Men’s course record
2:13:18
Joey Whelan · 2026
- Average pace
- 3:10 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- +0.79 %
Austin Marathon
Austin, USA The Sunday before Presidents' Day, 14 February in 2027 Founded 1992
A February marathon from the river up South Congress and out through the university and East Austin, finishing on Congress below the Capitol.
Overview
The race starts at 7:00am on Congress Avenue, crosses Lady Bird Lake and climbs South Congress for its first few miles. It comes back over the lake on South 1st Street, runs out along Lake Austin Boulevard and Enfield Road, and at mile 12 the half turns for home. The marathon carries on north through the university and Hyde Park, swings round East Austin, and finishes back on Congress at 9th Street, below the Capitol.
It isn't a flat course. It climbs 333 m, two-thirds of it in the first half, and the last mile has a short, sharp rise up Red River and 11th Street.
7,277 finished the marathon in 2026 and 14,542 the half, the biggest weekend the race has had.
It isn't a flat course. It climbs 333 m, two-thirds of it in the first half, and the last mile has a short, sharp rise up Red River and 11th Street.
7,277 finished the marathon in 2026 and 14,542 the half, the biggest weekend the race has had.
- When
- The 2027 Austin Marathon is on Sunday, 14 February 2027, starting at 7:00am local time on Congress Avenue, near 2nd Street.
- Course
- Austin's course climbs 333 m in all, with its lowest point at 132 m and its highest at 208 m.
- Entry
- Entry to Austin is first come, first served (open for 2027), and costs US$209 for 2027.
- Field
- The 2026 Austin Marathon had a marathon field of 7,277.
- Weather
- Across 29 years, Austin's race-day temperature has a median of 10.6 °C.
- Records
- The Austin Marathon course records are 2:13:18 (Joey Whelan, 2026) and 2:33:28 (Kellyn Taylor, 2026).
- Time limit
- Austin's time limit is 7 hours.
Marathon Course · every marathon course, measured the same way
Austin Marathon
A February marathon from the river up South Congress and out through the university and East Austin, finishing on Congress below the Capitol. Congress Avenue → Congress Avenue at 9th Street, below the Capitol, Austin, Texas, USA.
- Distance
- 42.2 km
- Ascent
- 333 m
- Descent
- 321 m
- Net
- +12 m
Course map and elevation
5 km splits marked · hover or drag the profile below to move along the courseElevation · measured on the organiser's course file · USGS NED 10 m · smoothed 100 m 132–208 m
—
0.08.516.925.433.842.3
kmmi — elev — grade — hover or drag the profile
The first 5.6 km climb 65 m, up South Congress to the high point near Ben White Boulevard, 208 m. The steepest climbing kilometre is the first of those, up from the river, 28 m. The steepest descending one comes soon after the turn, down South 1st Street, 35 m. The lowest point is by the lake on Cesar Chavez Street, 132 m at about 11.0 km.
From there the course climbs again to the university, and rolls through Hyde Park and East Austin before a flatter run back along the river. The last kilometre climbs 20 m, and the finish is 12 m higher than the start. Add up the energy cost of every gradient and, for a three-hour runner, the course comes out about 1.4 min slower than a flat 42.195 km (0.79 %).
Take it with you
Course GPX Organiser's course map
The GPX is ours: our resampled line, a point every 25 m, carrying USGS NED 10 m elevation rather than the GPS noise a watch file usually holds.
USGS NED 10 m, measured on the organiser's course file, smoothed 100 m · marathoncourse.com/marathons/austin/ · checked 2026-10-23
How to enter: dates and fees
Entry for 2027 opened on 12 May 2026 and is still open. It's first come, and the price rises as race day gets closer; the marathon is US$209 now. For US$251 you get a refundable entry, which pays back 75 % until 60 days out and half until 25 January.
Otherwise all sales are final: no deferrals, and no transfers to another runner. You can change distance for a fee, from US$49 until 1 November. Registration stays open until 3:00pm at the expo the day before the race, unless the field fills; the marathon is capped at 10,000.
Otherwise all sales are final: no deferrals, and no transfers to another runner. You can change distance for a fee, from US$49 until 1 November. Registration stays open until 3:00pm at the expo the day before the race, unless the field fills; the marathon is capped at 10,000.
History
Motorola started the race in 1992, and 605 people signed up for a hot first edition. For its first fifteen years or so it ran point to point and downhill, which made for fast times that don't count as records. Conley Sports ran it from 1997, and High Five Events, the organiser now, bought it in 2015.
The course was redrawn in 2018. The first half stayed much the same, though the hills on Exposition Boulevard went. After mile 12 the marathon now runs through the university and Hyde Park and round East Austin. Joey Whelan won that year, and won again in 2019. In 2026, the race's 35th anniversary, more than 30,000 registered across the weekend's races, and Whelan came back for a third win in a course record. Kellyn Taylor set the women's record the same morning and said afterwards she hadn't known it would be so hilly.
The course was redrawn in 2018. The first half stayed much the same, though the hills on Exposition Boulevard went. After mile 12 the marathon now runs through the university and Hyde Park and round East Austin. Joey Whelan won that year, and won again in 2019. In 2026, the race's 35th anniversary, more than 30,000 registered across the weekend's races, and Whelan came back for a third win in a course record. Kellyn Taylor set the women's record the same morning and said afterwards she hadn't known it would be so hilly.
- 1992605 runners sign up for the first race, sponsored by Motorola, and it's a hot one
- 2001A 2:11:14 on the old downhill course, still the fastest time run at the race
- 2006The coldest race: −2 °C and freezing fog, and more than 400 crashes on the city's icy bridges
- 2011The warmest night before a race: it never drops below 18 °C
- 2014The first man across the line is later disqualified for doping, and Kipkoech Ruto is given the win
- 2015High Five Events buys the race from Conley Sports, which had run it since 1997
- 201721 °C at the start and 26 °C by 11am; Kayleigh Williamson becomes the first woman with Down syndrome to finish the half
- 2018A new course after mile 12, through the university and East Austin, and Joey Whelan wins
- 2021No marathon; a smaller half and 5K run in April
- 2022Sammy Rotich and Kelsey Bruce set course records, and Bruce's run takes her to the Olympic Trials
- 2023George Onyancha and Damaris Areba win, and both win again a year later
- 2024The coldest start since 2006, at −1 °C
- 2026Whelan's third win, in a course record 2:13:18, and Kellyn Taylor's 2:33:28
200020102020
Course records
Pace is derived from the certified distance. Terrain-adjusted figures come from the same model that ranks every course on this site.
Women’s course record
2:33:28
Kellyn Taylor · 2026
- Average pace
- 3:38 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- +0.79 %
Race day: start times and cut-offs
- 7:00am
- Time limit
- 7 hours
- 22
Pick up your bib at the expo at the Palmer Events Center, on Friday 12 or Saturday 13 February; there's no pickup on race morning. Park downtown, where Sunday street meters are free, and remember that cars can't cross Congress once it closes. CapMetro buses and trains run too.
There are 22 aid stations, at miles 1, 3, 5 and 7 and then every mile from 8 to 25, each with water, an electrolyte drink, medical help and toilets. Gels come at miles 9.5 and 19.5. Pacers run for 3:00 to 6:00. If the weather turns, the start can be held for up to 45 minutes; any longer and the marathon becomes a half.
There are 22 aid stations, at miles 1, 3, 5 and 7 and then every mile from 8 to 25, each with water, an electrolyte drink, medical help and toilets. Gels come at miles 9.5 and 19.5. Pacers run for 3:00 to 6:00. If the weather turns, the start can be held for up to 45 minutes; any longer and the marathon becomes a half.
The morning, hour by hour
- 5:30am
- Bag check opens, 7th Street and Colorado
- 6:00am
- Corrals open
- 6:55am
- Wheelchair start; be in your corral
- 7:00am
- Elite start, then waves A to D
- 8:20am
- Half start line closes
- 10:35am
- Cut-off at the split, mile 12.3
Cut-offs
- The split, where the half turns off · 19.8 km
- 10:35am
The organiser's 2026 times. The 2027 schedule has the same waves; the wheelchair and elite starts aren't set yet. You have seven hours, about 16 minutes a mile. Every marathoner has to start in corrals A to D, because of the cut-off at the split: reach mile 12.3 by 10:35am to stay on the marathon course. The organiser gives the finish closing at 2:18pm on one page and 2:20pm on another.
Race-day weather, 1996–2025
- Median
- 10.6 °C
- Warm years
- 3 of 29
- Wet years
- 2 of 29
Race-day mean temperature, 1996-2025. Lime marks the hottest edition; the coldest and wettest carry a label only, so the colour still means one thing.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Austin Marathon hilly?
Yes, for a city marathon. It climbs 333 m in all, and of the 29 courses compared here only Big Sur climbs more. Two-thirds of it comes in the first half.
USGS 10 m elevation model, sampled every 25 m, smoothed over 100 m.
Where are the hardest parts?
The first 5.6 km, up South Congress from the river to the high point near Ben White Boulevard. The course climbs again from the lake to the university, and the last mile has a short, steep rise up Red River and 11th Street.
Measured profile; street names from OpenStreetMap.
When does entry close?
When the field fills, or at 3:00pm at the expo the day before the race. The marathon is capped at 10,000.
Organiser FAQ.
Can I get a refund or defer?
Only if you bought the refundable entry, which pays back 75 % until 60 days before the race. Otherwise there are no refunds, deferrals or transfers.
Organiser registration changes page.
What is the time limit?
Seven hours, about 16 minutes a mile. You also have to reach the split at mile 12.3 by 10:35am to stay on the marathon course.
Organiser course page, 2026.
Does the half run with the marathon?
Yes. Both start on Congress Avenue at 7:00am, with the half's later waves following until about 8:05am, and they share the course for the first 12 miles, until the half turns back downtown at San Antonio Street.
Organiser turn-by-turn directions.
Where do I pick up my bib?
At the expo at the Palmer Events Center on Barton Springs Road, on the Friday or Saturday before the race. There's no pickup on race morning.
Organiser packet pickup page, 2027.
Is there a bag check?
Yes, at 7th Street and Colorado from 5:30am. Only the clear bags the race provides are accepted.
Organiser race-day information, 2026.
How do I get to the start?
Park downtown, where Sunday street meters are free, and allow for Congress being closed to cars. CapMetro buses and trains run too.
Organiser transportation page.
Are there pacers?
Yes, for finishing times from 3:00 to 6:00. Half runners can run with them as far as the split.
Organiser pacer page, 2026.
How many people run it?
7,277 finished the marathon in 2026, up from 5,781 in 2025 and 4,047 in 2024. The half is twice the size: 14,542 finished it in 2026.
Organiser figures for the 2026 edition.
What is the weather like on race day?
About 10.6 °C during a typical race: that's the median across 29 years, which have run from 0.8 °C to 21.6 °C. 2 of the 29 were wet.
ERA5 reanalysis for the race date, 1996-2025.
Can I use a time here to qualify for Boston?
Yes. The course is certified by USATF, as the B.A.A. requires, and the finish is 12 m higher than the start, so no time is added.
Net drop +12 m from this site's course line; 2027 adjustment None. Certification certified: Certified by USATF (TX18301LAB) and a Boston qualifier.
How accurate is the elevation figure?
It comes from USGS NED 10 m, sampled every 25 m along the course line and smoothed over 100 m. The raw-to-smoothed ratio here is 1.18. Around 1.3 means the model is reading the ground, not rooftops; above about 2.0 the total climb carries real noise, and the net change is the sturdier number.
0 missing samples · 6 bridge spans corrected.
Sources
Every fact on this page, its source, and the date it was checked · 14
| Fact | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Course line | The organiser's GPX, labelled 2020; its streets match the 2025 turn-by-turn directions in order, and it measures 42.39 km, 0.5 % long | 2026-10-23 |
| Elevation | USGS NED 10 m via OpenTopoData; the Congress Avenue and South 1st Street bridges interpolated between their shores | 2026-10-23 |
| Race-day weather | ERA5 via Open-Meteo archive, 7:00 to 13:00 on race day, 1996 to 2025, without 2021 | 2026-10-23 |
| Course records | Organiser race report, February 2026 | 2026-10-23 |
| Field size | Finishers from Athlinks and MyChipTime, 2024 to 2026 | 2026-10-23 |
| Race date, start and schedule | Organiser schedule and start-corrals pages, 2026 and 2027 | 2026-10-23 |
| Cut-off and aid | Organiser course and FAQ pages | 2026-10-23 |
| Entry | Organiser registration, 2027 prices | 2026-10-23 |
| Refunds and changes | Organiser registration changes page | 2026-10-23 |
| Transport | Organiser transportation page | 2026-10-23 |
| Boston qualifying | USATF certificate TX18301LAB and the B.A.A. qualifying rules | 2026-10-23 |
| History and timeline | Organiser news posts and history, race reports | 2026-10-23 |
| Steepest-kilometre place names | OpenStreetMap via Nominatim reverse geocoding (ODbL) | 2026-10-23 |
| Photography | Unsplash: Mitchell Kmetz (the Congress Avenue Bridge), Justin Wallace (South Congress; Congress Avenue and the Capitol), Drone Doggy (Lady Bird Lake), Dennis Lamberth (the Capitol), Daniel Romero (downtown and the lake) | 2026-10-23 |
Until the Austin Marathon · 14 Feb 2027
— days
— hrs— min— sec
You might also be interested in
Osaka Marathon
Osaka, Japan · 28 Feb 2027
Down Midosuji to the docks and back, with one short climb onto the plateau before the castle.
Tokyo Marathon
Tokyo, Japan · 7 Mar 2027
Down off the Shinjuku plateau, out to Asakusa and back through Ginza to a finish by the Imperial Palace.
Barcelona Marathon
Barcelona, Spain · 14 Mar 2027
Through the Eixample past three Gaudí buildings, down to the harbour and along the sea, and back up to the Arc de Triomf.