Dallas Marathon

Location: Dallas, Texas
Country: United States
Website: https://dallasmarathon.com/
2025 Marathon Date: 14/12/2025
2026 Marathon Date: TBC
Winning Time 2025: 2:23:45
% Sub-3s: 2-5% # Sub-3s: 100-200 Total Finishers: 3-10k

The Dallas Marathon is an annual road race held in Dallas, Texas, and is the longest-running marathon in the state. First staged in 1971, the event has evolved from a small, lake-based race into a major urban marathon that showcases the breadth of the city while retaining strong links to its origins. It is a certified Boston Marathon-qualifying event and takes place each December.

The marathon is set entirely within the city of Dallas. All races start and finish at Dallas City Hall Plaza, at the intersection of Marilla Street and South Akard Street in Downtown Dallas. From this central location, the course unfolds as a broad city tour that combines downtown streets, historic neighbourhoods, and expansive parkland.

In profile, the course is generally flat and approachable, making it suitable for both first-time marathoners and runners targeting qualifying standards. While not completely elevation-free, changes in height are modest and spread evenly across the route, allowing for consistent pacing. The surface is entirely paved, with wide roads through much of the course that support large participant numbers.

A defining feature of the modern Dallas Marathon is its single loop around White Rock Lake. This section provides a scenic contrast to the urban miles and connects the contemporary race to its early history, when the entire marathon was run around the lake. The loop offers open views of water and parkland and is often cited as one of the most distinctive segments of the course.

Beyond White Rock Lake, the route is designed to highlight many of Dallas’s best-known landmarks and neighbourhoods. Runners pass Pioneer Plaza, the Grassy Knoll at Dealey Plaza, and cross the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Residential sections include the historic homes of Swiss Avenue, stretches of Greenville Avenue, and the arts-focused Deep Ellum district, creating a varied rhythm between commercial, cultural, and residential areas.

The race was founded in 1971 by Tal Morrison, who famously advertised the inaugural event with a small notice in Runner’s World magazine. That first edition attracted 82 runners and used a double-loop course around White Rock Lake. As participation increased, the course was repeatedly adapted to accommodate growth and to reflect the city’s expansion. The start and finish were permanently established in downtown Dallas in the early 1980s, with further refinements made over subsequent decades.

Today, the Dallas Marathon is a multi-day running festival offering a wide range of race distances alongside the marathon. Its combination of a relatively flat course, central start and finish, and a route that blends city landmarks with natural scenery has made it a fixture of the American winter marathon calendar.