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Marathon Details - Holland Haven Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > MI > Holland > Holland Haven Marathon

Holland Haven Marathon

Holland Haven Marathon & Half Marathon, 8K

Holland, MI USA

September 7, 2025

http://www.hollandhavenmarathon.com

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Race Details

Marathon, Half Marathon and 8K along the lakeshore of West Michigan. This Boston qualifier traverses along Lakeshore Drive.

Contact Information

Name:	Eddie Kline
Address:	P O BOX 1901 Holland MI 49422
Phone Number:	616-610-5782
Email:	Email the organizers

More Information

These details were last updated by the race director on 11/27/23 and may be out of date.
Number of Runners:	1,300
Number of Spectators:	500
Fees & Deadlines:	Full $100 Half $90 8K $35 Team $50
Start Time:	7:30 AM
Course Highlights:	Holland Haven Marathon XI: Running - Community - Celebration Holland Haven Marathon runners experience the beautiful coast of Lake Michigan as they travel from Grand Haven to Holland. This USATF certified, point-to- point marathon follows Lakeshore Drive past the summer cottages right into downtown Holland. The early September weekend allows for mild weather and a final opportunity to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Boston qualifying hopefuls can make the cut only one day before registration opens. Holland Haven Marathon runners experience the beautiful coast of Lake Michigan as they travel from Grand Haven to Holland. This USATF certified, point-to- point marathon follows Lakeshore Drive past the summer cottages right into downtown Holland. The early September weekend allows for mild weather and a final opportunity to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Boston qualifying hopefuls can make the cut only one day before registration opens. The Holland Haven Half Marathon begins at Camp Geneva along the Lake Michigan coastline. Runners follow the scenic Lakeshore Drive past the beaches and into the City of Holland. The flat and fast course is comprised of paved bike paths along Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa. This one-way race is one-of-a-kind in West Michigan, uniting communities in a unique event. The Holland Haven 8K race is a great segue into longer distance races. The 8K race is a flat, out-and-back course. As a mid-distance road race, it is accessible enough for the novice runner yet incredibly challenging to experienced racers. All ages are welcome to run or walk the race. Runners unable to make into Holland for race day can still participate by completing the virtual race. All virtual full marathon, half marathon and 8K runners earn a commemorative race medal.
Course Refreshments:	water, Gatorade, blueberries, oranges, candy
Certified? Certification:	Yes, USATF MI15041SH
Race Day Registration:	n/a
Online Registration:	yes
Packet Pickup Info:	Holland, MI September 7th, 2-6pm
Marathon Ratings:	Course Scenery/Beauty/Interest: Good for First Timers: Crowd Support: Course Speed:

Runner Reviews (16)

Course 4.4

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.4

Write a review

Number of comments: 16 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]

James Hamilton from Howell MI (9/14/2021) "Small town big race" (about: 2021) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a well organized race. Buses took you from the finish to the start. They also had a bag check in and had bags available since I did not have one. It was not difficult to check in or get my bag at the end. Course had a couple of hills but mostly flat and mostly shaded. Although I am used to having all the road to run on, running on the blacktop bike path was very nice. There were a lot of spectators for a small town run, a lot more than I expected. They also had a lot of volunteers that made a huge difference. Having them to help with water points, traffic crossings, setting up/teardown etc. was great. Water stations and aide stations were every two miles and there was plenty of water/Gatorade. I think they could have had more food along the course. There were only blueberries somewhere around mile 20 and some candy towards the end. I was lucky I had my wife meet me along the way with oranges. Finish line was ok, could have had a little more food, spectators were awesome at the end. I will definitely run this one again.
Rob Klein from Paradise, Michigan (9/14/2021) "A Pleasant Course and High Humidity" (about: 2021) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 For starters, the race director sent out lots of e-mails in the weeks leading up to the marathon, and an abundance of information was available to the runners. Of course, we had to sort it out to make use of the information. Packet pickup was at a sporting goods store downtown. It was slow driving through the business district, but parking was available. Packet pickup was a breeze. The finish line was right off River Street - still kind of in the downtown area, and that is right where the buses were waiting Sunday morning to get the runners to the start line. Parking was available around (near) the finish-line & post-race area. So the runners were bused to Rosy Mound School in Grand Haven - but the school is on Lakeshore Drive (between Grand Haven and Holland) and we were never in the 'city' portion of Grand Haven. Everyone congregated at the school, and at 7:30 the runners were sent off - from the sidewalk. The road was not closed, but there was virtually no traffic. Still, the sidewalk/trail was used. The runners stayed on the trail essentially the whole way - though some runners chose to run on the side of the road. It was residential area most of the way. Once we got into Holland, we started making turns through the community to get the distance correct. By then I was dis-oriented and had no idea where I was in town. Still, the course stayed on paved trail until about the last half mile. There, we were directed to run on the side of the road, which had the edge coned off for the runners. Finally we made a left turn across the road - with law-enforcement there controlling traffic for the runners. At the finish line, there was water available, with lemon-aide and Gatorade too. Snacks were available too: gummy fruit, pretzels, and oatmeal bars. This marathon was a bit on the expensive side, but they had to rent buses to transport the runners. A couple of other comments: The logo was a windmill (for Holland) and under it, a boat anchor (for Grand Haven). It was a cool logo. They put the logo on the volunteer shirts, but not on the marathon T-shirts. The shirts were plain blue that said 'Holland Haven Marathon 2021'. I was really disappointed with the shirt. But the medal was the windmill with the anchor, and it was really cool. I got a logo sticker to put on my car window. There were no bananas available afterwards. None on the course either. And it seemed like only every other (alternating) aid stations had Gatorade. And there were no gels on the course either. Carb snacks were not available on the course until late in the race. They could have done a better job on that. One station did have blueberries, and they were very good! In closing, I rode my bicycle on Lakeshore Drive between Grand Haven and Holland several times during junior high and high school - back in the early 1970's - and I did not recognize anything on the course - except the power-plant that was near Grand Haven. If you like point-to-point marathons, this is a good race that is scenic with hills that are not too aggressive.
J. E. from Chicago, IL (9/15/2020) "Race director made it happen safely in 2020" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This was my 30th marathon. The course was lovely, the weather was great. What made it an unusual organizing challenge was the pandemic. Under health department guidelines, the marathon start had to be broken up into 9 groups, with starting times spread out from 6am to 9am. It's a miracle it worked so well as it did. Spectators were discouraged from coming out this year, but various people waving from their lawns were very supportive.
C. P. from Michigan (9/12/2017) "Very Well Organized and Great After Party" (about: 2017) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great Course, rolling, shady...lends itself to a good time and even splits. Perfect weather great location. Highly recommend to anyone who wants a smaller marathon which is VERY EASY for your family and friends to follow you for the WHOLE RACE!
B. S. from Holland, MI (9/26/2016) "Awesome Inaugural Holland/Haven Marathon!" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 1st marathon and I picked my hometown to do it in. This race was the inaugural race. It was well put on, communication was effective, and I was well prepared on race day. The course is rolling and beautiful. It is mostly shaded and you run on bike paths through the beautiful lakeshores of Holland and Grand Haven. The course support was awesome, lost of cheering at aid stations. The best part was cresting the last huge hill to the beach and seeing Lake Michigan as you headed into the finish line.
G. M. from Wheaton, Illinois (9/16/2016) "Great down-to-earth marathon; all you need" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Holland Haven Marathon is a small, no-frills races which is EXACTLY what you need sometimes. The course is beautiful with a large portion covered by shade. There are some minor rolling hills which add a little character, but don't really do any damage to the legs. The volunteers were organized and cheerful, seeming to really appreciate the marathoners visiting their city. If you're going for a fast time, this is a great course/event to consider. You can focus on your race and not get distracted by the logistical challenges of a big city race. Thanks HHM!
K. P. from Holland, MI (9/15/2016) "Sure to be a destination race in the future" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It is the best race combination I've experienced, with hometown flare and big race professionalismthe friendliness of volunteers and road marshals, but the organization, aid stations, and usual perks of a big run. I believe this Lakeshore Half/Full Marathon will be an epic run that will be hard to secure a spot in the near future. Im registering now for next year. Wont miss it for anything. And one important additional note for first timers: the after party is not to be missed there was food, like real food (bbq, cookies, fruit) and craft beer for the whole family, with a band and a climbing wall my kids loved it! We stayed for an hour to celebrate. See you in 2017!
B. P. from Valparaiso, IN (9/12/2016) "Great marathon route" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a wonderful course. Shady with some rolling hills during the 1st half, flatter (and sunnier) for the 2nd. Not many spectators, but those who did come out were great. The best part of this race was the organization and the volunteers. They were amazing from start to finish. Police made sure the traffic stopped well in advance of the runners. Volunteers cheered you along throughout the race. If you're looking for a small, well-organized race, this is it!
E. S. from Illinois (9/17/2015) "loved the course-on a bike path. great volunteers" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I liked the course-mostly on shaded bike path next to a quiet road-which makes it very easy for family to follow you-cheer you on. Great organization, friendly staff, energetic volunteers-even for 'back of the packer' like me. Loved having showers avail. at end of race.
J. G. from Goshen,IN (9/14/2015) "Great course" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Course is a little rolling, but be patient on uphills and sail on down. Hit my PR on the course. Post race showers, and cook out was nice. Cool medal. Not a lot of spectators, but several spots your family could stop and see you running on bike trail.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]



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James Hamilton from Howell MI (9/14/2021) "Small town big race" (about: 2021) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a well organized race. Buses took you from the finish to the start. They also had a bag check in and had bags available since I did not have one. It was not difficult to check in or get my bag at the end. Course had a couple of hills but mostly flat and mostly shaded. Although I am used to having all the road to run on, running on the blacktop bike path was very nice. There were a lot of spectators for a small town run, a lot more than I expected. They also had a lot of volunteers that made a huge difference. Having them to help with water points, traffic crossings, setting up/teardown etc. was great. Water stations and aide stations were every two miles and there was plenty of water/Gatorade. I think they could have had more food along the course. There were only blueberries somewhere around mile 20 and some candy towards the end. I was lucky I had my wife meet me along the way with oranges. Finish line was ok, could have had a little more food, spectators were awesome at the end. I will definitely run this one again.
Rob Klein from Paradise, Michigan (9/14/2021) "A Pleasant Course and High Humidity" (about: 2021) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 For starters, the race director sent out lots of e-mails in the weeks leading up to the marathon, and an abundance of information was available to the runners. Of course, we had to sort it out to make use of the information. Packet pickup was at a sporting goods store downtown. It was slow driving through the business district, but parking was available. Packet pickup was a breeze. The finish line was right off River Street - still kind of in the downtown area, and that is right where the buses were waiting Sunday morning to get the runners to the start line. Parking was available around (near) the finish-line & post-race area. So the runners were bused to Rosy Mound School in Grand Haven - but the school is on Lakeshore Drive (between Grand Haven and Holland) and we were never in the 'city' portion of Grand Haven. Everyone congregated at the school, and at 7:30 the runners were sent off - from the sidewalk. The road was not closed, but there was virtually no traffic. Still, the sidewalk/trail was used. The runners stayed on the trail essentially the whole way - though some runners chose to run on the side of the road. It was residential area most of the way. Once we got into Holland, we started making turns through the community to get the distance correct. By then I was dis-oriented and had no idea where I was in town. Still, the course stayed on paved trail until about the last half mile. There, we were directed to run on the side of the road, which had the edge coned off for the runners. Finally we made a left turn across the road - with law-enforcement there controlling traffic for the runners. At the finish line, there was water available, with lemon-aide and Gatorade too. Snacks were available too: gummy fruit, pretzels, and oatmeal bars. This marathon was a bit on the expensive side, but they had to rent buses to transport the runners. A couple of other comments: The logo was a windmill (for Holland) and under it, a boat anchor (for Grand Haven). It was a cool logo. They put the logo on the volunteer shirts, but not on the marathon T-shirts. The shirts were plain blue that said 'Holland Haven Marathon 2021'. I was really disappointed with the shirt. But the medal was the windmill with the anchor, and it was really cool. I got a logo sticker to put on my car window. There were no bananas available afterwards. None on the course either. And it seemed like only every other (alternating) aid stations had Gatorade. And there were no gels on the course either. Carb snacks were not available on the course until late in the race. They could have done a better job on that. One station did have blueberries, and they were very good! In closing, I rode my bicycle on Lakeshore Drive between Grand Haven and Holland several times during junior high and high school - back in the early 1970's - and I did not recognize anything on the course - except the power-plant that was near Grand Haven. If you like point-to-point marathons, this is a good race that is scenic with hills that are not too aggressive.
J. E. from Chicago, IL (9/15/2020) "Race director made it happen safely in 2020" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This was my 30th marathon. The course was lovely, the weather was great. What made it an unusual organizing challenge was the pandemic. Under health department guidelines, the marathon start had to be broken up into 9 groups, with starting times spread out from 6am to 9am. It's a miracle it worked so well as it did. Spectators were discouraged from coming out this year, but various people waving from their lawns were very supportive.
C. P. from Michigan (9/12/2017) "Very Well Organized and Great After Party" (about: 2017) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great Course, rolling, shady...lends itself to a good time and even splits. Perfect weather great location. Highly recommend to anyone who wants a smaller marathon which is VERY EASY for your family and friends to follow you for the WHOLE RACE!
B. S. from Holland, MI (9/26/2016) "Awesome Inaugural Holland/Haven Marathon!" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 1st marathon and I picked my hometown to do it in. This race was the inaugural race. It was well put on, communication was effective, and I was well prepared on race day. The course is rolling and beautiful. It is mostly shaded and you run on bike paths through the beautiful lakeshores of Holland and Grand Haven. The course support was awesome, lost of cheering at aid stations. The best part was cresting the last huge hill to the beach and seeing Lake Michigan as you headed into the finish line.
G. M. from Wheaton, Illinois (9/16/2016) "Great down-to-earth marathon; all you need" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Holland Haven Marathon is a small, no-frills races which is EXACTLY what you need sometimes. The course is beautiful with a large portion covered by shade. There are some minor rolling hills which add a little character, but don't really do any damage to the legs. The volunteers were organized and cheerful, seeming to really appreciate the marathoners visiting their city. If you're going for a fast time, this is a great course/event to consider. You can focus on your race and not get distracted by the logistical challenges of a big city race. Thanks HHM!
K. P. from Holland, MI (9/15/2016) "Sure to be a destination race in the future" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It is the best race combination I've experienced, with hometown flare and big race professionalismthe friendliness of volunteers and road marshals, but the organization, aid stations, and usual perks of a big run. I believe this Lakeshore Half/Full Marathon will be an epic run that will be hard to secure a spot in the near future. Im registering now for next year. Wont miss it for anything. And one important additional note for first timers: the after party is not to be missed there was food, like real food (bbq, cookies, fruit) and craft beer for the whole family, with a band and a climbing wall my kids loved it! We stayed for an hour to celebrate. See you in 2017!
B. P. from Valparaiso, IN (9/12/2016) "Great marathon route" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a wonderful course. Shady with some rolling hills during the 1st half, flatter (and sunnier) for the 2nd. Not many spectators, but those who did come out were great. The best part of this race was the organization and the volunteers. They were amazing from start to finish. Police made sure the traffic stopped well in advance of the runners. Volunteers cheered you along throughout the race. If you're looking for a small, well-organized race, this is it!
E. S. from Illinois (9/17/2015) "loved the course-on a bike path. great volunteers" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I liked the course-mostly on shaded bike path next to a quiet road-which makes it very easy for family to follow you-cheer you on. Great organization, friendly staff, energetic volunteers-even for 'back of the packer' like me. Loved having showers avail. at end of race.
J. G. from Goshen,IN (9/14/2015) "Great course" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Holland Haven Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Course is a little rolling, but be patient on uphills and sail on down. Hit my PR on the course. Post race showers, and cook out was nice. Cool medal. Not a lot of spectators, but several spots your family could stop and see you running on bike trail.

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Marathon Details - Holland Haven Marathon