Remarkable course. Deep roots.

The Clarence DeMar Marathon and Half Marathon have heart—and history. Read more about Clarence DeMar
Woman crossing finish line

DeMar: The race to run in New Hampshire.

Whether you’re a first-timer or a 50-stater, there’s only one race to run in New Hampshire. At DeMar, you’re not treated as an entrant, but a guest of honor. See what makes DeMar different
Bobbi Gibb, waving to crowd and holding flowers at the finish line at Boston Marathon on April 18, 2016

Keynote Speaker for 2024

Bobbi Gibb, author, artist and trailblazer athlete who was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. Race Weekend Schedule
Testimonials

What others are saying about the DeMar Marathon

  • Finishing on the Keene State college campus is festive energizing! This is a popular Boston qualifier Marathon for good reason! I love
    the quality of the long sleeve shirts you receive with sign up, and the additional swag goodies are great! I cannot recommend this race
    enough for all ability levels! You will be glad you chose to run the historic Clarence DeMar race!

    Testimonial 2 11.15.23
  • I’ve run the half marathon twice, in 2022 and 2023. Both times I’ve run this race it was a small town race of around 800 participants,
    with a big time race feel! This race is so well run from the minute you sign up until the moment you cross that festive finish and head
    over to the amazing spread of hot soup, fresh fruit, yummy cookies and many options for refreshments.

    Testimonial 1 11.15.23
  • The race director and the town of Keene do an amazing job supporting this race. Roughly 500 volunteers were involved in 2019, for a field size of ~400 marathoners and ~450 half-marathoners. The overall support is exemplary. The final third of the course runs around and through the town of Keene. This is local race and the town comes out and supports runners. There are plenty of well-wishers and locals cheering you on.  Learning about the history and life of Clarence DeMar is inspirational. I read his autobiography pre-race and recommend it.  The medals are big and cool.  Heading up to Keene for this run makes for a rewarding and fulfilling weekend. Good luck if you run CDM (you won’t be disappointed!).

    Ken from Steamboat Springs CO
  • I can’t get over how smooth the entire process was! This race had the best support, even for the back of the packers. All volunteers were still out and enthusiastic! The first half was breathtaking New England beauty, and the second half had the best support. I loved every mile. This was my first full, and I truly plan to run it again.

    Ann from Manchester NH
  • Excellent point-to-point race. Very well organized (packet pick-up, bag check, shuttles to starting point—and for the half marathon, a shuttle back to the starting line, if you parked your car there). The announcers shout out the names of runners as they approach the finish line, often including special notes that you can submit on your registration form (“this is his 30th half marathon!” or “this is her 42th state”). There’s a massage tent with a lot of people working there, so you don’t have to wait too long to be seen. Fantastic post-race food tent (the best food of the 5 different half marathons I’ve run). The race has made an effort to reduce waste by handing out very nice reusable DeMar water bottles instead of the usual disposable water bottles. They have a station in the finish area where you can refill it.

    Jennifer from New Tripoli, PA
Sponsors

We appreciate the support of all our sponsors

DeMar Level

hoffman family foundation logo

Savings Bank of Walpole logo

City of Keene Logo

Qualifier Level

Ted's Shoe & Sport logo

Paragon Digital Marketing Logo

Keene Sentinel logo

Half Marathon Level

The Insurance Source logo

Precitech logo

Deep Roots Massage Logo

AMT productions

edward jones logo

Water Station Level

C&S Wholesale Grocers logo

Hogancamp PC Logo

Hamblet Electric logo

NHTrust Financial Advisors logo

#liveworkplaykeene

Monadnock Food Co-op logo

Tom & Babs Putnam

Covenant Living of Keene

Ryder Life and Liberty Fund

Douglas Company Inc.

Kids DeMar Level

C&S Wholesale Grocers logo

Elm City Brewing logo

Griffin Construction logo

Whitney Brothers Logo

Swanzey Oil Logo

Timken logo

Antioch University New England Logo

G&H Stingray

beeze tees logo

Fraizer & Son Furniture logo

The Home Depot logo

Course Level

Tim Small Sales, LLC

S&S Painting

The Kingsbury Fund

Quality Care Collision

Bergeron Construction

Keating Plumbing and Heating

Bellavance Beverage Company

Lab 'n Lager

MHS Architectural Millwork

Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club

NH Forge, Inc.

RE/MAX Town & Country

Glenn & Laurie Lamothe

Foley Funeral Home

Sam's Outdoor Outfitters

M Ann Ricksecter & David Smith

Chesterfield Lions

Friend Level

Primerica - Financial Abundance International

Nancy Petrillo

Monadnock Conservancy

Rich and Karen Shea Dufresne

Davis Oil

Keene Elks Lodge #927, in memory of Albion Ellis Sr.

Basic Balance Acupuncture

The Pub Restaurant and Catering

Yankee Publishing

Ward Legal Group

John Irminger