Everything you need to know before Sunday’s races

The City of Oaks Marathon is set for Sunday morning in downtown Raleigh.

The event has four different race distances: The full marathon of 26.2 miles, a half marathon of 13.1 miles, a 10K and a 5K.

• The full marathon, half marathon and 10K start at 7 a.m. Sunday at 400 Glenwood Ave.
• The 5K wheelchair starts at 7:15 a.m. at 400 Glenwood Ave.
• The 5K starts at 7:20 a.m. at 400 Glenwood Ave.

The post-race party is at Smoky Hollow.

Remember, clocks fall back this weekend too, meaning runners will get an extra hour of sleep. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday.

Sunday’s forecast for the City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh

Sunday’s forecast will be mostly sunny.

It’s expected to be in the low to mid 50s for the start of the race at 7 a.m. It will warm up to the upper 50s by 10 a.m. and to the mid 60s by noon.

There is no chance for precipitation.

Sunday’s high temperature is expected to reach the upper 60s.

Road closures for the City of Oaks Marathon

Road closures begin at 6:45 a.m. Sunday in downtown Raleigh and along Hillsborough Street.

Most road closures occur between 7 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.

There are more than two dozen specific areas of closures detailed on the City of Oaks website.

The closures include Glenwood Avenue from Peace Street to Hillsborough Street from 3 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. It also includes portions of Hillsborough Street, West Morgan Street, Wilmington Street and Salisbury Street throughout the event. Visit the City of Oaks Marathon website for a complete list and timing of closures.

City of Oaks Marathon course map

Click or tap around in the top left corner of the map to view the routes for the full marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K races. The map also shows spectator locations and hydration stations.

The full marathon starts at 7 a.m. at 400 Glenwood Ave. Runners go down Glenwood Avenue turning east on Hillsborough Street. Then, they run up North Salisbury Street before turning south onto North Wilmington Street.

Runners go by the North Carolina State Capitol down Fayetteville Street and traverse downtown Raleigh. Then, they go down Hillsborough Street to West Morgan Street past Irregardless Cafe and then past Trophy Brewing and Pizza. Runners go south on Boylan Avenue to Western Boulevard.

Western Boulevard takes runners past Pullen Park north to Hillsborough Street, where runners go west. Runners then north on Faircloth Street and then to Ready Creek Trail. Eventually, it becomes House Creek Greenway Trail. The trail goes as far north, past Shelley Lake, to the Greenway Trail just west of North Hills Drive.

Runners then make the trek back to downtown Raleigh following the same route back.

The race finishes just east of the starting line. The finish line is at 500 North West St.

The marathon ends at 1 p.m. Sunday. The post-race party at Smoky Hollow ends at 1:30 p.m.

Start line location: 400 Glenwood Ave.

Finish line location: 500 North West St.

Post-race party location: 500 North West St.

Parking for the City of Oaks Marathon

The City of Oaks Marathon website lists two parking lots, which are on a first-come, first-served basis. Both lots are within about three-quarters of a mile from the starting line.

• Raleigh Charter High School at 1307 Glenwood Ave.
• The Village District at 2068 Clark Ave.

People using Uber or Lyft are encouraged to set their drop-off location on Peace Street near Glenwood Avenue.

Street parking

The site also lists two areas to park on the street:

• Fred Fletcher Park street parking at 820 Clay St.: Approximately a 0.55-mile walk (or a 15-minute walk) to the start line.
• Forest Park neighborhood residential street parking: Approximately a 0.33-mile walk (or a 12-minute walk) to the start line.

Parking decks

• State Deck 75 at 333 North Salisbury St. – Approximately a 0.8 mile walk (or an 18-minute walk) to the start line
• State Deck 76 at 333 North Salisburg St. – Approximately a 0.8 mile walk (or an 18-minute walk) to the start line
• 413 North Salisbury St. Garage – Approximately a 0.7 mile walk (or an 18-minute walk) to the start line
• Green Square Deck at 120w West Edenton St. – Approximately a 0.7 mile walk (or an 18-minute walk) to the start line

All of these options are accessible without crossing any road closures utilizing Peace Street or Wade Avenue

Gear check is next to Milk Lab

Participants are encouraged to leave personal items at home or their cars. However, runners can check a bag at the gear check area on race morning at Smoky Hollow next to Milk Lab at 526 North West St.

People asked not to leave valuables like keys, wallet or cell phones at gear check.

Gear check opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 1:30 p.m.

Time limits for 2024 City of Oaks Marathon

Marathon: Six hours, which is a 14-minute mile pace

Half-marathon: Three hours and 30 minutes, which is a 16-minute mile pace

10K: Two hours, which is a 19-minute mile pace

5K: Two hours, which is a 38-minute mile pace

Any runners remaining on the course after the time limit will no longer be considered race participants and will be required to follow pedestrian laws.

Participants who do not meet the cutoff time will not receive an official time.

Pacers for City of Oaks Marathon and half marathon

The event will have pacers for the full marathon and half marathon.

Full marathon: 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:15 and 5:30

Half marathon: 1:45, 2:00, 2:15, 2:30, 2:45 and 3:00

Bathrooms on race day

The event will have portable toilets on Tucker Street between Glenwood Avenue and North West Street.

Portable toilets are also available at each hydration station throughout the course.

Starting chute corrals

This letter identifies your corral assignment (A, B & C). Corrals will be used for the full marathon, half marathon and 10k.

Runners’ corral assignment is printed on the front of their bibs. The faster runners are in Corral A and the slower runners are in Corral C.

Runners are divided into three corrals (A, B and C). Runners’ corral assignment is printed on the front of their bibs.

Each runners’ bib color also indicates which event they’re participating in:

• Full marathon – Blue
• Half marathon – Gold
• 10K – Green
• 5K – Purple

City of Oaks Marathon post-race party

After finishing the race, enjoy:

• A live concert in Smoky Hollow with free beer (21 years and older; you must bring your photo ID). Alcohol must remain in Smoky Hollow.
• Finisher snacks for runners
• Overall Award Ceremony
• Check out sponsors and race partners

Finisher medals: All participants will receive a finisher medal after crossing the finish line.

Results

Runners will receive a text message with a link to their individual results upon crossing the finish line.

Results are posted online as they become available.

Runners can also see photos of themselves by searching their bib number or name.

Overall awards

Overall Awards Medals are presented to the top three male and female finishers in the full, half 10K and 5K based on gun time.

Age group awards

Age group award medals are given to the top three male and female finishers in the full and half marathon based on chip time.

Age group medals are only given to the first place finisher in each age group for the 5K and 10K.

Age groups

• 14 and younger
• 15-19
• 20-24
• 25-29
• 30-34
• 35-39
• 40-44
• 45-49
• 50-54
• 55-59
• 60-64
• 65-69
• 70 and older

Packet pickup on Saturday

Bib mailing closed on Oct. 4.

Packet pickup is set for 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Martin Middle School, located at 1701 Ridge Road in Raleigh.

Participants will receive a bib, safety pins, a participant shirt and a participant gift. Also, runners can choose to receive a gear check bag and a tag, but it’s optional.

Someone else can pick up your packet. They will need a copy of your ID. A photo is sufficient.

There is no packet pickup on race-day.

Editor’s Note: WRAL is a sponsor of the 2024 City of Oaks Marathon.