Best Races in North Carolina

Posted on by notonlyrunning

If you look on Runningintheusa at upcoming races in North Carolina, you will find almost 700 races. We have completed quite a few races over the last few years and here are a few of my favorite ones. I enjoy both trail and road races so I’ve included both in this list. I’ll make a another list of ones that I would love to run in too.

Medoc Trail Race

My favorite trail race is the Medoc Trail Race. I’ve ran this race several times but only the 5 mile distance. This year I plan on doing the 10miler. Here are some of the reasons while I love this race

  • Atmosphere – The people at this race are like a community. This year will be the 15th year of this race and it feels like a family when you come to the race.
  • Swag – Each year they give out special runner’s prize. In the past I’ve gotten a great looking hat and a beanie.
  • Music – They always have a band playing for the post race events
  • Story – Take a look at their website and you can see the backstory of the race. Look at the mascot below!

City of Oaks

The City of Oaks Marathon is called ‘Raleigh’s Hometown Race’ and it truly shows this event. This is my wife and I first 10k race and it was a fantastic event. I have ran the half marathon distance twice. The first year I ran it back in 2018 was a PR for me with a 1:59 total time. I absolutely love this race. This race has distances from 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Full Marathon. We were unable to run last year’s race but my sister ran her first half marathon.

  • Course – You get to experience running through Raleigh on foot. This gives a different perspective of looking at Raleigh. Live music, People cheering.
  • Finisher’s Medal – The finisher’s medal are a unique ever year and the attention to detail is astonishing
  • Post race food – Chocolate Milk, Pizza and Donuts. Do I need to say more. And they have a beer garden too!

Run Ocracoke

This race will always hold a special place in my heart. Ocracoke is the place where I proposed to my wife and the first half marathon I ever completed. If you aren’t familiar with Ocracoke, it’s a small island on the Outer Banks area. The only way to get to Ocracoke is by ferry. This adds to the charm of this event. The Run Ocracoke is an all weekend event. What I love about this event is the entire island welcomes runners and makes them feel we are truly special. This is one we are definitely planning to run in 2023.

  • Course – You will see most of the island and you run by one of the most iconic lighthouses in all of the US.
  • Environment – The whole island becomes a running welcome paradise. This does not have a big city feel but a small town big heart feeling.
  • Just look at the logo@

New River Marathon

Unbelievable views. New River Marathon is my first marathon and it was such a memorable experience for me. What an unforgettable experience for a first marathon. It rained for almost 4hours during the year I finished the marathon. I was undertrained and not ready for the hills but I have the want to go back and try this again. The reviews of the race for people saying how pretty it was doesn’t showcase how breathtaking it really it is. I may write a longer post describing my run even though it was a few years ago.

  • Course – The absolute number 1 reason for this race. Go check out the video on the site to see what I am talking about. It is enough challenge for you to earn the views. There is a mix of pavement, gravel and trails in this race
  • Post Race – Even though I was almost one of the last people, I was still cheered on by people at the Finish line. The food was great. There was a local artist you could purchase handmade wood items from.
  • Medals – The medals are wood and handmade from local artists. How cool is that? This isn’t some same race medal at larger races.
Non stop rain

Other Favorite Races

Here are a few other races we love

These are a few races we have completed. I plan to have another list of races I want to race