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Dallas Marathon
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How does the Dallas Marathon Rank?
The Dallas Marathon was the 19th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 23rd largest in 2022.
Last year 5.7% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 6.6% of runners qualified for Boston in 2022.
This gives the Dallas Marathon the 321st highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 267th highest percentage in 2022.
Its Course Score of 98.10 ranks it as the 313th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 22nd 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 Dallas Marathon a PR Score of 98.10. This PR Score ranks it as the 255th fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 20th fastest in Texas.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Dallas Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 587 feet (178m) Min Elevation: 395 feet (120m)
The weather was perfect. It was upper 30s at race start with light wind and low humidity. Ran in shorts, tank, half arm sleeves and gloves. Pants would have been too hot by the mid way point. Had a sweater in corral that I threw off before starting. The course is fairly rolling (even early) with an opportunity for somewhat flat miles around the lake. The hill off the lake is not that daunting if you have been running them in training. It only impacted my pace by about 10 seconds. I would recommend for this race keeping your goal pace for the first 10 miles and sticking to it. It's too easy to be 10/20 seconds quick as people storm out (your mixed with half marathoners and relay) which will hurt your splits on later hills.
I stayed at Omni and it was a 1 block walk to corral. Headed into Corral A around 8 am for the 830 start. Crossed the starting line 40 seconds or so after the gun start.
HP's review of 2021 Dallas Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
Did my first marathon (have done ~6 half's) in Dallas this year. Being a long-time Dallasite we know the weather is always a bit weird this time of year. The forecast held though and we had full sun and about 40 degrees at the start (warmed to mid 50's around 3 hours in). Shaded areas were a bit chilly but sunny areas were pleasant. I was worried about have to shed a layer do just wore gloves and a beanie which I stashed in pockets about 1 hour in. Once we stared the White Rock Lake loop the cold wind got you a bit but it's Dallas in the winter... what ya gonna do.
The course was well marked, scenic and gave you a great look at all of the different parts/neighborhoods around downtown Dallas - from multi million mansions to more humble working class neighborhood - the varied and welcoming spirit of Dallas was on full display.
The pacers from the Dallas Running Club were awesome.. highly recommend finding a pace group if that's your thing. The biggest shout out goes to all the supporters lining the streets. From signs to cheers to unofficial food, beer and shots - the supporters made this race for me. The back side of White Rock Lake gets a little quiet but coming out of the lake loop the energy picks right back up towards the finish line.
Race Tips
Course Description: We started in downtown and headed west then north thru Oak Lawn to Highland Park. In Highland Park you turn east and south and head towards White Rock Lake. You'll go downhill into the Lake and the do the WRL loop (~10 miles). Then you hit a fairly gnarly 150ft gain over a mile or so. After that the course turns southwest with flat/downhill back into downtown and the finish line. The course is definitely hilly, especially between mi ~5-7 and then coming out of White Rock Lake from mi 20-21. My watch logged ~700ft of elevation gain over the whole course (I've posted the full elevation log for the 2021 course below)
Pacing: Highly recommend practicing hills during training and then finding a pace group. Again, big shout out to the Dallas Running Club pace leaders.. they were great. I knew mile 20+ would be tough for me so I stick with the 4:30 pace group until about mile 16 and then slowly backed off so I could be sure to finish at my 5:00 target time. The 4:45 pace group passed me around mi 23 and I used that group to gauge my pace to the finish line (right under 5 hours).
Race Day: Parking was fairly straightforward from what I heard. I parked outside of downtown and took a short Uber in.. dropoff was easy as long as you knew which side of your start corral was. Public transit (DART light rail) is also an option and the start/finish is walking distance to many hotels. There are a lot of people packed into a fairly dense area so it's a bit crowded - signage needs to be higher so you can see it but overall between the map on the back of your bib, the announcements and just asking others you should be fine. Gear check was easy. After finish it's really well laid out... you'll cross the line, get your drink/food/swag/shirt and just loop back up and exit right by well marked family reunion signs.
Course gotchas: The hills, don't underestimate them. There are some tough ones. If the weather is forecast to be cold keep in mind that the wind coming of the lake can make things chilly even in full winter sun. My biggest oh s%*# moment was a pedestrian bridge over the spillway near the end of the lake loop (around 19.5miles). The bridge WOBBLES. Myself and 5 other runners thought for sure we were getting dizzy and were about to pass out... it was just the bridge moving but we all walked it because it just felt weird. Also try to run towards the center of the streets, not the sides.. the roads have quite a bit of potholes and camber and the centers are flatter and generally in better shape then the side.
Downtown Dallas has a huge number of options and is fairly condensed. You can walk from most hotels to the start. Parking was easy and close by. I arrive at 8AM for a 9AM start and was standing around just trying to stay warm for most of it.
Randy W.'s review of 2018 Dallas Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
Race was well organized, good support along course, tough hill coming out of White Rock Lake area
This race was my 2nd 50k, my 34th event over 26.2 miles & it was wonderful. The course was beautiful, volunteers were top notch. Emergency personnel & law enforcement were kind & much appreciated. I’ll never forget all the gorgeous views & birds around White Rock Lake, especially the pelicans.
There was some bad weather 4 days before the race that affected the 50k course, they made adjustments to the course & you would never know they had to fix anything last minute. It was flawless.
Race Tips
Parking was easy, packet pickup was simple. Post race coordination & family meet-up was great.
This was my first marathon, and my training was interrupted by injury, however even if this were my 10th marathon and my training was spotless I would still find it difficult I'm sure. This year the weather began in the 40s and worked its way up to the 70s, meaning during the second half of the race the precautions you had taken for the morning cold were making you over heat. Don't be fooled by the elevation map: the steady climbs are long and gruesome, and while there's lots of pretty houses to distract you, it's difficult. The 2017 course went all the way around White Rock Lake, which in my opinion was a mistake. It was monotonous and the spectators were few and far between. When we got to the far side of the lake, not only can you see the rest of the lake that you have to run around, you can also see waaay in the distance the skyline of Dallas. I almost cried, thinking, "You mean I have to run all the way back there?"
Then there's the hill at mile 20. Whose idea was that???? There's a really steep climb first, then it gets less steep but doesn't stop for at least a mile. You're already dead, and then that happens.The last 5-ish miles are blissfully flat and it does have a downhill finish, but the first 21 miles beat the life out of me so I was just barely surviving.
