Ocean Fest 5K Beach Run
About this race
WHAT
Ocean Fest 5K Beach Run
ABOUT
The ocean has given us so much, and we've decided it's high time to return the favor!
Support Mother Ocean and nonprofits that protect her by running/walking in the Ocean Fest 5K on the beautiful sands of Surf City, NC. Enjoy running on the beach while knowing that you are supporting efforts to keep our oceans clean and healthy...then stick around to soak in a full day of fun. Ocean Fest is a free, two-day beachside eco/surf/art/music festival with a beer garden, kids zone, and top regional and national bands playing in downtown Surf City until 10 pm.
Note: This run takes place entirely on the sand/beach.
DISTANCES OFFERED
5K Run or Walk - This is manually timed.
WHEN
Saturday, May 2, 2026
START/FINISH LINE
100 North Shore Drive, Beachside
Surf City, NC 28445
HOW TO REGISTER
Register Before the Race: Click on the SIGN UP button in the upper right corner. Online registration closes 30 minutes before the race starts.
Register At Pre-Race Packet Pickup or On Race Day: To register at packet pickup or race morning onsite, you must be able to register online from your phone.
PARKING
Paid parking throughout the town of Surf City.
Check out www.theoceanfest.org website for shuttle bus information.
SCHEDULE
For a full schedule of events, check the Ocean Fest website
ABOUT OCEAN FEST
The mission of Ocean Fest, Inc. is to celebrate and protect Mother Ocean while supporting other likeminded nonprofit organizations.
Ocean Fest is a two-day live music, arts, surf, eco festival to benefit the ocean. The organization also works throughout the year to mobilize its coastal community to better protect Mother Ocean through beach/coast cleanups, pop-up events, and the ongoing work with Topsail Island Eco Friendly establishments.
Pick your distance
Running
5K
Participants can run or walk the 5K. The event is manually timed. The course is on the sand (shoes are optional).
Typical race-day weather
Based on 6 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Surf City, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 6:18 AM and sets at 7:55 PM local time (EDT) in Surf City on May 2, 2026 — 13h 36m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
Reviews
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2026 results — Ocean Fest 5K Beach Run
5K · 113 finishers
| Place | Name | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Albrecht | 19:58 | 6:26 /mi |
| 2 | Tommy Goodwin | 21:39 | 6:59 /mi |
| 3 | K. Holt | 21:45 | 7:01 /mi |
| 4 | Scott Samples | 22:39 | 7:18 /mi |
| 5 | Devon Shirley | 23:08 | 7:28 /mi |
Every finisher is on the results page, filterable by distance, gender and age group.
All results by year
Other races near Surf City
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Surf to Sound 5K
Salty Turtle Cycling Club Haunted Hundred
The Omkc Non-Runners Run or Go the Extra Mile for the Military Kids
Hampstead Kiwanis Park Turkey Trot
🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Surf City
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Surf City 5K Races 4 races
- Surf City Running Calendar 2026 5 races
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 9 Surf City events
Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.