Sponsorship
Partner with the Wilmington Marathon
Put your brand at the center of one of Wilmington’s largest sporting events.
The Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Weekend connects businesses with thousands of runners, families, spectators, volunteers, and community members while promoting health, wellness, tourism, and charitable giving throughout the Cape Fear Region.
The event continues to experience tremendous growth, reaching a record 5,417 participants in 2026, up from 4,973 in 2025, 4,490 in 2024, 4,030 in 2023 and 3,508 in 2022.
Approximately 6,000 participants expected
Your Brand. Thousands of Runners. Year-Round Exposure.
More Than a Logo
Our sponsorships are designed to provide meaningful brand exposure before, during and after race weekend.
Depending on sponsorship level, opportunities can include category exclusivity, race naming rights, finisher medals, participant shirts, race bibs, finish-line trussing, finish-line fencing and mats, course signage, banners and flags, Expo activation, finish-line booths, Athlete Guide advertising, email marketing, website branding, social media campaigns, participant bag inserts, PA announcements and more.
Your company becomes part of the runner experience—from registration and training to race weekend and the finish-line celebration.
Reach Runners Locally & Beyond
The Wilmington Marathon attracts athletes from Wilmington, throughout North Carolina and across the country. In 2026:
The audience also spans a wide range of ages, with the largest segment falling between ages 18–29, followed by runners ages 30–39 and 40–49.
This is especially valuable for sponsors because you’re reaching not only athletes, but also families, spectators, volunteers, visitors and the greater Wilmington community.
Exposure That Extends Beyond Race Weekend
Our marketing campaign runs throughout the year and gives sponsors opportunities to reach participants long before they arrive at the starting line.
The 2026 campaign included email marketing to 87,000 contacts, social media across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and LinkedIn, targeted digital advertising, Google advertising, race-industry advertising and local media coverage through WECT, WWAY and StarNews.
Sponsors can receive exposure through our website, newsletters, social media, Athlete Guide, digital advertisements, race communications and on-site event branding.
Partner With an Event That Gives Back
The event brings thousands of visitors into the Cape Fear Region while supporting local nonprofits, schools, churches and community initiatives. To date, approximately $600,000 has been donated to local charitable organizations and initiatives.
Sponsorship allows businesses to combine meaningful community involvement with high-impact marketing and brand visibility.
Become a Sponsor
Ready to put your brand in front of thousands of runners? Contact us to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
Our Sponsors
We are so grateful for our sponsors. The Wilmington Marathon would not be possible without their support. Our sponsors have recognized how much this event means to our community, and we appreciate the companies whose values align with ours. We encourage you to support the organizations that support this event.
Title Sponsors
All Sponsors
