recommend it to a friend? NEVER. OBX Marathon gives a very generous 16 mins/mile pace. To balance this, six cutoffs (not five) cull the herd at miles 3.5, 8, 13.1, 18, 20, and 'the Bridge'. Full marathoners failing to meet the 16 min/mi cutoffs are bused off the course. In case you were calculating that these 111 simply went on to become OBX Half Marathoners, no. The half marathon course had already begun 13 miles closer to the finish. 1 in 5 fully-trained on this course DNF'd in the 2019 Outer Banks Marathon. By 13.1 split, 111/566 marathoners Did Not Finish. How do you design a marathon course in which 111 paying marathoners don't even make it to the 13.1 split???? I got lost THREE SEPARATE TIMES on this course. At mile 4, I ran up someone's long driveway, and had to retrace my steps: no direction markers At mile 8, Wright Brothers National Monument, I relied on a passing car: staffer had moved away 'when race got quiet.' At mile 19, I awaited for a resident in a deserted neighborhood: no direction markers At Nags Head Nature Preserve, mile markers 10 - 12 absent. On Washington Baum Bridge, markers 22 - 23 not there. Please note that 'running on a trail' is NOT the same as 'trail running.' You'll require a different technique, including a slower pace, better core strength, and longer reaction time. Please note that your GPS may not work here, as there's both heavy tree cover or twisting trails. Miles 10 - 13 were Trail Running. If the trail had once been agreeable to runners, recent rains had removed the surface buffers. Deep ruts, exposed roots, and thousands of 1' cubed grey rocks strewn across the path. In addition, steep inclines of sandy or gravelly soil exist across the trail. And you have a mile marker 13.1 cutoff time. I get it. Back of the pack runners will sign up for deserted roads, low course support, and leaden legs. I sign up every time. I train alone, prefer inclement weather, and run until my legs give way. I get it. There's only so much highway you can partially close, only so many neighborhoods to use for doglegs, and only so many hours you can shut off infrastructure. At the end, the small and lackluster finisher's medal resembled a manhole cover. It was pulled out of a cardboard box still containing dozens more.

My first time to travel to the Outer Banks and I loved the area and the race. Fall weather and cool temps made for a quiet and peaceful weekend -- very few tourists beyond runners. Loved the variety of the course - nice starting area, neighborhoods, bay views, dirt road in the woods with rolling hills, Wright Brothers Memorial, highway, the bridge, and nice finish area in Manteo. Shuttles worked well. I parked at Wal-Mart close to the start. We were shuttled to the school to wait and stay warm before the start, and from the finish back to Wal-Mart. **Bathrooms should have been available at the school! Manteo finish area was fun with food, music and awards -- street party feel. **Some confusion to the location and start of the Expo -- double check this info. Enjoyed expo -- easy packet pickup, nice selections and race merch. This was my 13th marathon and my FIRST since double bypass open heart surgery in March, 2017. Ran a 4:01:40 and loved all of it! Thanks for an awesome race weekend.