NCR Marathon & Half Marathon

Welcome to the 37th running of the NCR Marathon presented by the Baltimore Road Runners Club. The 2026 NCR Trail Marathon & Half will be held on Saturday, November 28, 2026 NEW FOR 2026: $1- price increase across the board! Running is already expensive enough with carbon shoes & the cost of travel IN 2026. We get it, so we ve made the 2026 registration just a $1- increase from 2025. The NCR Marathon is Baltimore’s oldest continuously running USATF certified marathon held annually on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. BRRC also presented the historic Maryland Marathon dating back to 1973 before moving to the Northern Central Railroad Trail in 1990. The Northern Central Railroad Trail, officially known as the Torrey C. Brown Trail, covers nearly 20 miles in Maryland, stretching from Hunt Valley to the Mason-Dixon Line. The out and back marathon course offers a scenic wooded run on a crushed gravel and dirt trail alongside the waters of Big Gunpowder Falls - an idyllic setting to cruise 26.2 miles. During the first few years, the race originated at the Old Sparks Elementary School. After fire destroyed this historic school, the marathon start and finish moved to mile four on the trail before relocating up the hill to the new Sparks Elementary School. In 2003, the marathon relay was introduced. For the 25th anniversary, an 8K event was added to the marathon and marathon relay. In 2017, the marathon course was re-certified and its start moved to the beautiful Oldfields School campus, our host site since. A lot has changed over the years, but one thing that has stayed the same: this is a runner’s race. And, as runners we take pride in continuing to make the NCR Marathon and Half Marathon a first-class event. This is a FAST course and a great fall Boston Qualifier. Race finishers receive a large blanket. This isn t your average beach blanket: this will be the most coveted piece in your home.