St. Petersburg Distance Classic

Come enjoy central Florida’s only downtown waterfront marathon on the Gulf coast that offers the perfect combination of a scenic course, ideal weather, and award-winning beaches for your recovery.

You will love our visually varied, mostly flat, scenic course. The marathon course is USATF certified (FL19019TY). The Inaugural St. Petersburg Marathon in 2019 was the first ever 26.2 mile race staged entirely in St. Petersburg. After a tour of west coast Florida’s most wonderful waterfront and eclectic downtown area, the marathon course heads west on the Pinellas Trail, a Hall-of-Fame, Rails-to-Trails linear park that stretches from St. Pete’s waterfront through Pinellas County to Tarpon Springs.

Afterwards, you’ll be able to relax and recover on our award-winning beaches just a few miles away, featuring our area’s famous white sand and the mild waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

If you’re seeking a mid-winter break and considering an escape to the south, St. Petersburg is a great choice. C’mon down!

Review

“I have run many races (all distances) and many marathons (28-29). I know that putting on a race is not easy; putting on a marathon is a tremendous undertaking. The traffic control was excellent; I just can’t praise the volunteers enough – they are wonderful – we runners couldn’t do it without them. There was lots of water, Gatorade, etc. on the course, and great food afterwards (and my husband enjoyed the beer). So thank you for everything. Enjoyed running your race. Again, congratulations on doing an excellent job.”
– Cathy Detman, Flint, MI

The Course

The St. Petersburg Marathon starts at North Shore Park on our beautiful downtown waterfront and heads north into Snell Isle to view some of our area’s finest historic homes. The course continues through Snell Isle and around Coffee Pot Bayou before returning back towards North Shore Park.

Our Marathon continues south on the waterfront to Central Avenue, turns north at 1st Street through our bustling downtown, west on 3rd Avenue North passing Fit2Run’s downtown Running Superstore to Mirror Lake, and circling it counter-clockwise.

The race course turns south at 6th Street N, back to and west on Central Avenue, at about mile 7.5, reaching a dynamic mixture of the best local shops found anywhere. Watch for an abundance of huge murals on Central Avenue’s building walls, as St. Petersburg is truly a well-known haven for artists of all types.

Our marathon reaches an out-and-back section on Central Avenue, allowing runners to see their friends and fellow athletes as they head in opposite directions.

Runners turn south at 22nd St. and at mile 10, access the Pinellas Trail, a smoothly paved and shaded linear park recognized in the Rails to Trails Hall of Fame. Runners head west to a turn-around point near the Tyrone Mall, passing colorful murals on the walls of buildings adjacent to the Trail.

The St. Petersburg Marathon heads east along the Pinellas Trail, passing Tropicana Field, while running adjacent to First Avenue South, to the waterfront, heading north with gorgeous water views of our marinas and docks filled with sailboats and yachts, to the finish line at North Shore Park. 

The marathon course has been accurately measured per USATF certification standards is therefore a Boston Marathon Qualifier.