Hilton Head Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K

Fast and largely flat, this scenic race course takes runners and walkers from the starting line at the island’s Jarvis Creek Park along a course that’s made up mostly of paved roads and a few bike trails. The race’s only real hills occur at the bridge over Broad Creek, which crosses about a one-mile span (runners in the half-marathon cross the bridge twice during the race). At previous years’ races, the distances included a half marathon, 10K and 5K. For the 2025 race, the event will include a full marathon, half marathon and a 5K — no 8K or 10K will be run this year. The course time limit for the full marathon will be 6 hours, while runners in the half marathon will have 4 hours to complete their race. (Walkers are welcome in the 5K, but the race organizers note that you should not attempt to walk either the full marathon or the half marathon.) That means you’ll need to keep a pace of 13 minutes, 40 seconds per mile or better, and runners (in the full marathon) who are still on the Cross Island Parkway after 6 hours will be removed from the course, organizers say. All three races combined are limited to a total of 2,500 entrants, so runners are encouraged to sign up early.