Georgia Sea Turtle Center Turtle Crawl Races - Jekyll Island, Georgia - Running

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center Turtle Crawl Races is a Running race in Jekyll Island, Georgia consisting of a 10K and 5K and 1 Mile.

Turtle Crawl was created in 2003 as a fundraiser for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC). Since that time, the event and its participants have raised more than $100,000 to help save sea turtles. In just 11 years of operation, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center has provided care for more than 3,000 patients, including a variety of sea turtle species and other coastal wildlife. GSTC has also provided environmental education for more than 1,200 groups, and last year welcomed more than 109,000 guests in the Center from near and far.

As the Center continues to grow and change, so will the event that supports its lifesaving work. As we analyzed past Turtle Crawl events, we discovered that the increasing costs of producing triathlons, combined with declining triathlon participation, was preventing us from efficiently and effectively raising money for GSTC. This analysis brought us to the decision to eliminate the triathlon from the Turtle Crawl events. We will continue to host the highly popular 5k and 10k races, and as a response to your requests, we have added a one-mile Fun Run on the beach and shifted the event date to earlier in the spring. What's Changing

Turtle Crawl sprint and international triathlons have been eliminated
5k and 10k races will remain
New one-mile fun run/walk on the beach Registration prices remain the same, including a donation to the Georgia Sea Turtle + daily admission to the Center
Ghost Crawler option has been added to allow people who can't participate in the event to support GSTC and receive a race shirt

With a renewed focus on fundraising via the Turtle Crawl 5K, 10K, and Fun Run races, we will all be able to better support the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and its mission of research, rehabilitation, and education. The 5k & 10k races will start near the Jekyll Island Convention Center, travel north along Beachview Drive, turn at each race's half-way point, and return south along the oceanfront paths
Fun Run: The Fun Run is a one-mile course entirely on the beach, starting and finishing near Great Dunes Beach Park