pacertrip.

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONUS / RACE GUIDE

NCR Marathon & Half Marathon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

USNov 28, 202642.195km · 21.1km

Aukirk · CC BY-SA 3.0

Race date in 51 days: Nov 28, 2026 Sat
City · Distance: Sparks Glencoe · 42.195km · 21.1km
Entry fee: $151Varies by event and entry period
Status: OpenMon, June 1, 2026 ~ Fri, November 27, 2026See how to enter ↗

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 8, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

The 37th NCR Marathon hosted by the Baltimore Road Runners Club.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from those who ran it first.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 2

Vanessa JunkinRan in 2024 · Finish time 5:55:55

“Once I crossed the finish line, I was exhausted.”

Vanessa Junkin alternated running and walking through the cold and low energy at the 2024 NCR Marathon. Mindful of time limit, she kept moving in the later miles to finish in 5 hours 55 minutes 55 seconds, grateful for the kind volunteers and her post-race blanket.

Read the original on She Runs by the Seashore

Vikram Singh

“I started thinking of volunteers that have helped me in the past, friends, and family to keep going.”

Vikram Singh started the NCR Marathon short on sleep, enduring the monotony of a familiar woodland trail and tired legs late in the race. Thoughts of volunteers and family kept him going, and he picked up the pace at the end to complete his marathon challenge in Maryland.

Read the original on Adventures of Vik

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

We haven't found a video for this race yet. We'll add one when we do.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

Marathon

Entry cost $151

NCR Marathon · until Nov 19, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Half

Entry cost $141

NCR Half Marathon · until Nov 19, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

The 42.195km I'll run

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 08:30

Time limit6 hours

Full marathon 6 hours · half marathon 5 hours 30 minutes

Event	Start	Time limit
Marathon42.195km	08:30	6h
Half21.0975km	09:00	5h 30m

START · FINISH

1500 Glencoe Rd, Sparks Glencoe, MD

Start · Google Maps

NCR Marathon·NCR Half Marathon events are held together.

Start line is located at 1500 Glencoe Rd, Sparks Glencoe, MD, with a local start time of 8:30 a.m.

Typical race-season temperature: around 7°C (44°F): Long sleeves + a throwaway layer for the start

Participant benefits

Not yet confirmed in the official race guide

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2025 edition

Pick up your bib at the expo

Packet pickup information has not yet been announced.
For a small race, race-morning pickup is typical; check the registration page for details.

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startNo public transit to this rural venue (North Central Railroad Trail, Sparks-Glencoe, MD).

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

No public transit to this rural venue (North Central Railroad Trail, Sparks-Glencoe, MD). Organizer runs a satellite parking lot on York Road behind Anytime Fitness, with shuttle buses to the start from 6:45-7:45am.

Rural Maryland trail race; no train/bus public transit serves the area. Per prior editions (info not yet 2026-specific).

Getting to the finish

Finish is along the rail trail; organizer shuttle buses run a continuous circuit between the finish line, the start/staging school, and the parking lots. No public transit option exists — private car plus organizer shuttle is the only way.

Start shuttle

Organizer shuttle buses (satellite lot <-> start, and finish <-> start/lots) — yes, provided

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

The NCR Marathon is Baltimore’s oldest certified marathon, held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and does not offer race-day registration.

Entry fee is approximately $139.86 for the marathon and $129.26 for half marathon, with advance online registration only.

The marathon starts at 8:30 a.m., half marathon starts at 9:00 a.m., and course closes at 2:30 p.m. for both events.

Detailed race operations, including packet pickup, are provided separately on the official website of the organizer, the Baltimore Road Runners Club (BRRC).

Finishers receive a large blanket and a hoodie, likely reflecting the chilly late-autumn temperatures in Maryland.

Times are local to Sparks Glencoe. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Arlington｜Private airport pickup/drop-off service from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

$61

NCR Marathon & Half Marathon

About NCR Marathon & Half Marathon — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run