Media Contact:

Ally Dorrough, APR • Gulf Shores | Orange Beach Sports & Events
[email protected] • alabamasbeaches.com/sports
1-800-745-SAND • 251-968-9327 (direct) • 334-391-7745 (cell)

GULF SHORES AND ORANGE BEACH, ALA. – Need to bust out of the post-Thanksgiving cycle to the refrigerator for leftovers? Work off all the extra calories and carbs with loved ones at the Coastal Half Marathon, 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, beginning and ending at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. This year’s half marathon serves as the RRCA Alabama State Half Marathon Championship. 

“We’re always excited for this time of year and our annual half marathon,” said Michelle Russ, vice president of sales Alabama's Beaches Sports & Events. “We love giving people a reason to come to Alabama’s Beaches for Thanksgiving, and this signature event gives everyone another great opportunity to take in all we have to offer.”

The trio of race events are laid out over courses rated as flat, winding along USA Today’s No. 1 Outdoor Recreational Trail three years running, the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail. Athletes will have Gulf State Park’s nine unique ecosystems as scenery throughout their jaunt as races begin at Orange Beach Sportsplex. Following the competition, families and friends are invited to play at the Columbia Southern University Family Fun Zone, complete with bounce houses, face painting and fire safety education by the Orange Beach Fire Department. Post-race food for racers is sponsored by Alabama Coastal Catering with drinks provided by Coca-Cola. 

Registration and packet pick-up opens at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28, and runs until 5 p.m. Athletes can register on-site on Nov. 29 beginning at 6:30 a.m. To register online, visit MagicSportsUSA.com. For information on upcoming athletic and major leisure events along Alabama’s Beaches and to book accommodations, visit alabamasbeaches.com/sports. 

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Photos:

Download: https://gsobt.widen.net/s/wcpdrnzcrf/coastalhalfmarathon00355
Download: https://gsobt.widen.net/s/jvj5cfvxpp/coastalhalfmarathon00471
Caption: The annual Coastal Half Marathon, 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run takes place Saturday, Nov. 29, beginning and ending at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
Credit: Alabama’s Beaches Sports & Events
 

About Alabama’s Beaches Sports & Events:

Alabama’s Beaches Sports & Events is a partnership among Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism (GSOBT), the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, Gulf State Park and the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. In 2007, the organization became a department within GSOBT. In this role, AB Sports & Events – along with assistance from both cities – works to bring quality athletic and leisure events to Alabama’s Gulf Coast. To learn more about sports and events along Alabama’s 32 miles of white-sand beaches, please visit alabamasbeaches.com/sports.