The Baltimore Running Festival marathon connects downtown and neighborhood stretches with a route through the Maryland Zoo and Druid Hill Park. Elsewhere, the course takes in the Inner Harbor waterfront, Federal Hill and Fells Point before finishing near the USS Constellation. The zoo section brings runners past the penguin habitat.
The race organizer’s event listing confirms that runners pass the penguin exhibit. WBAL-TV reports that the course enters through the zoo’s main gate and continues from the zoo into Druid Hill Park, according to WBAL-TV and thebaltimoremarathon.com.
Druid Hill Park’s water history
Druid Hill Park has a long connection to Baltimore’s water system. City Department of Public Works records say Druid Hill Reservoir was constructed in 1873 to provide high-service water supplies, according to the Baltimore City Department of Public Works. The department says the park’s current lake no longer contains treated drinking water and is used for recreation, according to the Baltimore City Department of Public Works. Baltimore City’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation describes Druid Hill Park as a 746-acre public park district listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 2/1/69, according to CHAP.
It is not a new wrinkle in the course design. The 2025 Baltimore Marathon followed the same path, starting at 8 a.m. from Russell and Camden streets and traveling a route through the Maryland Zoo right past the penguin exhibit, according to a prior guide from the station's report.
The zoo crossing predates 2026
A Maryland Zoo traffic advisory for the 2024 Baltimore Running Festival said that year’s marathon course passed through the zoo at miles 3 and 4. That confirms the zoo segment was part of an earlier edition, though the advisory does not establish when the partnership began, according to the Maryland Zoo.
Penguins, Selfies and a Red Panda Named Ember
The zoo crossing is one of the festival’s animal-themed features. Mike Evitts, the Maryland Zoo’s senior director of communications, described it as a distinctive opportunity for runners and cyclists, WBAL-TV reported. The festival also includes penguin encounters and a red panda mascot representing the zoo’s red pandas Aurora and Ember, according to WBAL-TV.
Evitts told WBAL-TV that the zoo crossing offers participants a distinctive opportunity to experience the zoo during the event.
Course Winds Through Fells Point, Federal Hill Before Harborside Finish
Beyond the zoo, the marathon's broader path covers the scenic Inner Harbor waterfront area, historic Federal Hill and charming Fells Point, according to thebaltimoremarathon.com. The race wraps with a turn onto Pratt Street and a finish in the shadow of the USS Constellation. Miles 16 through 20 have earned a nickname of their own, drawing comparisons to Boston's famed Heartbreak Hill, per the race's own course description.
The 2025 edition of the marathon was also billed as a Boston-qualifying event, with support along the way that included 16 water stops, according to the station's earlier reporting.
Registration Closes Friday, Zoo Hosts OctoBEARfest
Runners hoping to join the marathon or half-marathon this year are running out of time to sign up. Registration for both races closes Oct. 16, 2026, at 6 p.m., according to thebaltimoremarathon.com and the Baltimore Running Festival. Both events are open to ages 13 and older.
The organizers describe the festival as offering multiple races, report more than 387,212 lifetime registrants and include post-race festivities as part of the event, according to the Baltimore Running Festival.
The Maryland Zoo’s two-day OctoBEARfest begins Friday night, Oct. 16. The event includes beverage sampling, with non-alcoholic options, as well as local food vendors, crafts, animal experiences, entertainment, live music and dancing, according to WBAL-TV. Tickets are available now.
