Overview The Gilbert Half Marathon is a November road race in Gilbert, Arizona, put on by a skin cancer charity, and all three of its courses are USATF certified, so a runner's time can serve as an official qualifier and be nationally ranked. Race day covers a half marathon, a 10K, a 5K and a Kids Dash, with virtual options for every distance, all starting and finishing at Verde at Cooley Station. Proceeds go to the Shun the Sun Foundation, the 501(c)(3) that Dr. Gregory Allen founded to push skin cancer prevention and early detection. The races began in Mesa in 2009, joined Gilbert's Gilbert Days celebration in 2014, and the 2026 race is the 18th Shun the Sun has presented. On site Start, finish and the post-race expo sit in the same complex, and the awards presentation happens in the middle of the expo. Verde's tenants open early on race day and offer discounts to runners and guests. Before race day, runners can pick up their packets early at Sole Sports stores across the Valley, where the goodie bags are handed out. More than 300 volunteers from the community and local schools work the course. Audience The distances run from the Kids Dash to the half, and the race had its courses certified to draw faster runners. The 2023 race had more than 1,600 participants from five countries, 39 states and 159 cities, with an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people there on race day. Track record The race moved its start and finish to Verde at Cooley Station in 2022 and had its courses USATF certified in 2024, the same year it began its packet-pickup partnership with Sole Sports. Shun the Sun uses the proceeds to teach about skin cancer, sponsor community events and donate sunblock to youth groups, and the race's email list reached about 10,000 people by 2023. Brand presence Four sponsor levels run from title down to pro. The title sponsor's logo leads all race marketing, the website, the emails and the race shirts, the emcees announce it at the race, its logo is largest on the start/finish and photo-area banners, and it gets booth space at packet pickup and the expo plus 20 race entries. Verde at Cooley Station held the title in 2024. Every level can put promotional items in the runner goodie bags, and in-kind sponsorships are welcome.