This is the biggest event this little town of 420 people puts on and the whole town comes out to support the racers. Runners from 20 states and 6 other countries have run this race. 100% of all the proceeds go to our new Health Center. It is SO much more than just a race and an international bucket list race.
The hardest part is getting here as we are in the desert 40 miles from the entrance to Big Bend National Park. We are a Boston Marathon Qualifier and can have 450-500 racers. Run a marathon, half marathon, 10k or 5k. No walkers on the marathon, need to complete in under six hours.
The Marathon 2 Marathon was the 372nd largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 356th largest in 2022.
This year 2.7% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 6.8% of runners qualified for Boston in 2023.
This gives the Marathon 2 Marathon the 276th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 337th highest percentage so far in 2024.
Its Course Score of 96.31 ranks it as the 394th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 26th fastest course in Texas.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Marathon 2 Marathon a PR Score of 96.31. This PR Score ranks it as the 366th fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 26th fastest in Texas.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Marathon 2 Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 4569 feet (1392m) Min Elevation: 4048 feet (1234m)
The best thing about this race is that it is extremely mentally tough. There is no crowd support at all so if feels like you are out in the desert all alone. Its 26.2 miles of monotonous running with no escaping the sun and no change of scenery. It is a very humbling race in this aspect and gives you a lot of newly found respect on the marathon distance as there is no relying on race day adrenaline from the support. This makes crossing the finish seem like a much bigger accomplishment than 26.2 miles at a popular race.
I did not like the curvature of the road. The road is severely slanted the entire way and my left leg was hitting the ground higher than my right leg the entire way.
I like the small intimacy of the race and the cool temps. I liked the tons of cool swag at ppu. I liked the very original tech shirt provided.
Race Tips
If you are not used to dry weather, I recommend carrying a water bottle from start to finish. I usually do not carry water for a marathon and only use the water stations about 5 or 6 times during a full, but running for hours in a dry climate with 15-20 minutes between water stops is not enough to keep the thirst away. The curvature/ slant of the road seemed severe to me, so keep that in mind.
Marathon has very limited lodging so I stayed in alpine. If I ran this race again, I would prefer to stay in Ft Stockton. Alpine doesn't have very many pre-race friendly restaurants and I had to pack my own food for the day prior to race day.
Cons: You have to run on the shoulder of a highway the whole way which is a sort of 'spiky-like' unworn asphalt.
Race Tips
Mile 22 has a slight uphill climb, be ready for that. The last two miles is the steepest down hill part, get ready to fly here! I ran my fastest pace the last two miles.
It's a small town, so reserve your room early. I stayed in Alpine, a town about 30 miles away but it placed me an hour from the starting line. If I do it again, I might try to stay in Fort Stockton or Marathon. But I like to hang out, grab a beer, etc, the night before a race so I like to be in s bigger town for that reason.
Troy Hibbitts's review of 2015 Marathon 2 Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
Aside from Boston, this is my favorite Marathon. Small field, scenic landscape, lots of returning runners year after year so that you see the same guys (and ladies) each year. I've run it 4x, with a PR on the course of 2:58:05
Race Tips
run easy the first 2 miles (uphill), don't get carried away the next 6 (downhill), and save a little for the hills at mile 21-22. Hope for a tailwind and not a headwind (its point to point) and be ready for a sunny day.
reserve your room early if you intend to stay at the Gage Hotel in Marathon. Camping at the Marathon RV Park is convenient and probably the most economical choice. There are a few houses for overnight rentals in town
