Space Coast Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Space Coast Marathon & Half Marathon is run on a Sunday in late November or early December in Cocoa, Florida, within sight of the Kennedy Space Center. The organisers describe it as the oldest marathon in the state of Florida: it began in December 1971 as the Melbourne Marathon and took its present name in 1978. Space Coast Runners, the club that founded it, and the Running Zone Foundation, which has organised it since 2007 and brought in the space theme, host the race today. The course starts in Cocoa Village at Cocoa Riverfront Park and follows the Indian River. The marathon first runs along Indian River Drive to a northern turnaround and back towards Cocoa Village, then continues south along the river, joins the half marathon's southern course and finishes back at Cocoa Riverfront Park. The half marathon heads south on Rockledge Drive to its own turnaround. The organisers call the course partially shaded and mostly flat, USATF certified and a good Boston qualifier, and mark it with space-themed aid stations. The marathon starts at 6:00 am and the half marathon at 6:15 am. The course closes at 1:00 pm, a seven-hour limit for the marathon.