Help
FAQ & contact
The basics
When is it?
Sunday, September 5, 2027, 7:00 AM, both races.
Where?
Start and finish at the Madison Barracks Polo Fields, Sackets Harbor, NY. Parking & directions.
How big is it?
In 2026, 963 runners finished (340 marathon, 623 half), coming from 39 states, D.C., and Canada. Expect over 1,000 for year five.
Can I buy race gear?
Yes, shirts and race-branded gear are in the race store. The finisher hoodie, though, comes free with your entry.
Can I donate? Who does it help?
You can add a donation when you register, split evenly between the Sackets Harbor Fire Department and the Thousand Islands Emergency Rescue Service, the crews who cover race day. In 2026, 210 runners gave $3,308.
Registering
Any discounts?
Early-bird pricing is the best deal, period. After it ends: $10 off for military (current and former), first responders, and front-line medical workers. Refer three friends with your personal link and get $15 back, repeatable until your entry is free. Register here.
Refunds?
No, but you can defer to next year, transfer your bib, or switch distances. Registration rules.
I deferred last year. How do I register?
You don’t re-register; your entry is already paid. Claim it through your RunSignup account. How deferral claims work.
Insurance?
Available at checkout. Details.
Am I registered? What’s my bib number?
Look yourself up in Find a Participant on RunSignup; it lists everyone registered, with bib numbers once they’re assigned.
Can I sign up on race day?
Yes. You can register right at the start area on race morning, though you’ll save money and guarantee your hoodie size by signing up sooner.
Can I give my bib to a friend, or run without one?
No on both. Bibs must be transferred properly through RunSignup (here’s how), and running without a bib gets both runners disqualified: our medical team, timing system and insurance all work off who is wearing which number.
What’s the deadline?
You can register right up to race morning (thanks, Leone Timing), but the hoodie size guarantee ends race week, and prices rise as race day nears.
Minimum age?
13 by race day for the Half, 16 for the Full.
Wheelchair / handcycle division?
No, and we can’t offer an early start, because course support is scheduled around the 7:00 AM gun.
The course
Hilly? Fast? Scenic?
Out-and-back with rolling hills, a gentle climb away from the lake and a descent home: genuine negative-split terrain. Course info and the interactive map.
Is it a Boston Qualifier?
Yes. Both courses are USATF-certified. Certificates and standards.
Aid stations?
8 on the Half, 17 on the Full: water, lemon-lime Gatorade, bananas at miles 6, 8, 13.1, 18.5 and 20, orange slices at the half marathon turnaround (mile 6.5 for everyone, and again at 19.5 for the full), and a toilet at every station. Bring your own gels.
Time limit?
Six hours for both races (≈13:45/mile). Past that, aid stations, medical and course marshal support wind down, roads reopen on a rolling basis by 1:00 PM, and finish times over six hours may not appear in the official results.
Will the roads be closed to traffic?
We work with local authorities to keep the course as clear as possible, but it is not a fully closed course and we can’t promise zero traffic. Stay to the LEFT, stay alert, and follow course marshals.
Are the miles marked?
Yes, there’s a marker at every mile, each one sponsored by a local business or family. See who owns which mile.
My GPS says the course is long/short!
Courses are certified along the shortest possible route a runner can take; nobody runs it perfectly, and GPS drifts. The certified distance is the distance.
Headphones?
Discouraged; if you must, keep the volume low enough to hear marshals and traffic.
Vests? Dogs? Strollers? Pacers?
Hydration vests/Camelbaks: yes. Dogs: no. Strollers: no. Unofficial pacers: no (grounds for DQ). Rules of competition.
Pace groups?
Not planned this year.
What’s the weather like?
No promises, but the 10-year average for this Sunday: 58°F at the start, 67°F at 10 AM, 70°F at noon. It has rained just twice in ten years.
Race weekend
When is packet pickup?
Saturday noon–4 at the Sentinel Bandstand, or race morning 5:30–7:00 next to the start. The full schedule.
Can someone else grab my packet?
Yes, though we’d love to hand it to you.
Gear check?
None needed; parking, start and finish are all together.
Parking?
Free, beside the start, opens 5:00 AM. Directions.
Can my family track me?
Yes: free live GPS tracking with RaceJoy, plus the best places to stand.
Where should we stay and eat?
Plan Your Stay has race-rate hotels in Watertown, four nearby campgrounds, and the sponsor restaurants that feed this race.
Is there an airport nearby?
Watertown International (ART) is 8 miles away, with American Eagle flights to Philadelphia up to twice a day on 50-seat jets. Syracuse (SYR) is 63 miles south with far more options. Getting here.
Results & awards
Who’s timing?
Leone Timing & Results Services: two decades of top-tier race timing.
How do awards work?
Top 3 overall (gun time) and 3-deep age groups (chip time), ceremonies at 9:45 and 11:00. Never mailed, always celebrated. Awards & prize money.
Do I get a medal? Photos?
A medal: every finisher. Photos: free, from The Whiskey Coop. Download yours.
Still have a question?
We read everything, and we answer. It goes to Karyn and Mark, the two runners who put this race on; meet the team.