Cycling & running events in Panama City-Panama City Beach, 2026

Coastal Miles, Flat Roads

Running: Locals run Panama City Beach like a coastal long-run town. Pier Park gives the Panama City Beach Marathon its anchor feel, and the course travels down Front Beach to St. Andrews State Park. The 2-mile trek has one of the better views you can get in a marathon. Conservation Park gives trail days some bite with 12 dirt trails across 2,900 acres. The trails cover 84 km with 9 m of gain. The local club list names no run clubs, so people build around races like Copper Collar 5K, Luau 5K and 10K, Gobbler, Holiday, Ninja, Eagle, and Medal Madness.

Cycling: Locals ride flat first, then go looking for texture. Gayle's Trails gives 22 miles of flat paved base miles and connects into Conservation Park. St. Lake Powell has an 8-mile loop around it. The area has no singletrack. The route runs 28 km and gains 72 m, so the climbs are modest and mostly come as rollers. 6 is the big anchor event.

Season: The brief does not name best months, but locals treat the cooler race block as prime time for both running and riding. Summer training stays early and practical, and the Ninja race starts at 8:30 AM on an out-and-back course with a 2-hour time limit. The Eagle race and Medal Madness race also use out-and-back formats with 2-hour limits, so intervals stay tidy and predictable. Winter has most of the races. 6 lands on 2026-11-07, Copper Collar 5K lands on 2026-11-14, Gobbler 5K and 10K lands on 2026-11-21, and Holiday 5K and 10K lands on 2026-12-05 and 2026-12-19.