The Austin Marathon is a rolling, loop course several long straightaways and approximately 28 turns. The marathon course gains approximately 14 feet per mile over the first 17 miles before dropping over 33 feet per mile over the final 9 miles to the finish on Congress Avenue in the shadow of the State Capitol building.
The Austin Marathon was the 20th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 20th largest in 2022.
This year 5.6% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 4.9% of runners qualified for Boston in 2023.
This gives the Austin Marathon the 343rd highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 255th highest percentage so far in 2024.
Its Course Score of 97.48 ranks it as the 356th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 24th fastest course in Texas.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are within the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Austin Marathon a PR Score of 97.48. This PR Score ranks it as the 303rd fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 22nd fastest in Texas.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Austin Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 687 feet (209m) Min Elevation: 434 feet (132m)
The course is EXTREMELY hilly, but the course is a blast. You never get bored. Lots of iconic Austin spots along the way. You basically get a tour of all the well known parts of the city. TONSSSS of spectators and city support. There were drag queens, lots of bands, and lots of random Austinites set up to cheer everyone on. I was impressed.
Race Tips
Prepare yourself for rolling hills! Cannot stress this enough. A lot of people were cramping up along the way. You have to prepared.
Tons of portopotties available at the start. The corral is huge but you do line up together- marathon and half marathon. There are A LOT of half marathoners- the first few miles were extremely crowded so be prepared for that.
When to arrive - no need to arrive too early. better warm up before run.
SF's review of 2017 Austin Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
Great atmosphere, bands every mile or so, great local support. Hard marathon, though, with a lot of climbing and not even one flat mile
Race Tips
Run conservatively. The first serious climb occurs in miles 0-3.5 and it is a serious one. Miles 10-19 are all uphill. Try to conserve energy for the last 5 miles, which are (mostly!) downhill
Too hot, too hilly, too humid. They did have pacers and they use nuun instead of gatorade which I liked, but the beginning factors was too much of a turn off for me to attempt this race again unless my team does.
Race Tips
Take all the hills slow. The ones around miles 11 and 12 are what shot my legs and made it impossible for me to complete in a decent time.
4.1 Stars from 9 Reviews
