Shipyard Old Port Half Marathon in Portland, Maine

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The Maine Event!

Alice and I had been planning a Maine adventure for a long time! Initially, we'd really wanted to go in October for the Maine Half Marathon (amazing state-shaped medals, long time limit course, lobster rolls at the finish... would still love to run this race some day), but October weekends are tough with school activities and sporting events.




We decided to seize the opportunity for a trip to celebrate the end of her freshman year of high school with a weekend getaway in June. We left right after school on Friday and flew into Portland, Maine. We picked up our rental car, I surprised her with a Jeep Wrangler! Yes, this was also very much for me, my first car was a red Jeep Wrangler named Jake and it must be genetic because she also loves Jeeps.


Happy. Hopefully I can be back in a Jeep when my Minivan Era is over

Throwback to Alice's first ride in a Jeep

Jake

We checked in to the Holiday Inn Portland By-the-Bay. They surprised us with a room on the top floor of the hotel, 1104, with an incredible view of the water. Not ideal to arrive so late on Friday night before a Saturday race (again), but Alice had a biology final the last period of her last day, so we didn't have a choice. I tried really hard to do a better job with my hydration and nutrition while traveling this time, and the Portland weather was thankfully much cooler.

Awesome views from our hotel room!

Drawbridge we got to see in action later

Drawbridge up!

We were at seagull level, they flew right by our windows!


Luckily, they offered packet mailing, so I had my bib ahead of time. Interestingly, the Fargo Half Marathon and the Shipyard Old Port Half Marathon are put on by the same company! Explains the nice website, good communication, packet mailing, and great swag! I walked 4 minutes down the street to the start line in the morning, so easy! I was a bit more anxious than usual at the start given the 3 hour and 30 minute time limit (which I later discovered is actually 3 hours and 15 minutes, oops). While I know I am capable of that, you just never know how the weather conditions and course are going to agree with your body on any given day.


I experimented (I know, you're not supposed to try anything new on race day) with not using my hydration vest or belt. I drank a Gatorade in the morning, and just carried a handheld water bottle. I thought feeling "lighter" and unencumbered might help me be faster, and it was pretty nice!


Climbing the big hills earned us some beautiful views!






Doggies playing on the beach!

These beach roses all along the Back Cove were so pretty, I love their dark pink color!


Course Report: This is a very interesting and challenging course! It starts off in Old Port and runs through the hilly neighborhoods of the West End, before heading back in the other direction through the East End to circle the Back Cove. It is a great tour of Portland, with beautiful views of the Portland Harbor. I was struck by how lush and green everything is in Maine. The West End neighborhood hosta and fern game is strong! The East End stretch follows a walking/biking trail that got a little bit congested as the faster runners returned. Once we parted ways to loop the Back Cove, I was all by myself. I knew going into this race that it had a pretty tight time limit, but I wasn't expecting to feel quite so alone out there. There were very few runners behind the 3 hour pacer. The course was pretty well marked though, so I only had one moment of confusion wondering if I'd missed a turn.

Weather Report: The weather was ideal! It started off cool, in the 50s, and overcast. It warmed up a little bit with some sun, but all in all, after last weekend in Fargo, I have no complaints!

Aid Station Report: Despite being one of the few runners behind the 3 hour mark, the aid stations were well-stocked with water and Gatorade. There were lots of people out along the course in the West End neighborhoods, which helped in the hilly stretches. At the top of the first huge hill someone had a "Did you forget to look at the course elevation map ahead of time?" sign that made me laugh. Once we went back through Old Port and into the Back Cove there wasn't much in the way of crowd support between the aid stations along the course, but the race volunteers were very encouraging!


Finish Line Report: The finish line energy was awesome! I was so relieved to cross with an official finishing time and medal, whew! Alice had walked down from our hotel to greet me at the finish. We walked through the festival in the parking lot adjacent to the finish line. There was fun live music, but we didn't see much in the way of food and drink besides beer. We headed back to the room so I could shower, and then went in search of lunch. We found a delicious Mexican restaurant, Lenora, with awesome guacamole and tacos. 





Swag Report: The medal is beautiful and the lightweight jacket is awesome. The race provided free pictures, which were available super quickly again!





Alice imagined she would love Maine, and it did not disappoint! She likes to be cold and not be surrounded by a lot of people. We loved the whole vibe of Portland, and especially enjoyed browsing in the friendly, unique little shops on Exchange Street. 

Doggie souvenirs acquired at Uncommon Paws - adorable handmade pet gifts

Brother souvenirs (hacky sacks) acquired at The Maine Souvenir Shop - locally made gifts

An unexpected highlight of the trip - stumbling across NeeDoh!

Blueberry (when in Maine!) and Salted Caramel from Mount Desert Island Ice Cream - delicious!



We took a short drive up to the Bowdoin campus just for fun. We also drove around the University of Southern Maine in Portland. 




We visited the Portland Head Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth. 




Alice studied the Civilian Conservation Corps in American History this year


For dinner, we enjoyed an awesome meal from Luke's Lobster on Portland Pier. Our table was upstairs looking out over the dock where they were unloading lobster traps!

Lobster in my lemonade!

Delicious New England Clam Chowder

Incredible Lobster Roll


Sunday morning we went on the Odyssey whale watching tour. This is something I've always wanted to do, and seemed like a fun thing to do this time of year on the Maine coast. It was definitely more watching than whales, but we did see a harbor porpoise, a harbor seal, and a lot of birds. It started to rain and the seas got pretty rough out on the open water, but the views were beautiful! 






Holland America cruise ship docked in Portland







Another view of the cruise ship leaving port

Fort Gorges - disguised from the air by trees and shrubs planted on top


This was a wonderful trip to kick off summer! I loved spending time with Alice in Portland, Maine! I am glad I finished the Shipyard Old Port Half Marathon. It was tough! I probably wouldn't recommend it to back-of-the-packers, just because I had to keep looking over my shoulder and watch my pace closely. It is always a little stressful when you feel like races aren't designed to accommodate slower runners. If you are comfortably faster than 3 hours and enjoy hills, this would be a fun half marathon. The logistics were easy with plenty of hotels near the start/finish, and Old Port is a very walkable area to explore. You wouldn't need a rental car, we just wanted to do some extra exploring so opted to get one. I'd love to come back to the Portland area again, and I'd also like to drive further north to see more of Maine!






Maine complete! State #15 / Half #21

Date: 6/7/2026
Bib: 1430
Time: 3:21:08
Pace: 15:22


Now I have a big break to rest and enjoy summer with the kids! I do not have a race scheduled until October, when I will go to the 50 States Half Marathon Club meetup event at the Prairie Fire Half Marathon in Wichita, Kansas.


Location: Portland, ME, USA

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