Sat, Oct 24, 2026

Great Bay 5K

Stratham, NH

Registration openAnnual since at least 2020

Entry is $35 now and rises to $40 after Aug 30, 2026, so registering before then saves $5.

About the Great Bay 5K

The course runs past the shores of Great Bay, and the terrain trends mostly downhill, which tends to pull runners along faster than they expect. It closes out the Seacoast Road Race Series each fall, and the proceeds go toward conservation and stewardship of the estuary the course runs beside.

Post-race, there are tear strips on the bibs that can be redeemed for beer or cider at participating local spots, which gives the morning a bit of an after-party feel even if you head out early.

Free race emails

Get the Weekly RunSesh

In for this one or still deciding, keep race season near Stratham on your radar: a Monday look ahead and a Thursday rundown of the weekend's races.

Two helpful emails per week. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2025 results, this is a small, friendly field, and the spread of finish times is wide, so this is a mostly recreational race rather than one for club runners.

55K · 2025 results

15finishers

1:05:00winner

9:52:10median

45:10:00cutoff

Top 3: Johanna Rogers · Chris Peter (35:53:30) · Steven Machala (43:32:02)

The Great Bay 5K has been held every year since at least 2020. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.

Where Would You Finish?

Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 55K results.

Median

See how your time stacks up nationally →

How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Jul 27, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

5K10/24/2026 09:00$35

Going for a Time?

Set a goal and get a pace band: every mile split on a card sized for your phone lock screen, so race morning needs no math.

Plan Your Trip

Where to Stay

Traveling for this race? The map shows hotels and rentals in and around Stratham — pan or zoom to compare what's nearby.

The map is provided by Stay22. If you book through it, RunSesh may earn a commission at no extra cost to you — it never affects the races we list.

Common Questions About the Great Bay 5K

Will I finish last at the Great Bay 5K?

Almost certainly not. Half the 55K field finished slower than 9:52:10, and the last recorded finisher came in around 45:10:00, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Great Bay 5K a good first 55K?

It is a small race (15 finishers), which is friendlier and less intimidating than a big-city event, though the field thins out. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 55K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Great Bay 5K?

The 55K winner ran 1:05:00 while the median finisher took 9:52:10. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.