Huntington's race is small, flat, and built around one gimmick that turns out to be genuinely moving: you are handed a football in the last stretch and carry it across the turf at Joan C. Edwards Stadium to a goal-line finish. Before that, the course is a double loop from 3rd Avenue through downtown past Pullman Square, out along the Ohio River, and through the big old trees of Ritter Park, so you see every water stop twice and know exactly what the second half holds. With a few hundred marathon finishers and roughly 350 feet of total climb, it is an easy place to run your own race, and a healthy share of finishers qualify for Boston here. The marathon has a hard cap and was nearly full in mid-October, so register promptly. Start is 7:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November.
Flat, fast double loop (USATF WV22001MS) starting on 3rd Avenue beside Joan C. Edwards Stadium, through downtown Huntington past Pullman Square, along the Ohio River and through Ritter Park, finishing on the Marshall football field. Course map ↗
Closes October 31, 2026 at 5:59 p.m. EDT. Marathon $135, half marathon $120, 3.25-mile run/walk $57.50 on RunSignup. The marathon is capped; the official page showed only 61 marathon spots left as of mid-October 2026. Register ↗
- Finishers carry a football down the field to a goal-line finish inside Joan C. Edwards Stadium. ↗
- The marathon is a double loop, so runners pass each of the 9-10 water stops twice; the course is USATF certified (WV22001MS). ↗
- 379 marathon finishers in 2025 (359 in 2024), with 13.5% of 2025 finishers running Boston-qualifying times. ↗
- Elevation gain is about 354 ft and loss 357 ft over the marathon; the organizer calls it 'a super fast and flat course (great for running a BQ!)'. ↗
Checked 2026-10-13. Always confirm on the official site before booking travel.