About the Sea Turtle & Sweetheart Running Festival
All distances start and finish at The Hangout, a beachside venue right on the Gulf Shores waterfront. The course runs along the beach, so expect sand and salt air rather than pavement crowds. With several distance options, from a quick mile up to a half marathon, the morning pulls in a wide range of people, all sharing the same start and finish area.
Packet pickup runs the afternoon before the race at The Hangout, and race-morning pickup is available too, though the evening-before window tends to move faster. After you finish, the post-race party stays at The Hangout, with food, beer, and music already going by the time the back of the pack comes in.
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Finish-Time Stats
Going by the 2026 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 · 2026 results
286finishers
17:50winner
39:02median
1:40:03cutoff
Top 3: Hannah Fultz (17:50) · Caleb Swartz (19:18) · John Zirlott (20:29)
13.1 Miles · 2026 results
250finishers
1:14:42winner
2:24:24median
3:24:22cutoff
Top 3: Jake Harned (1:14:42) · Josh Grogan (1:18:03) · Bubba Montgomery (1:25:29)
1 Miles · 2026 results
37finishers
8:16winner
18:55median
52:03cutoff
Top 3: Scott Liversedge (8:16) · A. Spratling (8:36) · K. Merchant (8:52)
The Sea Turtle & Sweetheart Running Festival has been held every year since at least 2015. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.
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
13.1 Miles2/13/2027 07:30$75
5K2/13/2027 08:30$30
1 Mile2/13/2027 08:35$20
10K2/13/2027 08:00$45
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.
Where to Stay
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