The San Francisco Marathon prides itself on its unique nature; like the city itself the race is more individual, the course more challenging, the terrain more beautiful – an event Bart Yasso, former Chief Running Officer of Runner’s World, referred to as “challenging and beautiful…one of the country’s best big …
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The San Francisco Marathon prides itself on its unique nature; like the city itself the race is more individual, the course more challenging, the terrain more beautiful – an event Bart Yasso, former Chief Running Officer of Runner’s World, referred to as “challenging and beautiful…one of the country’s best big city marathons.” The San Francisco Marathon proudly hosts over 25,000 runners and rewards their efforts with unparalleled breathtaking views and a unique course that they will never forget.
Full (26.2 miles)
Take yourself on a running tour of San Francisco, and complete our challenging yet rewarding course. Whether you’re taking on your first marathon or your 50th, your unforgettable journey will take you from the waterfront, across the Golden Gate Bridge, past iconic landmarks including AT&T Park and through historic neighborhoods.
1st Half (13.1 miles)
Picture yourself racing as the California sun breaks through San Francisco’s iconic maritime fog. Bursting from the Embarcadero’s waterfront start line at the break of dawn. Racing up to the Golden Gate Bridge, through towering eucalyptus and redwood trees in Golden Gate Park where you’ll cross the 1st Half Finish Line. Then join your fellow runners at the Main Finish Line Festival.
2nd Half (13.1 miles)
With a start beneath the towering redwoods in Golden Gate Park and a prized finish at Cupid’s Arrow along the Embarcadero, The San Francisco Marathon’s 2nd Half Marathon course winds through city streets, offering a locals’ only tour of the city’s treasured vistas. Racing beside the Conservatory of Flowers, through the Haight-Ashbury and Mission neighborhoods, beside AT&T Park, under the Bay Bridge and more, each runner’s journey unfolds against an unforgettable sense of place. Join the Full Marathoners as you take on 13.1 miles, the 2nd Half of our Full Marathon course.
The 2nd Half Marathon is popular with runners looking to set a PR. Due to its low elevation profile and a gradual finishing descent toward the Embarcadero, many runners return to this course year after year to test their limits and reach new heights.
5K (3.1 miles)
The San Francisco Marathon’s stunning 5K course offers runners the opportunity to conquer an energetic race alongside a range of participants, from experienced athletes to stroller runners. The 5K runs through miles of waterfront that draw millions of visitors each year. Take in views of the Bay, the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, Coit Tower, and much more. Runners enjoy San Francisco’s iconic backdrop while earning a spot at the finish line festival in front of the Ferry Building. The 5K Race invites runners of all levels to experience our fast, flat course and participate in the finish line celebration.
Ultra Marathon
Challenge yourself to take on the incredible feat of running two marathons, back-to-back, to benefit your favorite charity. Starting at midnight, run the full marathon course in reverse, with a brief run detour along the Great Highway, before joining other runners to complete the Official Full Marathon course. Run solo or as part of a 2-person or 4-person team.
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Yes there are hills
I knew about the hills. I studied the elevation. I didn't train for them nearly enough. Going over the Golden Gate Bridge twice on a clear day was the highlight. … MORE
I knew about the hills. I studied the elevation. I didn’t train for them nearly enough. Going over the Golden Gate Bridge twice on a clear day was the highlight.
Stayed downtown and walked or Ubered most places. Visited Alcatraz while I was there with the family. Make sure you buy your tickets in advance.
Difficult, expensive, imperfect, special
I ran the the new first half course in 2023, but have run the first or second halves six times previously. For: Big city race at a time of year … MORE
I ran the the new first half course in 2023, but have run the first or second halves six times previously. For: Big city race at a time of year when there are few major Northern Hemisphere options; great, iconic urban course in a world-class city. Against: Expensive; not a course lending itself to PRs, if that is what you are looking for; imperfect race organization (at least in 2023 — e.g., no porta potties at race start!). Sum-up: The hills make this a very challenging course. It’s by no means a flawless event, but somehow I have kept on coming back over more than 10 years. See my full 2023 race review here: https://www.flyrun.fun/p/san-francisco-2023-marathon-review
It’s Nice To Say You’ve Done Once!
Of course, it’s awesome to say you’ve run over the Golden Gate Bridge but this race is very expensive, not super organized, photos cost $30 and up, the expo is … MORE
Of course, it’s awesome to say you’ve run over the Golden Gate Bridge but this race is very expensive, not super organized, photos cost $30 and up, the expo is just okay, on the course the half marathoners course crossed the runners doing the full (scary), and the course was pretty crowded the whole way. I enjoyed participating with so many other runners and of course you’ll get some great selfies on the route, but it’s not a race I will do again because of the price compared to the experience and swag.
Beautiful, but not well organized.
First marathon, but many HMs, 10ks, 5ks under my belt. This is the largest city race I've participated in. Pros: beautiful and scenic, coolest summer marathon you'll find, lots of … MORE
First marathon, but many HMs, 10ks, 5ks under my belt. This is the largest city race I’ve participated in.
Pros: beautiful and scenic, coolest summer marathon you’ll find, lots of aid stations, runner route diversions were smooth, beautiful medal that comes with a little pin, before race week – customer service was responsive and great.
This is a hilly, but beautiful course. For the price and prestige as a big city marathon, I expected it to be better organized. It starting coming off as a bit of a money grab as time went on. We registered early so it was roughly $200, and I’m starting to feel like it wasn’t worth it! Definitely not worth the $300ish if you register later.
– The expo is run mostly by volunteers. They seem like students getting volunteer hours, which is totally fine! But they didn’t know who to ask to answer questions.
– Pacing groups were all over the place. There was no information about which corral pacers would stand in. In the last corral, I only spotted 2 pacing groups, of the 18 listed. Later on, I see on instagram that they had a 5:30 pacing group, which was not listed. So not sure how many groups there actually were.
– Lots of people looking for gear check at the start line. Luckily, did not need to check a bag. But it was not clearly communicated where to find it.
– Marathon had plenty of porta-potties at the start. But the first HM did not. As I ran by, heard tons of people talking about peeing in the bushes and alleyways. It impacted the first 5-8 aid stations after we passed the HM start line. Every single one had huge huge lines.
– On the GGB’s tiny sidewalk, the fastest half marathon runners have to compete for space with the slower marathon runners. And the lead bike! Some information about the courses crossing and to stay in lanes would be nice. Lots of elbows and jabbing for space.
– At the finish line, runners were confused about where to redeem their free beverage ticket for a free drink. Not sure if there were even drinks available. We went home.
– The “virtual goodie bag” sent out after had nothing included. The t-shirt we purchased separately isn’t great quality. All in all, these are extras. But this marathon and the extra swag is costly, so quality is expected.
We probably will not run this again because of this organizational nightmare. Very little communication as the race approached, EXCEPT to send merch purchasing details, or signing up for next year etc.
Bad Organization
The port-a-potties for the 1st half marathon was a literal and figurative mess. There were only 2 units near start line, and about 4 units about 300 yards away hidden. … MORE
The port-a-potties for the 1st half marathon was a literal and figurative mess. There were only 2 units near start line, and about 4 units about 300 yards away hidden. The line was almost an hour long, and the inside of the units were disgusting.
Incredible views of the Golden Gate
It was helpful to stay at the Harbor Court Hotel as the start and end points were right in front. There were incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge from … MORE
It was helpful to stay at the Harbor Court Hotel as the start and end points were right in front.
There were incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge from multiple vantage points.
Being my first marathon, I paced it slow in the beginning and had energy gel every 30 min or so. That made tackling some hills easy with plenty of energy left at the end for a faster pace. Overall I enjoyed the race very much.
Wonderful vistas across the bay
Beautiful run that is full of stunning vistas. Did not feel like a city run as it was primarily along the shoreline, across the GG bridge and through parks. Plenty … MORE
Beautiful run that is full of stunning vistas. Did not feel like a city run as it was primarily along the shoreline, across the GG bridge and through parks. Plenty of drink stops. The start had few volunteers and very little signage; I had to dump my drop bag in the trash, as I could not find a drop bag point.
Hills galore
The race is unique in that there are 2 half courses to choose from in addition to the marathon. There are different start times for each and there is a … MORE
The race is unique in that there are 2 half courses to choose from in addition to the marathon. There are different start times for each and there is a segment of the course where all 3 races converge on the same course which makes it interesting as you are running by runners in different states. I will say that at this convergence point, the route does get crowded, but organizers do a decent job in funneling runners through various secondary/alternate streets to avoid a traffic jam of runners.
The course is scenic and I appreciate the early start time as SF has a lot of micro-climates. The course was a bit short of port o potties, esp at the start of the halves in the presidio. They got me with the half challange – thought it was odd that the challange medal was bigger/better put together than the actual finishers medal. The race is a bit pricey for what you get, but I guess that’s what it is.
A Exciting Ultramarathon
The aid stations were awesome. There were many volunteers and they handed out water well. The most unique aspect of the race were the two laps. MORE
The aid stations were awesome. There were many volunteers and they handed out water well. The most unique aspect of the race were the two laps.
Such a beautiful race :)
This was my second time running the race, and I loved it more, as I knew what to expect. I recently ran the Big Sur marathon, and I find that … MORE
This was my second time running the race, and I loved it more, as I knew what to expect. I recently ran the Big Sur marathon, and I find that this marathon is actually a more beautiful one. There’s something majestic about running across the Golden Gate bridge.
My second time running it
This is my second time running the SF Marathon as redemption for not doing well my first time. The first time I ran this race with no training and finished … MORE
This is my second time running the SF Marathon as redemption for not doing well my first time. The first time I ran this race with no training and finished in over 5 hours. Let’s say I was embarrassed and I wanted to redeem myself. This course is notorious for being very hilly. I trained and ran this race again with a PR of almost 2 hours. The course is very scenic.
Frisco & hills
I drove up to this race from socal. The race started off at the embarcadero and went through many of the popular sites of San Francisco. Be aware of the … MORE
I drove up to this race from socal. The race started off at the embarcadero and went through many of the popular sites of San Francisco. Be aware of the hills starting with the bridge and coming out after the bridge. Constant rolling hills can cause for a slow time so take the hills easy. Race was overall very fun and had many spectators to get you through the run.
Hills and chills
The city is full of hills and we got to experience lots of them and made it challenging. It was an early and chilly start with rain for the majority … MORE
The city is full of hills and we got to experience lots of them and made it challenging. It was an early and chilly start with rain for the majority of the race, so there wasn’t a huge amount of crowd support. The scenery was ok, with some running near/through the park. Overall an ok race.
Beautiful course with rolling hills
I was quite intimidated by this course due to the elevation gain, but the beauty of SF alone made the race worth it for me. You’ll run through many SF … MORE
I was quite intimidated by this course due to the elevation gain, but the beauty of SF alone made the race worth it for me. You’ll run through many SF gems including across the Golden Gate Bridge (twice), the Presidio, Haight Ashbury, and Golden Gate Park. The race and expo were very well organized. There were plenty of water/aid stations throughout the course. The 5:30 am start time was ideal, as we finished early and had more of the day to celebrate and relax. I hope to run this race again, although I recognize that I am unlikely to PR given the steady rolling hills.
Foggy but beautiful views of SF
The course was hilly and hard on the legs, but it was a valuable marathon in the summer. There were plenty of water stations, which were helpful, though a little … MORE
The course was hilly and hard on the legs, but it was a valuable marathon in the summer. There were plenty of water stations, which were helpful, though a little unorganized. I hope to participate again with a little more training on my legs.
A great taste of Iconic SF views
Race is expensive but well produced - they close streets and you get to see some pretty parts of SF and a little Marin- Chrissy Field,Fort Baker, presidio, golden gate. … MORE
Race is expensive but well produced – they close streets and you get to see some pretty parts of SF and a little Marin- Chrissy Field,Fort Baker, presidio, golden gate. You run through haughty Ashbury Potrero and Mission Bay. Starts early. Starts early. Really enjoyed the full Marathon experience.
Coldest Summer Marathon!
Be prepared for hills. Although I live and run mostly in SF, I was a little naïve and paced too fast the first half. Also was only 3rd marathon and … MORE
Be prepared for hills. Although I live and run mostly in SF, I was a little naïve and paced too fast the first half. Also was only 3rd marathon and really hadn’t learned art of hydration and calve compression socks/sleeves.
Well put on race, but also expensive as far as races go IMO. Worth doing once, and I might try the Ultra/Double-Marathon some day.
Beautiful Destination Race
This was my 2nd time running the SF marathon. There was a bit of a course change with more racing after the Golden Gate bridge in a beautiful park and … MORE
This was my 2nd time running the SF marathon. There was a bit of a course change with more racing after the Golden Gate bridge in a beautiful park and then back across the bridge. This is a challenging course but I’ll be doing it for year 3 in 2023.
Beautiful city, poor organization
Pros: challenging but beautiful hilly course and beautiful summertime California weather. It’s also one of the rare summertime marathons that can be run not in 75+ weather. Cons: Organization from … MORE
Pros: challenging but beautiful hilly course and beautiful summertime California weather. It’s also one of the rare summertime marathons that can be run not in 75+ weather.
Cons: Organization from the race directors is honestly not the best in my 10 years of racing, especially for the price of this race which is 2-3x as much as other races (excluding the majors). In the 2020 I know multiple runners who completed the virtual race and never received their medals or gear, but we gave this race another shot since we know that year was difficult for everyone! This year they offered incentives like extra t-shirts for signups, but my friends and I never received those either. With the caveat that I’m always grateful for race volunteers and they were all wonderful people, on the Marin side of the bridge there were almost no water stations and very few people at them, leading to runners having to wait for water which after those hills can cause some serious cramps! For the record, I do not blame any volunteers as this section looked difficult to get to, but I do think the SF marathon directors can do a better job incentivizing volunteering (race credits, swag, etc.) or emphasize that runners may want to carry their own water. Finally, at the finish line you got a water, a banana, and a medal but there was no section to meet up with other runners or family or celebrate or even get a post race photo with a cool background. These are obviously nice to haves and not need to haves for a good race, but I was surprised there were no tents of non-alcoholic brews, no music, no food vendors, no massages, or really much of anything at the finish line and really the expo the day before too. The half in February put on by a different organization has all of this and more as have all other marathons I’ve run in the past (even smaller ones), and I think it also allows runners in the area to connect and learn more about clubs or upcoming races in the area, but also let’s out of town runners catch their breath and enjoy the city! Despite the convenience of being in my hometown and a PB, I don’t think I can recommend this race or try to get friends to join me next time because for the steep price it’s not worth it.
A Exciting Course and Ultramarathon
The aid stations were excellent. The volunteers were very helpful. The most unique aspect about the race was the two marathons. The race could be improved with more runners in … MORE
The aid stations were excellent. The volunteers were very helpful. The most unique aspect about the race was the two marathons. The race could be improved with more runners in the Ultramarathon.