Half Marathon in New Jersey — Tammy on the Run

State 37: Atlantic City, New Jersey
April 2026

On my journey to run a half or full marathon in every state before I turn 50, I chose the April Fools Half Marathon in Atlantic City to check off New Jersey. It worked well with my schedule and it looked like a relatively easy race logistically. I ran the half marathon, but there was also an 8K option. Check out all the details below!

Overview of race details

DATE: This race was the second weekend of April, but the organizers of this race have a few other races in Atlantic City throughout the year.
WEATHER: Obviously this is dependent on the year, but in 2026 we had near perfect temperatures for a race. There was a good bit of wind, though, given it was along the water for a good portion of the race.
ELEVATION: This is a very flat course. There were a few baby inclines as you went from the street back onto the boardwalk, but that was it.
TIME LIMIT: 4 hours for the half marathon, which is very generous in comparison to many other races.
SIZE: This is a smaller race, with less than 1,000 people registered for the half marathon.

General Travel Logistics

If you live along the east coast, it’s a relatively easy drive to Atlantic City. I flew into DC and drove up with a friend from there. It took us about 3.5 hours.
If you’re flying in, the closest major airport is Philly (59 miles away). There are some smaller airports that are closer, but you’re going to have more flight options by flying into a larger airport.
If you don’t want to rent a car, there are some train and bus options to get to Atlantic City, which you can read about here. If you’re traveling with others, though, renting a car will likely be the more economical option, as well as providing you with more flexibility.
We stayed at the Resorts Casino Hotel, which is the hotel closest to the start/finish line. It was directly outside of our hotel, which made it super convenient for race day. If you want to be as close as possible to the race, I would stay there or the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. There are some additional hotels on the race website that are also close and slightly cheaper.

Race Logistics

Packet Pickup:
This was located at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. It was a quick + easy process, taking ~3 minutes to get our bib and shirt. There wasn’t a true expo - just a few vendors and a backdrop to find your name + take a picture with your bib.

Start Line:
Given it is a smaller race, there’s not a need for official corrals. There were some pacers who were holding signs, so we lined up close to the time we anticipated running. It wasn’t too crowded in the corrals and the race started on time. The 8K started a little after the half marathon and lined up close by. There was some congestion at the start, but it spread out quickly.

Aid Stations:
There were aid stations every 2 miles or so, with water and Gatorade. A few of the stations later in the race also had Boom energy gels. I thought the aid stations were really well organized with a good number of volunteers.

Finish Line:
We finished on the boardwalk and immediately got our medal. There were bottles of water + electrolyte drink, NY style bagels + peanut butter, bananas, and popcorn from a local shop. We got a bag to carry it all from one of the sponsors that had a tent. There wasn’t a huge party at the end – people milled around on the boardwalk, but I thought it was a good selection of food and drinks. You also get a drink ticket for a free beer or seltzer at Margaritaville or LandShark Bar & Grill on the boardwalk.

Course Highlights

It starts and ends on the boardwalk with the Atlantic Ocean in view.
There are pretty views of the water when you’re running on the boardwalk.
It’s a very flat course, so a good one if you want to run fast! And because it’s a smaller size, if you are a faster runner, you have a good opportunity to place.

Race Goodies

The race shirts were long sleeved and a nice cut. It’s one of the nicer race shirts I’ve gotten in awhile!
The medal was also nice – not too big, not too small.
There are FREE race photos, which I always love!

*2026 April Fools Half Marathon Shirt - I like it!*

Final Race Thoughts

I thought this was a well-organized race with easy logistics and nice race swag. It’s also a flat race, so you could run a fast race time if that’s what you’re going for. Given it was a smaller race, I was pleasantly surprised with it. This race organization puts on a few other races throughout the year, and given how well organized this race was, I would do another one if I was going to run a second race in New Jersey.

There’s not a lot to do in Atlantic City, though, outside of gambling, drinking, and walking on the boardwalk, so I’d plan on staying only one night if you’re coming from further away, or driving in and out if you live within 1-2 hours. The race starts at 8am, so it’s not too early (compared to other races), so you could easily drive in the morning of the race.

Food + Drink Highlights

Admittedly, we did not do a lot of research ahead of time for good places to eat. We also wanted to stay within walking distance of our hotel, so that limited our options a bit. Spots we did try include:

Hayday Coffee: This is a must if you like good coffee. It was a 7-10 minute walk from the finish line area, so we went and got cold brew + a sandwich after the race. Both were delicious (and I’m a bit of a coffee snob). They were really nice and the sandwiches came out quickly!
Tennessee Ave Beer Hall: This is a great spot to drink a beer on the outdoor patio, but I wouldn’t necessarily go back for the food. It was okay, but it took a really long time to get (so we ended up taking it back to our hotel room) and it was pretty mid. I’d go back to hang out with a beer on a nice day, though!
White House Subs: We grabbed this for lunch on Saturday after picking up our packet. They weren’t anything out of this world, but they were a good enough and it was a pretty large sub.

We did not have the chance to go here, but a friend recommended Tony Boloney’s Pizza. That would likely be a better option for carbs than Tennessee Beer Hall. There were also some really nice Italian restaurants that popped up in my search, including Chef Vola’s, which is one of the best in New Jersey. Apparently reservations are hard to get there, though, so be sure to plan ahead!

*Really good coffee at Hayday Coffee in Atlantic City*

Exploring Atlantic City

As I noted above, there’s not a ton to explore in Atlantic City outside of walking down the boardwalk (which you accomplish with the race) and gambling. We walked around on Saturday and visited the New Jersey Korean War Memorial and the Civil Rights Garden, which I really liked. You can explore other things to do in Atlantic City here.

Running the States: April Fools Half Marathon (NJ)