Champlain Islands Marathon & Half Marathon

Race Date, Time and Location for 2026 Events

• DATE: Sunday, October 18, 2026
• TIME: 8:30 AM
• LOCATION: Folsom Elementary School, 75 South St, South Hero, VT 05486
• START: The Full and Half Marathon will both start at 8:30 AM directly in front of the Folsom Elementary School.

Course

• BEGIN and END: The marathon and half-marathon begin and end near the house where Clarence H. DeMar, seven-time Boston Marathon Winner, once lived.
• HALF-MARATHON: The half-marathon course is out and back on the west shore of South Hero and Grand Isle: a land of farms, apple orchards, and summer cottages.
• TERRAIN: The terrain is flat to rolling.
• COURSE: The entire course is paved, with the full marathon course as two out-and-backs of the half-marathon course.

Aid Stations

• LOCATION: There will be an aid station approximately every 2 miles starting at mile 2 and stopping at mile 24.
• NUMBER: A total of 12 aid stations will be available (2-3 porta-potties on course).
• SUPPLIES: Water and electrolyte drink will be supplied at all aid stations.
• ASSISTANCE: Additional assistance will be available to runners in the form of sweep vehicles.

Registration

• PRE-REGISTRATION: Pre-registration is now open. This event has sold out in recent years. Register early for guaranteed entry and best pricing.
• DISCOUNTS: GMAA members subtract $10 for Full Marathon, $5 for Half Marathon.
• RACE DAY: Race day registration is from 7 am to 7:45 am.
• LIMIT: Maximum total number of runners is 500.

NOTE: There is no race refund if you cannot participate, and there are no deferrals, wait lists, or bib transfers.

You may change the race distance. There is a $10 charge for switching from the full marathon to the half-marathon (no refund will be given for the difference in price). There is a $10 charge for changing from the half-marathon to the full marathon plus the difference in price. To transfer event follow these instructions:

• Log into your Runsignup account at this link: Manage Races.
• Find the Champlain Islands Marathon &: Half Marathon section under "Upcoming Events" and click on "Manage Registration".
• Click on "Transfer Event" at the top.
• Follow the prompts to continue the process.

Please confirm that you are registering for the correct event: Half-Marathon or Full Marathon before you complete your transaction. Thank you!

Shirts

• INFORMATION: All participants will receive a race shirt.

Restrictions

• AGE: Runners must be age 16 or older.

Packet Pickup

Other runners may pick up a friend or family member's race packet.

• Friday, Oct. 16th - 12-6 pm at SkiRack
• Saturday, Oct. 17th - 12-6 pm at SkiRack
• Sunday, Oct. 18th - 7-8 am at Folsom School

SkiRack is located at 85 Main Street, in Burlington, VT.

Awards

• CATEGORY: Awards will be given to the top overall male, female &: non-binary finishers, the top masters, as well as the top finisher in each age-group.
• MEDALS: Medals to all marathon and half-marathon finishers.

Lodging

Island Lodging on the race course (primarily small inns and B&:Bs):

• Crescent Farm Bay Farm B&:B 1-802-324-5563 (mile 2-3)
• Ferry Watch Inn 1-802-777-2530 (mile 8-9)
• link to full list of island lodging (maintained by the Islands Chamber of Commerce)

Lodging at exit 16 off Route 89 (Colchester/Winooski):

• Residence Inn 1-802-655-3100
• Hampton Inn 1-802-655-6177

Lodging at exit 14 off Route 89 (Burlington/South Burlington):

• Best Western 1-800-780-7234
• Holiday Inn 1-800-863-6363

Attractions

• LOCATION: