Marathon, Half Marathon, Quarter Marathon, Ultra, Relay
Blackwater Falls State Park, Davis WV
August 29-30 2026
Join us for the 6 th Annual Moonlight on the Falls August 29-30, 2026 at beautiful Blackwater Falls State Park in Tucker County, West Virginia. Beat the summer heat and run with us under the stars and enjoy the perfect running temperatures of our cool late summer mountain nights. Featuring on a USATF-Certified 6.55 Mile (Quarter Marathon) Course:
Marathon (26.2 Miles),
Half Marathon (13.1 Miles),
Quarter Marathon (6.55 Miles),
Distance Challenge (Team + Solo - Run All Night)As with all of our races the Moonlight on the Falls Marathon is meant to be a true destination experience. We are planning on a festival-like atmosphere for Packet Pick Up and Pre Race on Saturday with live music, vendors, food, and more! In addition to our festivities, we encourage everyone to check out the endless outdoor recreation opportunities, as well as our funky little mountain towns of Davis, and Thomas.
Packet Pickup
Friday 8/28– 6pm-8pm @ New Location TBD
Saturday 8/29 – 5-9pm @ Start Line, Pendleton Point, Blackwater Falls State Park
There will be live music and festivities at Packet Pickup up until 9:45 on race day! PPU opens at 5, and the party slowly keeps building til race start!
Someone else can pick up for you but you need a copy of their confirmation email (QR code screenshot is best), ID, etc.
Please note: Cell signal is poor throughout the Park so you may (will) want to get this ahead of time.
Saturday: Best time to come and not wait in line? From last year’s stats, most people come from 5-6:30pm or 8-9:00pm.
If coming on race day, see instructions on Parking + Shuttles (below).
Race Day Schedule
5pm – PPU and Pre-Race Party Opens at Pendleton Point with food, live music, and vendors
7:15 – Live Music starts – recommended to arrive by this time for best parking.
9:00 – PPU ends – definitely arrive by this time to park as it will be a walk/shuttle ride.
9:45pm – 1st Party ends and 2nd party begins at the Start Line!
10:00 – All distances Start
(No Awards Ceremony to allow people to get to sleep – awards will be available at the Pavilion starting no later than midnight)
5:00am – Team Distance Challenge *Bonus laps* begin (See Race Info page for more details)
6:00 – Start line cutoff
7:00 – Breakfast Food Truck
7:45 – Finish line cutoff
Getting There (Parking + Shuttles)
Driving in from the North/Northwest? – the GPS route is winding and hilly and while beautiful, maybe a little more stressful and probably not faster. From the east, the drive is a breeze.
This will be year 3 of beefing up our parking and shuttle plan to make things more convenient for our park guests and visitors.
See the guide below – in short, we will have smaller vans and more trips from the Lodge (every 15 minutes from 7pm – 9pm departures), and will be reworking our parking plan to park people closer and make for shorter walks and waits. The North Park Road will be one-way counterclockwise before the race, and one-way clockwise after the race starts. Signage will remind you of this.
Course Map
Click Here to view the map and download to your devices.
This is a (mostly) out-and-back, certified course beginning and ending at Pendleton Point. Quarter runs 1 loop, Half runs 2, Marathon 4, and the Distance Challenge runs as many as you can – see Race Info for rules.
Note: Due to trail conditions, in 2026 we will NOT go down to the falls, and as a result will start/finish in the grass at Pendleton Point and instead be a STAY RIGHT course (not stay left, as in years past).
There will be 3 Aid Stations for 4 total hits per lap – At 1, 3.1, 5.4, and 6.55 miles (at the turn around). Each Aid station will have 2 porta-johns, with additional portos at the Lodge and the Blackwater Falls. Distance Challenge participants may set up a ‘personal aid station’ on the first/last mile of the course.
When finishing a lap, cross the finish line and turnaround to the side (unlike previous years).
Other Things to Remember
See and Be Seen! While the park is technically closed, guests are allowed to drive to return to the Lodge and Cabins. We require that you both have hi-vis vests – get creative with lights and reflective materials – and a headlamp or some sort of forward visible light. Dress like you would for a night time run on the roads.
Set up your own station! Use the multiple loops to your advantage – Consider setting up your own spot for snacks and hydration on course near the finish line. Distance Challenge participants are allowed to drive into the first mile to claim a larger spot as long as their cars don’t leave.
Things To Do
