The Salem Half Marathon & 8K adheres to USATF's Competition Rules for Long Distance Running. The complete Rule Book may be found here: https://www.usatf.org/governance/rule-books. Most rules that apply to LDR can be found on pages 140-144.

A few rules to note: 

Rule 241, 2.f. A competitor who collects refreshment from a place other than a refreshment station is liable to disqualification by the Referee.  NOTE: A competitor may receive from or pass to another competitor refreshment, water or sponges provided it was carried from the start or collected or received at an official station. However, any continuous support from a competitor to one or more others in such a way may be regarded as unfair assistance and warnings and/or disqualifications as outlined above may be applied. 

Rule 144, 4.f Pace setting by an officially designated person entered in an event for that purpose is permitted, provided such pacesetters start in the event. 

Rule 144, 8 A competitor may, at any time, carry water or refreshment by hand or attached to his/her body provided it was carried from the start or collected or received at an official station. 

USATF does not allow strollers

USATF does allow portable listening devices, provided they are not capable of receiving communication. However, the Salem Half Marathon strongly discourages the use of portable listening devices for your safety and the safety of those around you.

Time Restrictions:

The time limit for both the 8K and Half Marathon courses is 3.5 hours. Time checks will be held at approximately Mile 9.5 (corner of N Market and Clay St) at 10:35 am and approximately Mile 11.1 (corner of Clay and Academy) at 11:00am. Participants who get to these points after the time check will be rerouted on a shortened course to the finish line. While we want everyone to be able to complete the entire course, we must adhere to these check points in order to comply with permitting authorities and to open roads promptly.

Age Groups:

Overall awards are based on gun time, and age group awards are determined by chip time in accordance with USATF standards. Awards will be presented to the top three (3) in all age groups in the Half and 8K. Age groups are:

LewisGale Salem Half Marathon

12-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75 & up

The LewisGale Salem Half Marathon award ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. inside the Salem Farmers Market.

Virginia's Blue Ridge 8K

14 & under, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75 & up

The Virginia's Blue Ridge 8K award ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. inside the Salem Farmers Market.

**Only runners participating in the in-person races will be eligible for overall and age group awards

Refund Policy:

Entry fees are non-refundable. This means once we have received your entry, you will not receive a refund if you cannot participate. You may switch races at no cost except for the difference in price. You will have the option to defer your race entry for the next year for a $10 fee if you cannot participate. Deferred registration may not be transferred to another person, and you may only defer once. There will be no deferrals at Packet Pick-up. The deadline for deferrals and event transfers is 10/8/25.

We plan on running the race rain or shine. In case of severe weather, we will postpone the race until the weather has passed. For the safety of our participants, we will only cancel the race due to natural causes, terrorist attacks, or other things that will would put the safety of the runners or spectators at risk. If we have to cancel an event, we would defer your entry for the next year or allow you to run virtually.