OC Half Marathon Set for Tomorrow

OCEAN CITY- Less than a week after 3,600 competitors descended on the resort area for last weekend’s inaugural Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Ocean City, thousands more are expected to return this weekend for the annual Ocean City Half-Maraton and 5K races.

Last year’s Ocean City Half-Marathon and 5K races, produced by OC Tri-Running Sports, attracted a new record 2,400 competitors. By early this week, the number of competitors signing up for the annual event had already reached that figure, forcing organizers to close registration.

This year’s Ocean City Half Marathon, set for tomorrow, April 28, is being run in memory of the late Kenny Miller, a competitor who collapsed and later died during the 2010 event. The race began several years ago as a full marathon, with the course beginning and ending at the commercial harbor in West Ocean City. Five years ago, organizers changed the event to a half marathon and 5K, with the course beginning at the Inlet in Ocean City and ending at Assateague Island.

The half-marathon course starts at the Ocean City Inlet parking lot, heads down the Boardwalk to North Division Street where runners will cross under the Boardwalk arch and head across the bridge to West Ocean City. From there, the course snakes it way through the Park-and-Ride to Old Bridge Rd. until it connects with Route 611.

The runners will pass through the Whispering Woods neighborhood and make a loop around Sinepuxent Rd. before turning back onto Route 611 for a final push to the finish line on Assateague. The 5K race also begins at the Inlet, but is run entirely on the Ocean City Boardwalk. The half marathon will start promptly at 7 a.m., while the 5K race will go off at 7:45 a.m., a new change this year. In another new change this year, the post-race party has been moved to Seacrets on 49th Street.