Vote now for Coast Guard Marathon as 2022’s best new sports event in U.S.

September 6, 2022 | Island Features | By: Sam Walker | From The: WOBX

The 2022 Coast Guard Marathon has been nominated by the readers of SportsTravel and is a finalist for the “2022 Best New Sports Event Award”.

Visit Elizabeth City spearheaded a large, synergetic project to create the first official U.S. Coast Guard road race.

Given that all other branches of the military have well-established races and Elizabeth City is both an official Coast Guard City and home to one of the largest U.S. Coast Guard bases in the country, Visit Elizabeth City felt this was the perfect opportunity to both honor the region’s Coast Guard heritage while enhancing our destination.

In collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard nationally and Base Elizabeth City locally; the City of Elizabeth City, Elizabeth City State University and many other local partners, we created the inaugural Coast Guard Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K.

The inaugural Coast Guard Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K, held March 3-5, 2022, drew nearly 1,500 runners from across the United States and 11 other countries, with 87 percent of the competitors affiliated with the U.S. military.

The three-day event’s total impact included $25,562 in local taxes, 294 jobs supported and an amazing $700,222 in direct, indirect and induced business sales! The Coast Guard Marathon also donated a portion of proceeds to the nonprofit Coast Guard Foundation to support morale and wellness initiatives for Coast Guard members and their families.

“We are proud of the success and collaborative efforts between USCG Base Elizabeth City, numerous local organizations and Visit Elizabeth City in organizing and orchestrating the first-ever Coast Guard Marathon,” said Corrina Ruffieux, Executive Director of Visit Elizabeth City and Race Director of the Coast Guard Marathon.

“To be recognized by the sports-event industry for the Coast Guard Marathon’s excellence is a tremendous honor,” Ruffieux said.

Voting is open through September 9, 2022. We welcome and encourage Coast Guard Marathon supporters, their friends and family to vote and to share. The nomination details and voting can be found on the awards ballot at www.SportsTravelAwards.com.