Wicked Half Marathon Salem, MA

Set for its annual running through the streets of this Massachusetts city known as “the Witch City” for the infamous witch trials that took place here back in the early 1690s, Salem’s Wicked Half Marathon takes runners on an out-and-back course that unfolds largely along the waterfront of Beverly Harbor, Salem Sound and Marblehead.The event attracts close to 1000 runners, elites to beginners traveling from all over the world. The scenery in Salem and Marblehead will make these miles fly by.

Starts in Salem at the Bentley School on Memorial Drive, overlooking Collins Cove. From there, the course then takes runners south along Memorial until it becomes Essex Street, and then follows Essex south all the way to the intersection with Hawthorne Boulevard, where runners turn left and head south.There’s another couple of quick turns — a right on Derby Street followed by a left onto Lafayette Street — and then runners get to run a long, straight stretch through downtown Salem along Lafayette, passing by Palmer Cove Park and the campus of Salem State College along the way.This stretch of the course has some rolling hills, but really no major uphills or downhills, organizers say (those don’t occur until later in the race, in the loop section around Marblehead).After the stretch through neighborhoods with historic New England homes on either side of the road, the course brings runners down into the neighboring town of Marblehead, whose history dates all the way back to the 1620s as a center of commercial fishing and yachting, as well as in the development of what would later become the fleet of the U.S. Navy.Runners will make their way along a loop section that circles around Ocean Avenue and Harbor Avenue, past the Audubon Bird Sanctuary and the boats sailing out on Lady’s Cove on the way back in to Marblehead.The last five miles or so of the course are exactly like the first five, as runners make their way back toward Salem Willows where they started, west and then north along Lafayette Street all the way to the turn onto Derby Street, where runners make a right and (instead of turning left on Hawthorne to head back to the school) they keep going straight along Derby, for a loop along the opposite side of the peninsula all the way up to Salem Willows Park.The course then curves back around along the edge of the park to bring runners back to the Bentley School for the race finish.

There will be plenty of parking available along Fort Avenue and the Salem Willows. There is a large lot next to the tennis courts, parking in the Willows casino area, another smaller lot before the soccer fields, plenty of parking along Fort Avenue and the Bentley School (25 Memorial Dr) less than a 1/2 mile away from the race site. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PARK IN FRONT OF ANY HOUSES OR IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OFF FORT AVE. YOUR CAR WILL BE TOWED. PLEASE OBEY ALL PARKING SIGNS.

The course will have a Water Station every 1.5 miles or so. Each aid station will have gatorade and water. The aid station along the Marblehead Neck will have Gu’s, twizzlers, petroleum jelly, etc. Bathrooms – Mile 5 at Devereux Beach.

Bagels/Fruit and Egg Fratata will be available for all race participants at race site. Other food vendors will be on site providing samples. Brothers Taverna, located in downtown Salem on Derby St. will be offering all participants 10% off your bill! Just make sure to bring/wear your bib and mentioned you participated in the Wicked Half Marathon.

Everyone will receive a custom finisher medal that you will love.

4 hours cut-off beginning at 7AM