Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon to welcome 3,200 runners

The first weekend in December will feel like August in the Nation’s Summer Capital, as the Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon and Half Marathon event comes to town with a sold-out event of 3,200 runners and hordes of supporting spectators. The 17th annual event will kick off at 7 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, from the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand. Some 1,000 full marathoners and 2,200 half-marathoners will toe the starting line. The event field will include runners from 43 states and Washington, D.C. Hotels are full, restaurants will be full and thousands of folks will be running the 26.2- and 13.1-mile distances, raising money for several nonprofit charities that Rehoboth Beach Running Company and Seashore Striders support. A feasibility study a few years back showed the marathon has an economic impact for the weekend of over $1 million when looking at hotels, restaurants and race entry fees. 

The recently changed course, a Boston Marathon qualifier, is in its second year and will remain the same this year, as runners will follow Rehoboth Avenue off the Bandstand starting line to State Road and run through the Country Club Estates development, along Silver Lake to the south end of the Boardwalk at Queen Street and the 2-mile mark. The addition of the Boardwalk was one course change I felt runners from many states would enjoy, and the feedback last year was that they did. The course then makes its way north to North Shores and into Cape Henlopen State Park at Gordons Pond and the 4.5-mile water stop. From that point the race splits, with the marathon field heading north to Lewes and the half heading back toward Rehoboth.

The marathon runners will do an out-and-back 13.1 miles, going north on the Gordons Pond Trail past Herring Point, the Biden Center and Fort Miles, and remain on the trail to exit the park at the west end of Cape Henlopen Drive on the new trail. The runners will remain on the trail to the turnaround just before Freeman Highway, across from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. After the turnaround, the course will follow the same route back to Gordons Pond just past the 17-mile mark. From that point, the marathon will follow the half-marathon course.

The half-marathon course takes runners back toward Rehoboth Beach on Ocean Drive and onto Henlopen Avenue for a straight fast-and-flat mile to Grove Park. At the Grove, the course takes runners on the trail along the canal and onto Rehoboth Avenue Extended up to Canal Crossing Road and Hebron Road. The course heads toward the Junction & Breakwater Trail, crossing over Holland Glade Road and the eight-mile mark for the half and the 21-mile mark for the full. Once on the J&B trail, the course goes out and back to the Wolfe Neck turnaround and popular Flag Alley.

On the return, the course crosses Holland Glade Road on the south trail closer to Epworth Church and goes through the Wizard of Oz section on the wooded trail, exiting behind the car wash on Hebron Road. From Hebron, it goes back to Canal Crossing Road and onto Rehoboth Avenue Extended, through Grove Park and back to Henlopen Avenue. The course takes a slight right at Gerar Street and crosses over Columbia Avenue onto Fourth Street for the final quarter-mile. The new course eliminates the sharp 90-degree turn at the finish, giving spectators a great look at their loved ones heading to the finish line on Fourth Street between Kent and Sussex streets.

Marathon facts

There will be 10 water stops using 500 gallons of water, 90 cases of Powerade and 28,000 cups. There will be six spectator viewing locations: Boardwalk and Rehoboth Avenue, Gordons Pond, Herring Point, Fort Miles, Grove Park and Wolfe Neck Road.

There will be 10 different agencies and hundreds of volunteers working hard to provide runners with a positive experience.

The state with the most participants is Pennsylvania. As of deadline, 56% of the participants are female, showing that girl power is alive in the road racing world.

The event is organized by the Rehoboth Beach Running Company and Seashore Striders, with Mary Beth Evans as race organizer/director and Tim Bamforth as race director.

History                                                                                   

In 2008, we hosted the first event in late November with a surprise turnout of 433 in the marathon. They braved a cold morning after snow and ice fell overnight. In 2009, we attracted 511 to the event, again held in late November. In 2010, both organizers had a conflict with the date, so we decided to move it to early December, and it proved to be a great decision, as 959 finishers crossed the line. With the marathon now basically being the last event in the fall season, it gives runners a chance to come back and redeem themselves from a race that did not go so well.

In 2011, we again set a record by having 1,304 cross the line on Rehoboth Avenue, while the 2012 race attracted 1,685. In 2013, the marathon increased by nearly 200 runners to go along with the popular half-marathon distance. In 2014, we had 1,302 half finishers and 891 full finishers for just under 2,200 total runners.

For the past five years, the numbers have continued to increase, and last year, we had 2,900 finishers. This year, we are sold out at 3,200 participants.

Wardian chasing 50K American record 

The 50K age-group record for 50-54 is 3:13:07, and local Mike Wardian is attempting to break the record during the Seashore Marathon that has added a 50K division for the attempt. The course was recertified by USATF officials, allowing Mike to cross the 26.2-mile mark on Henlopen Avenue and then head to North Shores for the second time. The 50K turnaround will be about a mile north on the Gordons Pond Trail. From there, Wardian will head back toward Rehoboth Beach and the finish. Wardian needs to average 6:13 per mile, hitting the marathon in 2:43:00, which will put him on target for a sub-3:13:07 50K.