Sat, Jul 24, 2027

Run the Pier Running Festival

Manistee, MI

Opens Jan 17, 2027Annual since at least 2022

5K10KHalf MarathonMarathon

Entry is $45 now and rises to $55 after Jun 24, 2027, so registering before then saves $10.

About the Run the Pier Running Festival

The course takes you out onto the North Pier and around the lighthouse before turning back along the shoreline. Most of the route follows Lakeshore Drive, with Lake Michigan beside you for a good stretch of it. Several distance options are available, from a short road run up to a full marathon, all sharing that same waterfront character.

Food trucks are on-site after the race, with breakfast and lunch available for runners and the people who came to watch.

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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.

5K · 2025 results

212finishers

18:25winner

36:14median

1:08:33cutoff

Top 3: Lance Niedzielski (18:25) · Bo Cooke (19:13) · Luke Niedzielski (19:44)

13.1 Miles · 2025 results

127finishers

1:30:22winner

2:07:24median

4:13:47cutoff

Top 3: Logan Vegh (1:30:22) · Jason Connell (1:30:22) · Niles Yantchook (1:35:10)

10K · 2025 results

71finishers

37:55winner

59:22median

1:42:08cutoff

Top 3: Kaden Worch (37:55) · Ethan Dapice (39:04) · Violet Overla (43:52)

26.2 Miles · 2025 results

58finishers

3:02:15winner

4:38:32median

6:21:11cutoff

Top 3: Mitchel Morawski (3:02:15) · Gabrielle Lindbloom (3:28:29) · Jake Wagoner (3:36:52)

The Run the Pier Running Festival has been held every year since at least 2022. 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 5K 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 Sep 10, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

5K7/24/2027 08:00$45

10K7/24/2027 08:00$60

13.1 Miles7/24/2027 07:45$70

26.2 Miles7/24/2027 07:00$90

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Common Questions About the Run the Pier Running Festival

Will I finish last at the Run the Pier Running Festival?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 36:14, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:08:33, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Run the Pier Running Festival a good first 5K?

A field of 212 is big enough that you will have company at your pace without feeling lost in a crowd. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 5K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Run the Pier Running Festival?

The 5K winner ran 18:25 while the median finisher took 36:14. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.