The Isle of Wight Marathon is a single-lap road race along the roads of the western Isle of Wight in southern England.
Organized by Ryde Harriers, it starts in Cowes and links the island's small villages and countryside.
The official course description highlights the relatively quiet western roads and rolling terrain.
Town stretches alternate with country lanes, so you see both the island's villages and its farmland on one course.
Course runs from Cowes via Gurnard, Rew Street and Porchfield toward Shalfleet and Yarmouth.
It then passes Thorley, Chessell and Ningwood before returning through Shalfleet and Porchfield and reaching Cowes via Northwood.
Rather than repeating a loop, it's one big course across the west of the island.
The road is far from flat, rising and falling between villages.
It is run as a road race with course distance certified by South of England Athletics.
The race is one of the longest-running events in British marathon history.
It's also tied to the early history of women's distance running: organizers note that Dale Greig ran it on a measured course under official race conditions.
The race later opened official entry to women and has hosted the British women's marathon championships.
That legacy of the women's marathon, still present in today's race on the island's roads, is central to the event's history.
