Atlantic City Half Marathon in Atlantic City, New Jersey

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Racing on the boardwalk!


I just returned from a wonderful weekend in Atlantic City, New Jersey with my dear friend Elana! We conquered the King Neptune Challenge, which is a 5K on Saturday plus a Half Marathon on Sunday. We also celebrated our friend Erin's 40th birthday, she crushed the full marathon!

Sunrise on the beach before the 5K (My favorite part of Atlantic City)
 
Overall, I would describe this as a solid race choice for New Jersey and I am glad we did it! It was well-organized and everyone we met who was involved with the planning and support of the race was friendly and helpful. I loved being able to stay steps from the start/finish, made for super easy race morning logistics. We chose to stay in the Claridge Hotel, which was actually attached to Bally's. It made packet pick up and exploring the casino very convenient.

The Claridge Hotel
 
I am not a huge casino fan, I find them smoky and overwhelming. But, when in Atlantic City, I figured I should enjoy the entire experience. I spent my $20 and tried to make it last as long as possible in the slot machines. It was fun to be there early in the morning, and was a nice place to stay warm and use the bathrooms before the 5K. 

Pretending to know what I'm doing

The beach views were beautiful, probably my favorite part of Atlantic City! We had gorgeous weather both days, 60s and sunny. We opted to walk the 5K on Saturday to save our strength for Sunday. It was a casual, walker-friendly race, a straightforward out and back along the boardwalk. I really enjoyed watching for the Monopoly streets! 

Beautiful views, and 5K complete!

Sunrise before the half

The half was a relatively flat course, the *hilly* bits were mainly the highway ramps. Running on the boardwalk was a new experience for me. It was windy, sunny, and a little odd, as a back-of-the-packer, to feel like I was just out there running amongst all the non-runners enjoying a morning on the boardwalk. It did provide a lot of great people-watching and entertainment!

Waiting to start

Heading back to the boardwalk

Boardwalk

I found it mentally challenging to run past all of the finish line fun around mile 9 and still have 4 more hot, sunny boardwalk miles to go. I met two other 50 State Half Marathon Club members along the way and enjoyed visiting with them. The medals and shirts are excellent!

Half complete!
 
Side note for others out there who are concerned with time cutoffs: My friend who joined me for this race hadn’t slept well (hotel was pretty loud near the casino/elevators) and wasn’t feeling the best, but still wanted to try to walk it. We were concerned about the reported 3:30 time limit. To their credit, the sweeper cart followed her and was so patient and encouraging, she made it through the checkpoints with time to spare and once she got back onto the boardwalk (the first 7.5 miles are streets including some big highways, so road closure is the concern) it was no problem at all. She finished in 4:11 and there were plenty of medals, lots of food, and timing was all fine.




7 down, a bunch to go...

My beloved 3rd & 4th grade teacher Mrs. Kondash, a connoisseur of excellent stickers, pointed out that the medals are "like gorgeous adult stickers for a job well done" and now I will always think of them this way. It's no wonder I love them so much!

The medals are my favorite part, and the Atlantic City Half Marathon did not disappoint!


 
New Jersey complete! State #7, Half #12

Date: 10/19/2025
Bib: 3605
Time: 3:13:52
Pace: 14:48




Location: Atlantic City, NJ

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