Coastal Half Marathon

The Coastal Half Marathon opens the Coastal Five running festival on the Saturday morning of the New Plymouth weekend. The course follows the city's Coastal Walkway, a sealed shared path that traces the edge of the Tasman Sea, linking landmarks such as the Wind Wand and Puke Ariki Landing along the way. Runners cover the 21.1km distance largely on flat, tarmac surfaces with uninterrupted sea views for much of the route, making it one of the flattest half marathons on the New Zealand calendar. The path weaves past parks, bridges and lookout points as it threads through New Plymouth's waterfront, with the early 6:15am start timed to catch sunrise over the coast. Finishing back in the city, the half marathon sets the tone for the two-day, five-race Coastal Five format, in which entrants can combine all five distances into a cumulative marathon total.