← Shamrock Marathon·On foot

The Boardwalk: Five Kilometres of Empty March Seafront

A 5 km oceanfront promenade with a separate cycling lane, running from an inlet to 40th Street past the statue the marathon finishes beside, and almost nobody on it in March.

DurationOn foot
TransitFrom the finish line at the King Neptune statue, 31st Street
DepartsKing Neptune statue, 31st Street

After the Shamrock Marathon: The Virginia Beach Boardwalk

The Route: King Neptune (finish) → Rudee Inlet → back north to 40th Street Logistics: On foot from the finish. The boardwalk runs around 5 km from Rudee Inlet to 40th Street, flat the whole way, with a separate paved lane alongside it for bikes. Marathon Month: March Duration: An afternoon, or the morning after

Rudee Inlet ◄──(≈2 km)── King Neptune, 31st St (finish) ──(≈1.5 km)──► 40th Street

The marathon finishes on the boardwalk at 31st Street, beside a 10 m bronze of King Neptune holding a trident, and the boardwalk is what there is to do afterwards. That is not a complaint. It is 5 km of level concrete promenade along the Atlantic with a dedicated bike lane beside it, and in March it is almost empty, because the summer that fills this place is four months away.

Walking from the finish south to Rudee Inlet and north to 40th Street and back covers around 10 km. Do a fraction of that.

Along the promenade

The Naval Aviation Monument sits at 25th Street, a set of bronze figures marking the naval air presence at Oceana and Norfolk that defines this part of Virginia. There is a run of public sculpture along the promenade, mostly maritime, and the fishing pier at 15th Street is open to walk out on for a small fee.

Rudee Inlet at the southern end is where the charter boats go out, and the jetty there is the turning point for most people. The Virginia Aquarium is inland from the inlet, about 3 km from the finish, and is the indoor option if the wind comes up. It has a decent marine collection and a salt marsh boardwalk behind it.

North of 40th Street the boardwalk stops and a quieter residential seafront continues, which is where to walk if you want to be on your own.

March on this coast

The boardwalk is fully exposed and the wind off the Atlantic is the whole story in March. Race day temperatures usually sit between 5 and 12°C and it can feel considerably colder standing still than it did running. Take the layer you were going to leave in the hotel.

The upside is that everything is open and nothing is busy: the summer machinery of this town, the rentals and the queues, has not started yet.

Where to Stay and Eat

Where to stay: The oceanfront hotels between 15th and 40th Street put you on the boardwalk, and the ones nearest 31st Street put you at the finish line. Anything between 31st and 42nd Street is a short walk to the start as well.

Where to eat: Atlantic Avenue, one block back from the boardwalk, has most of the restaurants. For something better, the Rudee Inlet end has the seafood places attached to the marina, and Chesapeake Bay oysters are the local order in March.

Getting Home

Norfolk International is around 30 km west, roughly 30 to 40 minutes by car, and is the practical airport. There is no useful public transport from the oceanfront, so plan on a taxi, a rideshare or a hire car. Richmond and Newport News are the alternatives if the fares work out better.