Blackwater Canyon Half Marathon

Join us for the 6th Annual Moonlight on the Falls Marathon on August 29-30, 2026, at beautiful Blackwater Falls State Park in Tucker County, West Virginia. Beat the summer heat run with us under the stars and enjoy the perfect running temperatures of our cool late summer mountain nights.

This race will be a nighttime race featuring a Marathon, Half Marathon, Distance Challenge (Ultra Marathon), Relay, and Quarter Marathon. It will be an approximately 6.55-mile (Quarter Marathon) looped course beginning and ending at Pendleton Point in Blackwater Falls State Park. The Distance Challenge will begin at 10 PM and go until 7:45 AM with options to run Solo, 2 Person Relay, 4 Person Relay, and 6 Person Relay. In addition to being held in one of West Virginia's most visited and beautiful state parks running conditions should be perfect, average nighttime temperatures during the end of August here in the mountains are 55 degrees.

As with all of our races, the Moonlight on the Falls Marathon is meant to be a true destination experience. We plan on a festival-like atmosphere for Packet Pick Up and Pre-Race on Saturday with live music, vendors, food, and more! In addition to our festivities, we encourage everyone to check out the endless outdoor recreation opportunities, as well as our funky little mountain towns of Davis and Thomas.

ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR A REFLECTIVE VEST OR SIMILAR GEAR AND A HEADLAMP. The roads in the park are closed at night to outside traffic and anyone not staying in the park, however, for safety purposes, we will require runners to wear a reflective vest and have a headlamp. Have fun with your lighting; glow sticks and other fun lighting for your outfits are highly encouraged!

Swag - All participants will receive a Super Soft Triblend McClumsy long-sleeve T-shirt, finisher medal, and more!

Course - The Moonlight on the Falls Marathon Course is an all-paved 6.55-mile (Quarter Marathon Course) that starts and finishes at Pendleton Point in Blackwater Falls State Park.

Distance Challenge Teams - One person will be responsible for setting up their Teams. Once they register, they will set up a password to give to additional teammates. To make the Team Challenge more approachable, each participant in the relay will register and pay individually.

The below format is for 2025. We may change it slightly for 2026, but will be keeping the 'total cumulative laps' format.

We made some changes to our Teams Categories for 2027 because we want more of you to run with us all night long!

1. All Team Members will have a timing chip on their bib.

2. The Distance Challenge will be scored by total laps run (by Solo, or per team).

3. All/Any Distance Challenge Team Members can run at the same time and at any point throughout the night.

4. TEAMS ONLY: Each lap Run from 10 PM (Race Start) through 4:59 AM will count as 1 lap. All Laps started between 5 AM & 5:59 AM will be worth 2 laps.

5. Final Laps for the Distance Challenge must be started before 6:00 AM

6. On-course parking is allowed for all Distance Challenge Participants to set up your own aid stations and make refueling easy.

7. At 7 AM, we will have a Sunrise Celebration for all Distance Challenge Participants, which will include breakfast sandwiches, fresh fruit, coffee, juice, and more! Show your Distance Challenge bib and get it marked for breakfast (Non-DC and spectators can purchase).

8. Last But Not Least We are also going to be giving away: 2 Nights of Lodging and Free Entry to the 2027 Moonlight on the Falls for the Solo Distance Challenge Male and Female Winners, 2 Person Team Winners, 4 Person Team Winners, and 6 Person Team Winners.

Are you looking for a way to make a positive impact on your community while staying active and healthy? Look no further than the Run For It program, developed by the Tucker Community Foundation in 2007. This program encourages participation in healthy activities while raising much-needed support and awareness for non-profit organizations, civic organizations, and charities in our ten-county region of West Virginia and Maryland.

Join one of the many teams representing non-profit and charitable organizations and take advantage of three opportunities to raise support through the program: entry fees, team sponsorship, and race day awards. Not only does half of the $12.00 entry fee go towards your chosen cause, but team sponsors can also donate any amount to any number of causes, and all sponsor donations go directly toward your team's cause. Additionally, the Foundation provides initial funding for the race awards purse, and sponsors supplement these awards, resulting in 100% cash awards for teams across numerous categories.

By participating in Run For It, you'll be supporting a wide range of causes that make a difference in our community, including the arts, animal welfare, challenged athletes, charities, churches, civic organizations, community improvement projects, cultural organizations, educational activities, emergency services, environmental causes, historic preservation, hospital and medical programs, libraries and literacy programs, non-profit organizations, parks and recreation, senior citizen programs, Tucker Community Foundation operations, and youth organizations.

The annual Run For It campaign begins on April 1, 2026, and culminates with a 2k walk and 5k walk/run on September 26, 2026, in Davis, WV, during the annual Leaf Peeper's Festival. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to make a difference in your community while improving your health. Join a team and start fundraising today!