Runners' Almanac
All marathons

Mid-October · Northeast · Out-and-Back

Atlantic City Marathon

Atlantic City, NJ · Sunday, October 18, 2026

Covers more than eight miles on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, built in 1870 and one of the oldest boardwalks in the country, on an otherwise very flat out-and-back course.

8+ miles on the ocean Boardwalk

  • Best for PR
  • Boston Qualifier
  • Scenic
Official site

Opens the race organizer's website

Typical start

51°

Cooler than 37% of U.S. marathons

Modeled historical conditions

Elevation gain

50ft

Flatter than 89% of races

Estimated total climb

Field size

1K

Larger than 44% of races

Estimated field

PR potential

9.4/10

Top 11%

Almanac model

Percentiles compare this race against all 224 U.S. marathons in the Almanac.

Course profile

50 ft gain

Flat course, out-and-back.

0510152026.2
Schematic profile drawn from total gain, total loss and course category, on a shared vertical scale of 200 ft. Not a surveyed GPS trace.

Race-day weather

Modeled from location, month and coastal proximity, not verified race history.

6 AM

43°

Start

51°

Midday

62°

ExcellentGoodWarmHeat risk

Typical start sits at 51°F, excellent marathon conditions.

Typical dew point 44°F, 22% chance of precipitation, wind around 7 mph. All modeled.

The bottom line

A quietly fast race that does not ask for much beyond honest pacing.

Atlantic City Marathon is a strong choice for a PR attempt, and Atlantic City offers very little meaningful elevation. The tradeoff is atmosphere: expect long quiet stretches and few spectators.

Why runners choose this race

A out-and-back course around Atlantic City, NJ, with very little meaningful elevation change.

The case for it

  • PR attempts
  • Boston qualification
  • Runners who care about scenery
  • Runners who want a low-key start

The tradeoffs

  • No notable warnings in the data.

Course and logistics

Course type
Out-and-Back
Surface
Road
Profile
Flat
Total gain
50 ft(estimated)
Field size
~1,000 runners(estimated)
Crowd support
Pockets of spectators
Entry
Data coming soon
Start / finish
Start and finish in the same area

Race details

Typical timing
Mid-October
Next confirmed date
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Region
Northeast
Editorial tier
Featured
Data last reviewed
2026-08-26
  • Best for PR
  • Boston Qualifier
  • Scenic
  • Out-and-back
  • Flat course
  • Destination race

Similar races

Races with a comparable profile.

Late May · Northeast

Buffalo Marathon Weekend

Buffalo, NY

Weather
50°Ftypical startModelled estimate
Field size
~1,500 runners
Course
Flat
Elevation
200 ft gain · 0 ft net

Event: Marathon with the VIP Experience

PR9Weather9Experience7