Travelers Should Watch for Marathon Lane Closures, Detours on Sunday

Hatteras and Ocracoke Island travelers who are heading north this weekend will want to be on the lookout for possible lane closures and delays as the annual Outer Banks marathon rolls into town.

Now in its 12th year, the Outer Banks Marathon has become a multiple-day event that attracted more than 5,000 runners from 10 countries and 47 states in 2016 alone.

The main event for this year – the 13.1-mile half marathon and 26.2 mile marathon – takes place on Sunday on a course that covers Roanoke Island, Nags Head, and the central Outer Banks.

As a result of this upcoming foot traffic, Sunday travelers should expect lane closures on U.S. 158 from milepost 10 in Kill Devil Hills south to Whalebone Junction, as well as along U.S. 64 onto Roanoke Island. Closures at both locations will be in place from Sunday morning, (the race begins at 7:30 a.m.) until roughly midday.

Traffic entering Manteo after 7:30 a.m. on Sunday will also need to make a bit of a loop by crossing the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge to Manns Harbor, and then taking the Umstead Bridge back into town. All of Sunday’s races end on Fernando Street in downtown Manteo.

Orchestrated by Outer Banks Sporting Events, the annual Outer Banks marathon is a fundraiser that supports the Dare Education Foundation and the Outer Banks Relief Foundation.

Complete details about the event, including a list of Saturday and Sunday races, course maps and road closure information, can be obtained at http://www.outerbanksmarathon.com/.