Sledgehammer Half Marathon - North Topsail Beach, North Carolina - Running

The Sledgehammer Half Marathon is a Running race in North Topsail Beach, North Carolina consisting of a Half Marathon and 10 Miles and 5K.

Join us for our Sledgehammer Half Marathon, 10-mile and 5k beach run.


E. B. Sledgehammer Sledge chose to volunteer for the U. S. Marine Corps in 1942. He was assigned to K company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Division (K/3/5) where he reached the rank of Corporal in the Pacific Theater. Sledgehammer was a 60mm mortarman at Peleliu and Okinawa where he served with Corporal R. V. Burgin and PFC. Merriell Snafu Shelton. Sledgehammer also served as a rifleman and stretcher bearer when fighting was too close for effective mortar use. Sledge would go on to earn a doctorate in biology and was a beloved professor at the University of Montevallo. In 1981, Sledge published his memoir, With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa, which centered on his combat experiences during the Pacific Campaign. His book was used as a reference for Ken Burns' PBS documentary, The War and Tom Hanks and Stephen Speilbergs' HBO miniseries The Pacific starring Joseph Mazzello as Sledge.

Scenic City Multisport is proud to present the Sledgehammer Race Series in memory of Dr. E. B. Sledge. The mission statement of the Sledgehammer Race Series is: To Honor the memory of Sledgehammer and All Combat Veterans. Sledge was a lifelong Marine who spent the remainder of his post war years coming to terms with what he and his fellow combatants experienced during World War II. It is with this in mind that a portion of Sledgehammer Race Series proceeds will benefit the Semper Fi Fund. The Semper Fi Fund provides urgently needed resources and support for combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the U. S. Armed Forces and their families. As of 12/31/18 the Semper Fi Fund has issued 182,000 grants totaling $187 million in assistance.