The Jackson River Scenic Trail Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k, and 5k
About this race
This fun event has something for everyone! The USATF certified course begins and ends at the Intervale Trail Head of The Jackson River Scenic Trail in Covington, Virginia. The trail follows an old railroad bed of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The course has a smooth crushed gravel surface and is mostly flat with some light hills. The trail follows its namesake river, winding it's way through small communities, cultivated fields, and small patches of woodland. It isn't uncommon to see wildlife along the way.
WEATHER
This is a rain or shine event. In the case of severely inclement weather, announcements regarding the race status will be made on the website (www.jacksonrivermarathon.com), on Facebook and via local media. If there is sufficient advanced notice of a severe weather event, notices will also be sent via the email submitted with your registration.
AWARDS
All finishers receive a commemorative finisher's medal.
Unique awards will be given to the overall top 3 overall male and female finishers of the marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K races.
The top three male and female finishers in each age group of each race will receive a certificate of accomplishment. Our age groups are: 12 & under; 13-18; 19-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59; 60-69, and 70+.
The awards ceremony will be at the Intervale Trail Head 30 minutes following the completion of each distance (5K, 10K, Half and Full Marathon) by the top 3 males and females for that particular race. It is understood that this means some participants may still be on the course while others are receiving awards but we want to avoid holding people overly long before handing out awards.
Please note that awards will NOT be mailed so please attend the ceremony for your race!
At the Intervale Finish Line:
Local businesses will be providing refreshments, food, and experiences on the Jackson River & Trail from 6am-12noon at the finish line. Hang out after your finish and enjoy tubing brought to you by Alleghany Outdoors (15% discount for runners), food trucks, shoe size measurements by Fleet Feet, and alcohol and beverages sold by the Alleghany Highlands Trails Alliance! More information on vendors to come soon!
*Register by May 13, 2026 if you want a T-shirt!!! After that date there is no guarantee that a shirt will be available for you on the day of the race.
Packet Pick-up will be from noon-8pm at the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism on Friday, June 12th. On-site packet pickup the day of the race will be available starting at 6:30am on Saturday, June 13th.
Pick your distance
Running
The Jackson River Scenic Trail Full Marathon
No strollers. We do not offer refunds. You may cancel or run a race of lesser distance but no refunds will be processed. You may owe additional money in making a race change. There are restrooms/port-a-johns and hydration stations along the course as well as at the start/finish. 30 minutes following course completion by the top 3 male and top 3 female runners, the awards ceremony will be held at the start/finish site.
The Jackson River Scenic Trail Half Marathon
No strollers We do not offer refunds. You run the full marathon by paying the fee difference at the time you pick up your packet. You may run a race of lesser distance but no refunds will be processed. You may owe additional money in making a race change. There are restrooms/port-a-johns and hydration stations along the course as well as at the start/finish. 30 minutes following course completion by the top 3 male and top 3 female runners, the awards ceremony will be held at the start/finish site.
The Jackson River Scenic Trail 10k
No strollers. We do not offer refunds. You run the full or half marathon by paying the fee difference at the time you pick up your packet. You may run a race of lesser distance but no refunds will be processed. You may owe additional money in making a race change. There are restrooms/port-a-johns and hydration stations along the course as well as at the start/finish. 30 minutes following course completion by the top 3 male and top 3 female runners, the awards ceremony will be held at the start/finish site.
The Jackson River Scenic Trail 5k
Strollers permitted however race participants will be lined up at the back of the group at the start line. We do not offer refunds. You may run the full, half or 10K race (without a stroller) by paying an additional fee. There are restrooms/port-a-johns and hydration station at the start/finish. 30 minutes following course completion by the top 3 male and top 3 female runners, the awards ceremony will be held at the start/finish site.
Typical race-day weather
Based on 11 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Covington, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 5:57 AM and sets at 8:42 PM local time (EDT) in Covington on June 13, 2026 — 14h 45m 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
Done this event?
If you've participated in this event, share your experience with other runners
2026 results — The Jackson River Scenic Trail Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k, and 5k
432 finishers across 4 distances · leading places in the The Jackson River Scenic Trail Full Marathon
| Place | Name | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Rosenfeld | 2:51:45 | 6:33 /mi |
| 2 | Rhys Burgett | 2:51:54 | 6:34 /mi |
| 3 | Samuel Van Valkenburg | 2:58:30 | 6:49 /mi |
| 4 | Cody Gross | 2:58:53 | 6:50 /mi |
| 5 | Joaquin Aguilar | 3:03:13 | 7:00 /mi |
Every finisher is on the results page, filterable by distance, gender and age group.
All results by year
Other races near Covington
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
First Bank Fall 5K & 10K Run
Behemoth 50k & 25k
Wvsom DO Dash
Deck the Hull's Jingle Bell Run, Walk, and Tot Trot
🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Covington
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Covington 5K Races 2 races
- Covington Running Calendar 2026 2 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, 2 Covington events
Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.