South Carolina fun runs
37 seasonal, themed and one-of-a-kind fun runs in South Carolina.
Holiday and seasonal: 12 · Novelty course: 8 · Food and drink: 8 · Costume and theme: 3 · Color, glow and night: 2 · Mud and obstacle: 2 · Quirky format: 1 · Iconic tradition: 1
- Novelty course Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon & Coastal 5K Over five miles of oceanfront running on Ocean Boulevard, finishing on the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk with ocean views.
- Color, glow and night Pickens County Meals on Wheels 5K Glow Run A small-town night 5K through Liberty with a glow-attire contest and a UV-lit selfie station at the finish.
- Food and drink Bluffton Oyster Run 5K Starts at the working Bluffton Oyster Factory and loops Old Town along the May River, kicking off the Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival.
- Costume and theme Aiken Trailblazer Halloween Marathon, Half, 10K & 5K at Stable View On the trails of a horse-country equestrian estate, the Headless Horseman 'gallops' through the woods during the race.
- Holiday and seasonal Nightmare In Elmwood 5K A Halloween 5K through a historic Columbia neighborhood that decorates its homes for the race, passing Elmwood Cemetery along the way.
- Food and drink Enoree Haunted Wine Run 5K A Halloween-themed cross-country 5K run as two grass laps through eight acres of muscadine grapes at Enoree River Vineyards.
- Food and drink HalloWine 5K A Halloween 5K at an Upstate family winery with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- Novelty course James Island Connector Run Runners get the James Island Connector expressway to themselves, racing over the Ashley River with views of the Charleston peninsula without ever leaving the elevated roadway.
- Costume and theme Superhero 5K Presented by Urban League of the Upstate A Halloween-day superhero 5K and kids' fun run with prizes for the best superhero costumes.
- Holiday and seasonal Trick, Treat & Trail Family Fun Run and Festival Families trick-or-treat along the trails of a county park as they run, and registration is priced per carload rather than per runner.
- Food and drink Summerville Sweet Tea Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K Summerville bills itself as the birthplace of sweet tea; this race starts and finishes downtown beside the town's 'World's Largest Sweet Tea.'
- Novelty course Swing Bridge Run Out-and-back 5K over Beaufort's Woods Memorial swing bridge to Lady's Island, plus a separate all-ages bridge walk.
- Food and drink South Carolina Brewery Running Series Charleston-area beer-run series that starts and ends each 5K at a different brewery taproom.
- Novelty course Zoom Through the Zoo 5K Greenville's only 5K that ends with a loop through the Greenville Zoo, plus a kids' fun run held entirely inside the zoo.
- Holiday and seasonal Dashing Through The Glow Runners get the 2-million-light Great Christmas Light Show on foot before it opens to cars, finishing at Santa's Village with hot chocolate.
- Mud and obstacle Carolinas Spartan Trifecta Weekend Season-ending Southeast Trifecta and Ultra on red-clay farm trails with creek crossings.
- Holiday and seasonal TreesUpstate Turkey Day Run Greenville's largest Thanksgiving race, an 8K through Falls Park on the Reedy and Unity Park that raises money to plant trees across the Upstate.
- Holiday and seasonal Turkey Day Run & Gobble Wobble 5K Billed as the third-largest Thanksgiving Day 5K in the U.S., it winds through historic downtown Charleston and ends with free food and beer in Marion Square.
- Quirky format 4.01K Reindeer Run A costume race of 4.01 kilometers, a play on '401(k)', on a closed bike-racing circuit, with a Reindeer Relay option.
- Holiday and seasonal The Twinkling "almost" Two Miler An evening holiday-lights run on the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk during Winter Wonderland at the Beach.
- Novelty course Kiawah Island Golf Resort Marathon & Half Marathon (with Jingle Shells 5K) A December race weekend inside a gated barrier-island resort, pairing a sold-out marathon through live oaks and salt marsh with a holiday-themed 'Jingle Shells' 5K the night before.
- Holiday and seasonal Half-Moon Outfitters Reindeer Run/Walk A 35-year-old downtown Charleston holiday 5K with a costume contest that includes a separate category for dogs.
- Holiday and seasonal Tacky Sweater 5K Run/Walk An ugly-sweater trail 5K on grassy loops through Lakewood Nature Preserve, billed as 'a jolly jog with Santa.'
- Holiday and seasonal First Day 5K A New Year's Day 5K whose start time matches the new year (9:27 AM for 2027), with a route through two trail tunnels in Cane Bay.
- Holiday and seasonal Race the Landing 5K New Year's Day Pajama Run A New Year's Day 5K through Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site where pajamas are welcome and finishers get traditional Hoppin' John for good luck.
- Holiday and seasonal ShamROCK N' Run A St. Patrick's half, 10K and 5K on North Myrtle Beach's Main Street and Ocean Boulevard, with music at every mile, a bagpiper on course and beer with Carolina barbecue at the finish.
- Iconic tradition Cooper River Bridge Run A 10K that closes the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge so tens of thousands of runners and walkers can cross Charleston Harbor from Mount Pleasant into downtown.
- Costume and theme Beaufort Shrimp Festival Run Forrest Run 5K A Forrest Gump–themed 5K over the Woods Memorial Bridge, which appears in the film, with a Forrest impersonator at the start and finish during Beaufort's Shrimp Festival.
- Holiday and seasonal Hilton Head Island Shamrock 5K Run & Health Walk Hilton Head's 30-plus-year 'Running of the Green' fills the island's south end with runners in St. Patrick's green.
- Novelty course IOP Beach Run Every distance is run entirely on Isle of Palms' hard-packed beach, timed for near low tide.
- Food and drink MoonPie Move Augusta Every finisher gets MoonPies along with a series medal.
- Mud and obstacle Muddy Princess South Carolina Women-only 5K mud run built around teamwork rather than racing.
- Novelty course Riverbanks Run A 5K route that winds through Riverbanks Zoo & Garden before opening hours, raising money for wildlife conservation.
- Color, glow and night Rudolph's Revenge: A Christmas in July Night Run A July night run on a course lit with glow sticks and Christmas lights.
- Food and drink Shell Ring Beer Mile A classic beer mile at Port Royal's Shellring Ale Works: drink a beer, run a quarter-mile lap around the brewery, and repeat four times.
- Novelty course Terrence Carraway Memorial 5K at Darlington Raceway Starts on pit road and finishes on the start/finish line of Darlington Raceway, 'The Track Too Tough to Tame,' with an untimed one-lap 'Hot Lap' option.
- Food and drink The Greenville Donut Mile Run a one-mile loop around Unity Park, eat a Scouts doughnut before crossing the line, then trade your drink token for a beer at Pangaea Brewing.