Nantucket Half Marathon

Athlete's Guide

15th Annual Race  •  Sunday, October 11, 2026  •  Bartlett's Farm & Smooth Hummocks Coastal Preserve

Welcome to the 15^th running of the Nantucket Half Marathon on October 11^th, 2026 at Bartlett’s Farm and the Nantucket Land Bank’s Smooth Hummocks Coastal Preserve. The Half Marathon will begin at 8:00 am, followed shortly by the Quarter-Mile kid’s race at 8:15 am.

Bib Pickup

Bibs will be available for pickup at the following times:

●      Friday, October 9^th — 3:30–6:00 pm at Nantucket Run Centre, 36 Centre Street

●      Saturday, October 10^th — 9:00–11:00 am at Bartlett’s Farm

●      Saturday, October 10^th — 3:00–6:00 pm at Haulover, 7 Salem Street

Note: Limited bib pickup is available by reservation only on Sunday morning, for those traveling by ferry on race day. To arrange Sunday morning pickup, please email jmeehan207@gmail.com.

Race Location & Parking

We have the privilege to run from the historic Bartlett’s Farm, located at 33 Bartlett Farm Road, and onto the Nantucket Land Bank’s Smooth Hummock Preserve.

Biking — The Farm is only 2.5 miles from downtown Nantucket, and parking is limited. We encourage participants to ride bikes or walk to the race. Riders get a $10 gift certificate to Island Kitchen!

Driving — Please follow the parking signs and attendants. Do not park in the front Bartlett’s Store lot — parking is available at the Cisco Brewery lot on Bartlett Farm Road.

Taxi/Uber — There is a drop-off zone for taxis and ride shares.

Spectators — Please park at Cisco Brewery and walk to the race course. There is no parking on Hellers Way near the start, and parking or driving anywhere on the course is not allowed — it’s a safety issue that also blocks spectator views and ruins race photos.

Course

The Half Marathon course is two loops of 6.5 miles through the Nantucket Land Bank’s Smooth Hummocks Coastal Preserve — one of the few remaining coastal sand plains in the world. It’s a beautiful course with pond, ocean, beach, and dune views.

The start and finish are on Bartlett’s Farm property.  The race is mostly on Nantucket Land Bank’s dirt roads with a few sand patches about thirty yards long. The start from the Farm is narrow, so please be careful and respectful of fellow runners.  Each year we leave the race course in the same shape that we found it – pristine!  Do not toss wrappers, cups or gels on the course.  There will be trash cans at the aid stations or pack out your stuff! 

The course is signed, and we’ll have course marshals and police details, but the roads will not be closed to cars! We strongly encourage you not to use earbuds/headphones so you can remain aware of your surroundings, including approaching cars.  Talk to each other and make a friend – leave the headphones home!

There are four aid stations — at miles 2, 4, and 5.75, and at the Start. We will have Gatorade, water and GU gels at the stations.  Each aid station will have radios and report any need for assistance.  A Nantucket Fire Department paramedic team, two registered nurses, and a first aid station will be on site at the Farm as well.

See Course Map: runsignup.com/Race/NantucketHalfMarathon/Page/HalfMarathonRaceInfo

Bathrooms — Please use the Porta Potties, not the bathrooms at Bartlett’s Farm.

Awards

All runners receive a medal and pullover. There will be cash/gift certificate awards for the top three overall male and female in both race distances, plus gift certificates to the top three in each age category and a non-binary category. The Award ceremony begins at 10:15 am — you must be present to claim an award. We’ll also recognize the winner and runner up teams of the First Responder Team Challenge (Nantucket Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, and Nantucket Cottage Hospital) and present the annual David Glidden Fellowship award to someone who has supported fellow runners and athletes on Nantucket.

Post-Race Food

We’ll have the best doughnuts on Nantucket from the Nantucket Bake Shop, plus bananas, energy bars, and oranges at the finish — kindly donated by Stop & Shop. Bartlett’s Farm has a great deli counter, breakfast sandwiches, and prepared foods, and opens at 7:00 am. and we recommend ordering ahead: order.toasttab.com/online/bartlettsfarm

Shake Out Run

Nantucket Run Centre will host a shakeout run starting at the store (36 Centre Street) on Saturday, October 11^th at 8:00 am. Bridgette Hynes will lead the run, and the store will be open afterward.

Kids Race

The race is free, but you must pre-register on the Run Sign Up website. Kids get their own bibs this year, so pick them up at bib pickup.  All runners twelve and under get a free pumpkin, so we need to know who’s running. The distance is a quarter-mile sprint — parents are welcome to run with their young athletes!

Runners’ Discounts

Great discounts are available to runners who support our sponsors:

•  Bartlett’s Farm — 20% discount on all items on race day (excluding wine and beer). Use code Runners for online orders. A bib must be shown at checkout. Bartlett’s opens at 7:00 am on race day, with terrific hot food, apples, produce, kombucha, gear, and Island apparel — worth stopping in after the race.
• Nantucket Run Centre — 10% discount to runners all weekend. Stop by for a new pair of running shoes or some cool Nantucket Run Centre apparel.
• Lavender Farm Wellness – will offer post-race massages, but we ask that you to sign up for a spot on the Nantucket Wellness App.  Runners may also purchase gift cards for a customized massage or other wellness service for 10% off using code “ACKHALF26” on same Nantucket Wellness app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nantucket-wellness/id1511706833

Sponsors

We have great sponsors, and all of these businesses are managed by either runners or multi-sport endurance athletes. These folks are terrific to do business with! We ask that you consider patronizing them when you are on Island.

Charitable Causes

The Nantucket Half Marathon is run entirely by volunteers through the Nantucket Athletic Association. Net proceeds fund next year’s race, the Nantucket Athletic Association and youth sports and health programs on Nantucket — including Nantucket Swimming, the STAR Program, Nantucket Conservation Foundation, PASCON, Swim Across America-Nantucket, Addictions Solutions, and the Nantucket High School Cross Country, Soccer, Sailing and Swimming Teams. The Association also sponsors Free Family Swim at the Nantucket Community Pool and Girls on the Run.

Jim Meehan, Race Director                                           Frank McGillin, Race Director

  jmeehan207@gmail.com                                                                                       frank@mcgillin.net

HAVE A GREAT RACE AND REVEL IN THE BEAUTY OF THE ISLAND!

Nantucket Half Marathon