Jingle Bell Half Marathon

Jingle Bell Half Marathon is run in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on December 6, 2026. The half marathon (13.1 miles) and the 5K both start at 9 a.m., crossing New England scenery before finishing at Northern Essex Community College, where the festive mood and the community feel among the runners are a big part of the day.

Two distances, one gun: decide honestly which one your training supports, because there is no switching once you are out there. A half marathon in early December usually means a build that ran through the fall, so plan on ten to twelve weeks with a weekly long run and a couple of longer tempo efforts. The 5K is the better call if you have been running consistently but never for more than an hour. Finishing on a campus rather than in traffic keeps the logistics after the race simple.