Rock Solid Marathon and Half Return to Coupeville Feb. 28 with Charity

Runners and visiting families gathered at the Captain Whidbey Inn on Penn Cove Saturday as the second annual Rock Solid Marathon & Half Marathon staged a return to Coupeville, departing at 8:00 a.m. PST on Feb. 28, 2026. The event began and ended at the inn, located at 2072 Captain Whidbey Inn Road, and routed participants through Madrona Way into downtown Coupeville before crossing the island toward Ebey's Landing and the Kettles Trail System.

Event listings described an "unforgettable course with winding coastal roads and scenic trails" that split for the two distances after the shared opening miles. The Half Marathon turned back to finish at the Captain Whidbey Inn, while the full marathon continued onto several miles of natural beach and meandering country roads before returning along Penn Cove to the lodge for the finish. Organizers made a course map available on race pages, though published race text left portions of the final approach phrasing truncated in some listings.

The Captain Whidbey Inn served as race headquarters and weekend hospitality center. The inn, a wooden lodge on Penn Cove that dates to 1907, hosted a pre-race breakfast and a Saturday evening celebratory dinner where organizers planned to "recap race stories, make toasts and give out unique race awards." Runners were to receive a custom race t-shirt and a finisher medal, and the event page invited competitors and their families to book discounted rooms at the historic lodge through a booking link on the event listing.

All profits from the Rock Solid Marathon & Half Marathon were designated for The Rock Solid Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promoted the race on its website under the title "Empowering Change Through Giving." The foundation asked registrants to "Check the Donation option during registration for more information on the Foundation and how to donate directly to help us meet our fundraising goal." The foundation lists contact information as info@therocksolidfoundation.com and (763) 213-7931, and its site includes mission language about fostering generosity, compassion and support for those in need as well as a quotation attributed to Matthew 7:24-25.

Materials published ahead of and alongside the race supplied clear details on route highlights, start time and weekend programming but did not include several operational items that matter to residents and public health planners. Event pages and promotional text did not list registration fees, participant totals, timing method, aid-station plans, medical staffing, road-closure notices or sponsor names. Those omissions leave basic questions about crowd size and logistical impact on Coupeville's downtown and Penn Cove waterfront.

Organizers and the race listings closed their promotional copy with a local invitation: "We can't wait to see you on Whidbey Island!" With profits earmarked for The Rock Solid Foundation and weekend business centered at the Captain Whidbey Inn, the event stitched together recreation, hospitality and charity on Whidbey Island while raising outstanding questions about operational transparency for future editions.