The Ellerbe Marathon and Half Marathon

HISTORY

The Ellerbe Marathon (formerly Ellerbe Springs Marathon) first ran in 1992. Its origin dates to the fall of 1991 as Mark Long and Doug Dawkins were returning from the Greensboro Marathon. At that time there were but a few marathons in North Carolina. By the time the pair had reached Richmond County on Highway 220 they had mostly agreed on the idea of working together to create a local marathon. At the very moment Doug asked where to have the race they were driving past the entrance of the Ellerbe Springs Inn and Mark said "How about right there?" A meeting the next week with Neal Cadieu and Beth Cadieu who were the owner/operators of the inn resulted in an agreement and the first Ellerbe Springs Marathon ran in April 1992 with 40 athletes finishing. Now, with the 2025 edition, the Ellerbe Marathon has the distinction of being the second oldest marathon in North Carolina.

COURSE AND TIMING

The Ellerbe Rescue Squad building at 106 Sunset Avenue is race day headquarters and the finish line will be on Sunset Avenue nearby. The start is just a short walk away on Page Street near BB&T. The course is a 13.1 mile loop. Marathoners do the loop twice. Both the marathon and half marathon courses are USATF certified. Timing will be RFID chip timing with live results and managed by Clockwork Race Timing. The course is all paved country roads. Some people call it rolling. Some call it hilly. Links to marathon and half marathon race maps including the certification details are below. The course closes in 9 hours. Anyone unable to finish the marathon in 9 hours is encouraged to sign up for the half marathon.

PACKET PICK-UP
Early packet pick-up will be available Friday evening from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Ellerbe Rescue Squad headquarters building. The Ellerbe Rescue Squad building is at 106 Sunset Avenue in Ellerbe. Race day packet pick-up will also be at the Ellerbe Rescue Squad building. Packet pick-up will begin at 7:00 a.m. Packets will contain your race number, pins and your event t-shirt.

POST-RACE LUNCH

Post-race lunch will usually be a vegetarian soup and hot cheese quesadillas. Food will be available in or near the Ellerbe Rescue Squad building beginning at 10:30 a.m. Runners' meal is included with entry and your race number will be your ticket.

SHIRTS, MEDALLIONS, AWARDS, ETC

Shirts will be presented to all who register by February 10. Shirts will be presented at packet pick-up. No shirts will be mailed. Any extra shirts from no shows will be presented first come/first serve after the event to finishers who registered after the February 10 shirt deadline. Runners not receiving a shirt at packet pick-up should ask about shirts at the awards station after the event. Ellerbe Marathon and Ellerbe Half Marathon commemorative medallions will be presented to all finishers. Awards are all handmade pottery created by McNeill Pottery of Seagrove, NC. Overall awards will be presented to each of the top three overall male and female finishers in both events (3 sizes with largest going to first overall). The first male and first female from Richmond County, NC, will also receive a special pottery award. All finishers will receive a pottery wine cup (variety of colors) with the event name, date, and "Finisher" on the bottom. There is no awards ceremony. All pottery awards and medals will be presented at the finish line. Make sure to get yours as you finish. Awards, medallions, and shirts will not be mailed. There are no age group awards.

SPECIAL BIBS

Those people who have finished 10 or more Ellerbe Marathons or Half Marathons will wear unique custom bibs that have their name printed on the number. Anyone who finishes their 10th Ellerbe in 2025 will be added to the list and have their name printed on their number in 2026.

AID STATIONS

Aid stations will be approximately 2 to 2 1/2 miles apart. Half marathon runners will pass an aid station 5 times on the course and marathon runners will pass an aid station 11 times. Our usual offerings are water, an electrolyte drink, bananas, and a few salty/sweet snacks. We do not dispense pain meds. If you think you need them, pack them with you.

PARKING

We have a large grass parking area at the intersection of Parsons Ave. and 2nd Street. It is behind Food King and very close to Race Headquarters. To access parking stay on Main Street aka Business 220 and turn between Dixie Burger and Food King onto Parsons Ave and follow it to the stop sign. The grass parking area will be on your right. Street parking in Ellerbe is okay too. Just make sure to park legally and do not block any driveways. Do not park along Page Street.

REGISTRATION

Registration will open October 1, 2024. Use the link below to register on Ultrasignup. There are deadlines for shirt and awards orders. Please register early to be sure you get a shirt, award, and medallion. There will be no no wait list, no deferrals, and no transfer of your entry to someone else if you decide to not come. Refunds of 75% of entry fee if government regulations prevent the race from happening. No refunds for any other reason. $10 of each entry goes to the Ellerbe Rescue Squad.

Entry fee for both events are the same:
$65 October 1 thru December 31
$75 January 1 until closing

FOR INFORMATION

Contact Doug Dawkins, event director
[email protected]
910-206-2095 text or call

Erin Dawkins Suwattana, assistant director/webmaster