#49 • AUSTIN • TEXAS
Austin Marathon
Time of Year: February 2026
Race Cost: $172 (with T-shirt) – registered in June 2025
Weather & Temperature: partial cloudy, LOWS – high 50s, HIGHS – low 70s
Hotel Information
Omni Austin Hotel
Downtown Austin, TX
20th Century modern hotel with a large open lobby that includes a restaurant and bar. Average fitness center in the building. Basic room with carpeted floors, closed windows, and central A/C unit. Good walls that prevented outside noise.
* $45 taxi from the airport
* Distance from Expo: 1.3 miles
* Distance from start/finish of marathon: 750m/200m
* Hotel did not provide a shuttle to the airport
Other Hotel Options: Downtown Austin has dozens of hotels within walking distance of the start
Expo Information
Palmer Event Center
Austin, TX
Features:
* Packet pick-up
* dozens of vendors – large event hall
45 minutes to collect packet & visit vendors
Race Day Information
Sunday, December 15, 2026
Weather & Temperature:
* Start: High 50s°F
* Finish: Low 70s°F
* blue sky, no clouds
7:00am start @ Congress Street and 2nd Street in the middle of Downtown
* No indoor area available for stretching and any per-race preparation
* Plenty of restrooms along the side of the starting corrals
* Gear check available
* Crowd was laid back and made it easy to get to the start corral
* Full and half marathon start at same time at same location
Course Information
Miles 0-26.2
The race started after the sun was up so you could clearly see where you were heading. The race proceeds south across the river and then three miles uphill. After that section you turn around and run three miles back to within a couple blocks of the start before heading west. The scenery is mainly urban and suburban. Most of the race is on roads with not much shade from trees – this is important towards the end where there is practically no share at all. Good crowd support at the beginning and very end but there are long areas with no spectators. The race is hillier than expected.
Final stats
The Race Finish was located about a half mile from the start on Congress and 10th. The finish was a corral area for about two blocks that was only accessible to athletes. Limited food was available to runners. Beer garden was separate from finish corral – easy to miss. Limited to no seating and not much shade. Only outside the corral area thousands of spectators in the area – lots of hotels, restaurants, cafes, and bars available.
This race had an after party that evening which was unique and free to participants. It was held at 1800 Mayfair Event Venur – 501 West 6th Street – upstairs with a large outdoor area and an indoor club area. Three different bars all with limited drink specials. The race video was playing on the monitors. Free for athletes.Overall: Highly recommended
Overall Review
Overall the race was a large race (about 30,000 people). Full and half marathon started in the same location and at the same time. The race proceeds south across the river and then proceeds uphill for about 3 miles; then it turns around and heads back to downtown with a smooth downhill. The race consists of 4 total out and backs from downtown that slightly resembles the shape of Texas. The course is hillier than expected and much of the course goes through suburbia and underdeveloped parts of Austin especially in the north and east. The half marathon splits from the marathon between mile 12 and 13. There is not much shade – especially for the second half of the race. Lots of crowd support around the downtown area – less the farther you run from downtown. Race layout is helpful for spectators as they have the option to see runners multiple times with minimal walking.
Out & About
Places I visited around town
…or wanted to but ran out of time!
What restaurant will help me carbo-load the night before the race?
* Taverna Downtown
* Red Ash
* Sammies
* Quatro Gatti
* North Italia
What grocery stores are in the area?
* Trader Joes (900m from the start)
* Royal Blue Groceries (200m from the start-not recommended-limited selection and overpriced)
* Water; Energy drinks; Bananas; Oranges; Bread; Chocolate
What other restaurants are in the race area?
* Lonesome Dove Steakhouse
* Capital A (Omni Hotel restaurant)
* Roaring Fork
* Many other restaurants within walking distance of downtown
Where can I celebrate finishing the marathon with a drink?
* Small Victory speakeasy * Hold Out Brewery
* Garage speakeasy * Mayfair Brewery
* Roosevelt Room speakeasy * Central District Brewing
*In Plain Sight * The Stay Put