Erie Marathon

Location: Erie
Country: United States
Website: https://eriemarathon.net/
2025 Marathon Date: 2025-09-07
2026 Marathon Date: TBC
Winning Time 2025: 02:23:29
% Sub-3s: 10–15%
# Sub-3s: 100–499
Total Runners: 1k–3k

The Erie Marathon is staged entirely within Presque Isle State Park in Erie, offering a controlled, repeatable environment that sub-3 runners can use to execute a clear plan. The Erie Marathon follows a two-loop road course around the peninsula, using the main park road and the old lake road. Surfaces are paved throughout and the profile is notably flat, encouraging steady pacing and even splits if you resist the urge to surge early. For runners targeting efficiency over spectacle, the Erie Marathon rewards discipline, positioning and economical movement.

Scenery is a constant companion: waterside stretches with views of Lake Erie give way to marinas, beaches and tree-lined sections. Those contrasts help with concentration late on, breaking the race into recognisable segments that can anchor your pacing strategy. Exposure varies around the loop, so think ahead about handling differences between open shoreline and more sheltered interior sections, keeping effort steady rather than chasing pace when conditions shift. The familiar course landmarks become useful cues to check posture, cadence and fueling to maintain rhythm. The Erie Marathon rewards runners who stay calm, hold their line and avoid wasteful surges on the straights. Landmarks around the peninsula make timing checks straightforward and calm.

Organisation is compact and practical. Start and finish operations are based at the Erie Runners Club Beach 1 Pavilion, which reduces pre-race friction and keeps post-race logistics simple. Parking is at designated locations with a short walk, so allow a little extra time to keep your warm-up unhurried. Crowd support clusters near accessible points and around the pavilion; it offers lift without pulling you off line. For sub-3 pacing, treat lap one as controlled patience and lap two as execution: settle early, protect the middle third, then close decisively on the final shoreline stretch. Because the loops mirror each other you can use the first circuit to bank course knowledge and the second to apply it at target effort. If you prize predictability and measured racing, the Erie Marathon is a strong option for turning disciplined training into a confident sub-3 performance.