If you are going to run, RUN AUSTIN! The Ascension Seton Austin Marathon invites you to the #1 City in America! You will be treated to a bucket list experience and some of Austin’s finest sightseeing! Enjoy miles of Austin’s unique neighborhoods, iconic landmarks, and be greeted by cheering crowds …
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If you are going to run, RUN AUSTIN! The Ascension Seton Austin Marathon invites you to the #1 City in America!
You will be treated to a bucket list experience and some of Austin’s finest sightseeing! Enjoy miles of Austin’s unique neighborhoods, iconic landmarks, and be greeted by cheering crowds as you close in on the finish line in front of the Texas State Capitol on historic Congress Ave.
Come explore our culture-rich city and truly experience The Live Music Capital of the World with live music on the course and a downtown concert. With a downtown finish line festival, the Austin Marathon weekend is the perfect running event for locals, visitors, and families looking for a fun marathon and an unforgettable experience. Plus, you will be within proximity to the hottest hotels, restaurants, and shops!
There is no other town in Texas like Austin, and running the #1 city in America will be an experience you’ll never forget.
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Great Winter Marathon
Great place to run in the winter! Flat race and great support. Loved the Finishers T-shirt. Great expo too! This city knows southern hospitality. If you are looking for a … MORE
Great place to run in the winter! Flat race and great support. Loved the Finishers T-shirt. Great expo too! This city knows southern hospitality. If you are looking for a place to run in the winter, this is the place. Temps were in the 60s.
Very Hilly Course and lots of scenary
Race communication is superb Expo was located about mile from start line but easy in and easy out Race started in front of my hotel. Easy to get to start … MORE
Race communication is superb
Expo was located about mile from start line but easy in and easy out
Race started in front of my hotel. Easy to get to start
(Very confusing finding corral, extremely crowded at race start)
Course was hilly (Lots of ups and downs)
After race food was placed in a single bag to easy grab and go.
Medal was awesome (BELT BUCKLE)
Fun Race but Hilly!
I think this course was a little challenging (especially if this is your first race). There a good amount of hills (around miles 1-3 and then miles 8-10 & a … MORE
I think this course was a little challenging (especially if this is your first race). There a good amount of hills (around miles 1-3 and then miles 8-10 & a BIG one at 12), BUT miles 4-6 were all downhill, which was really nice. But I do think it’s worth doing this race. There were tons of volunteers/locals cheering us on throughout the course (and offering tequila shots). The race swag was good (shirt AND hat), the expo was HUGE, and they had a wall with everyone’s name on it there. Also, they had a water stop at each mile, which I really appreciated.
Texas
It was a great tour of the city, race population appropriate for city size. Plenty to see and do in and around Austin. Expo was well organized and efficiently ran, … MORE
It was a great tour of the city, race population appropriate for city size. Plenty to see and do in and around Austin. Expo was well organized and efficiently ran, only down side was having to pay to park to go in and get my packet.
Tough course, incredible crowd
This was my second marathon and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even though it was a very tough course with over 1,100 ft of elevation gain, the crowd support, large race, … MORE
This was my second marathon and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even though it was a very tough course with over 1,100 ft of elevation gain, the crowd support, large race, and energy around me helped me PR. There was crowd support almost the entire time. There were lots of aids stations… one at nearly every mile. The hill at mile 26 is KILLER, but it’s party of the experience! I highly recommend the Austin marathon! The expo was amazing, finish line party was incredible, and swag was great. I got 2 shirts, a short sleeve and long sleeve! I would definitely do it again, especially knowing now the course. This race made me a stronger runner, both physically and mentally. Challenge yourself & run Austin!
Great race...lots of hills...
I am first time runner and it was an amazing race. Overall, I didn't expect as many hills, but the crowd keeps you going. I would do this race again, … MORE
I am first time runner and it was an amazing race.
Overall, I didn’t expect as many hills, but the crowd keeps you going.
I would do this race again, but probably wouldn’t try this one as a first time runner.
Hillier than expected
Hills are no joke even when expecting them. It is also a big race and the course remained crowded throughout which made it difficult to get into a groove. Great … MORE
Hills are no joke even when expecting them. It is also a big race and the course remained crowded throughout which made it difficult to get into a groove. Great spectators/crowd support! Also well supported for aid. Someone said there were 22 bands on the course. Short sleeve tech fabric race shirt was ok, nice medal with lots of detail.
Great race around downtown Austin!
This was my first time to Austin, and I really enjoyed the town as well as the race! Race communication leading up to the race was plentiful - lots of … MORE
This was my first time to Austin, and I really enjoyed the town as well as the race! Race communication leading up to the race was plentiful – lots of emails to get you excited and keep you fully informed about what you needed to know for packet pick up and race day instructions.
The expo was at the Palmer Events Center, and if you stay downtown, it’s an easy walk across the Congress Ave bridge through the Ladybird Walking Trails. The t-shirts and swag were nice. Lots of vendors at the expo, but not overwhelming. Fun “Austin” displays were set up to take photos.
Race day was chilly this year at 34 degrees, but the starting line was well organized and grouped according to pace. The full and half marathoners all start at 7:00am, and the 5K runners start at 7:45am. There were over 9100 half marathon finishers and about 4000 marathon finishers. Course is entirely paved roads, and it takes you through some scenic and iconic places in Austin, but note it is definitely not flat! There were a lot of rolling hills on this course. Water and aid stations were VERY plentiful along this course. Gels and gel blocks were provided too.
Crowd support was amazing! There were a lot of enthusiastic spectators along this course, holding up clever signs and cheering everyone on with yelling and clapping!
Finish line was at the Capitol building and the medal was pretty solid. (It can be converted into a belt buckle for those who are so inclined.) We received a bag of goodies – chips and pretzels and some granola bars – as well as a bottled water. Walk a few blocks and you eventually end up in the finisher section where a band was playing and you could grab some free beer!
Overall, I was very impressed with the race production of the Austin Marathon. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a well organized race in a very cool town.
Great City but Expensive Race
I get President's day off at my new job I started last summer so I had a 3 day weekend and wanted to find a half marathon in a city … MORE
I get President’s day off at my new job I started last summer so I had a 3 day weekend and wanted to find a half marathon in a city that would be fun to visit for 3 days. Austin is one of my favorite cities and definitely my favorite city in Texas and flights to Austin were reasonably priced for a Holiday weekend so I decided to do this race. However this race isn’t exactly reasonably priced. I wouldn’t call the price outrageous but I signed up several months in advance and it was $140 which was the second most I paid for a half in the past year (the most being Disneyland). This was a very good half but for the price I’d expect something a bit more special such as running through Disneyland or running through Times Square. I believe the price is likely due to Austin being an expensive city to shut down roads and hold a race. So if you really want to race in Austin expect to pay a bit more than you would for races in other cities. The race is on Sunday and I flew in Saturday morning. You need to pick up your packet either Friday or Saturday. The packet pick-up is about 1 mile from downtown Austin where the race starts and hotels are. I didn’t feel like renting a care so what I did was I packed lightly and took a cab directly to the expo and then walked to my hotel. The expo was very large but also very crowded. Packet pick-up was pretty efficient as you were assigned a number and there were lines by number. Packet was in a nice bag with the bib, a hat, and a lot of actually useful samples like Gu and small travel sized sunscreen and lotion. I liked getting some extra swag that I would actually use. The race shirt is a short sleeved tech shirt. It is okay. It’s not my favorite but I’ll probably still wear it. There were a lot of booths and one had samples of vegan chocolate. It was a bit too cramped and crowded for me to want to stay too long though. For the hotel I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. It was about half a mile from the start. The only issue with the hotel I didn’t really think about is it was the opposite direction from the start as the expo so it was about a 1.5 mile walk to the hotel from the expo. Austin is a very walker friendly city with lots of cool shops, museums, restaurants, and music venues you can walk to from downtown. The only issue is I spent a lot of time on foot and twisted my ankle accidentally stepping in a pothole Saturday. I have bad injury luck in Texas. I was limping the rest of the day on Saturday and nervous I may not be able to complete the race. Sunday I got up and my ankle hurt a bit. I wasn’t limping and could walk okay but I couldn’t run. There is a 4 hour time limit so I decided to walk the race. Race morning had beautiful weather for a New Englander used to running in the cold but was a bit cold for Texas. This a a very large race with probably close to 10,000 people between the half and full. The start was a bit chaotic but not more so than most races this size. The porta potty lines were a bit long but when aren’t they? I do think the start corral could have been a bit more organized. They had signs to line up for the fast paces but not the slow paces so the back was a mix of everything from 12 min milers to 18 min milers. This is a very back of the pack friendly race so there were a lot of us walking which was great for me but we could have been spread out a little better. They set us off in waves. The good thing about the race is it was mostly on completely closed roads so there was a ton of running room so despite the mixed paces it was easy to navigate around people. The rest of the race was extremely well organized. It was really easy to follow and as I said all on closed roads. There was a ton of volunteer and police support. This had excellent and frequent aid stations. The half and the full only share the first 12.5 miles of the race. I was a bit worried support may not be great in the back since there would not be marathoners sharing the aid stations but the support was excellent. There was also plenty of water and electrolyte drink. At mile 9 there were Gu and energy blocks and there was so much left they were giving us walkers multiple packets. It did make me appreciate that with the higher price tag they did over buy things to make sure everyone got what they needed. There were also a lot of musical acts which is great since Austin is such as music city. In terms of spectator support I’d say it was average for a big city race. There were a good number of spectators but it was not one of those races like Oklahoma City or Richmond where there are spectators everywhere but also not like Atlanta where there were almost none. While I though the race organization was great, I didn’t love the course. Other than the start and end in downtown I thought it was kind of boring. They seemed to choose streets most convenient to shut down and not the most interesting to run through. A lot of it was pretty generic and not necessarily representative of Austin. It wasn’t awful scenery and there was a mix of neighborhoods, business areas, park areas to change it up but again for the price tag I’d want a little more special scenery. The course is also quite hilly. It’s not crazy hills like Vermont but definitely hillier than average. My Garmin had between 600-700 feet of elevation gain. The worst hill is around mile 12 though it’s not a crazy hill. It’s also net uphill the first 3 miles. It was more constant hills than particularly difficult hills. My finishing time was obviously slow since I had to walk but I actually thought it was pretty good for completing the race with a messed up ankle. I did like that you ran right by the state house when you finish. The finish area was set up well as there was a divide between the half and the full so you weren’t in the way of the faster marathoners and no one would get confused and give you the wrong swag. The medal is fantastic. It’s one of my best medals. It’s a belt buckle medal and has all these details specific to Austin and Texas so it is a great medal for 50 staters. You also got a water bottle and bag of snacks. It was in a reusable bag with the race logo and had pretzels, a granola bar and fruit leather. There were also food trucks if you wanted to purchase something more substantial. Overall I thought this was a very good race with great organization and medal but it was only an okay course. I’m not sure it fully lived up to it’s expensive price tag but I would recommend this race if you want to visit Austin as part of your 50 state journey and would do this race again as I love to visit Austin. However if you want to get Texas done as quickly and cheaply as possible where you get the most bang for your buck this is not the race to do.
Austin is the best around!
I came back to write a review nearly 3 years after running my first marathon in Austin. I ran the Austin full in '23 and '24, and tried a different … MORE
I came back to write a review nearly 3 years after running my first marathon in Austin. I ran the Austin full in ’23 and ’24, and tried a different course for ’25. Now that I have experienced another marathon I feel like I can review Austin.
But that’s the thing… I still have nothing bad to say about the Austin Marathon. Packet pickup is flawless and pumping, before the race the crowd is ready and thriving, during the race there is so much support and love for 26.2 miles. Afterwards, volunteers would hand us our metal, finisher shirt, and food. It was all easy to get and a flawless experience.
The course is hilly, train for that. There will be a decent hill at 12 and again around 25.8ish, use the crowd support to power though those moments. This one will be a blast, enjoy it.
Oh, yes! I have to add that I was so inspired by the love on the course that in ’25 we took a 9 hour round trip to go to Austin to support and cheer on the runners.
Austin and some hills
This race offered all of the sites of the states capital which went through many neighborhoods. Be careful while running as there are many bike cones sticking up. Early on … MORE
This race offered all of the sites of the states capital which went through many neighborhoods. Be careful while running as there are many bike cones sticking up. Early on in the run, I tripped over one and scrapped my leg up badly. There were also some hills later after mile 15 which slowed me down some. The race overall was nothing spectacular. The finish line area was the best part finishing at the capital with a cool belt buckle finisher medal.
Very well organized
This was my first ever half marathon, and I have held off reviewing it until I have done another HM so I had something to compare it with. Organization: Amazing. … MORE
This was my first ever half marathon, and I have held off reviewing it until I have done another HM so I had something to compare it with.
Organization: Amazing. Excellent communications in the build up to race week. My only niggle would be the links to the hotels – the site massively overcharged for the tax, so I had to cancel my reservation and book directly. The expo was very well run – quick to pick up the bib and goodies. I am not a big shopper, so the vending side of the expo was not of interest, but I could see there was a lot of variety.
Race Day: Not enough toilets at the start line. Hence very difficult to get into the chute with the pace groups. Pretty close to a crush at the start. There were so many people that it was really hard to get into a rhythm for the first 0.5 miles. The first 3 miles are uphill – but that is known as the website had an excellent video fly over of the course. This helped to thin out the runners. The next 3 miles were downhill, back to the river, which was not too steep. From there the course undulates and winds threw Austin before a “killer” hill at mile 12. In reality it’s not that steep, but came as a shock. The course was well marked, but with the number of people, hard to overtake.
The aid/water stations were very frequent, but hugely messy as cups were dropped all over the road. I carry my own water, so I can’t comment on how well stocked they were, but care was required to avoid tripping over discarded cups or getting caught up in the people sipping.
Lots of crowd support, which was a blessing and a curse as it’s very hard to meet up after the race.
Conclusion: very professionally organized. For me, I would not do it again and instead will go for races with less people (so it’s easier to maintain my own slow pace) or races with a wave start. But that is personal preference!
Great City, Okay Race
I had heard great things about the Austin Marathon, and while the city is great, the marathon is a little lackluster. The race production and the swag were great, but … MORE
I had heard great things about the Austin Marathon, and while the city is great, the marathon is a little lackluster. The race production and the swag were great, but the course deducts points. i have heard that the course has changed over time, and used to be great, but now it runs a lot of retail streets (and lots of roads with potholes) and just feels pretty generic.
Great race, but def geared for the half
I loved the energy of this race but only for the first half. Once that group splits off, it's silence. There were no bands or entertainment after that point until … MORE
I loved the energy of this race but only for the first half. Once that group splits off, it’s silence. There were no bands or entertainment after that point until the end. The course was nice and it was cool going through the different neighborhoods. I also didn’t love all the car traffic, but I get it.
The volunteers were fabulous and the swag was also cool. I love the socks!! And Under Armour stuff is always welcome!
Lastly, the medal was really cool.
Great first marathon
This race was well-organized. It has a surprising amount of hills, with the hardest being around the 12 mile mark (end of half marathon), around the 18 mile mark (Dean … MORE
This race was well-organized. It has a surprising amount of hills, with the hardest being around the 12 mile mark (end of half marathon), around the 18 mile mark (Dean Keaton), and a soul-crushing one at the very end (right around the 26 mile mark). The music along the course is fun, and the aid stations are well-run. I had a lot of fun running this surrounded by thousands of positive people.
Great Half Tour Of Austin
Well organized expo, although the line to get my packet was a little long. Race started really well, and the post race bar situation was great! MORE
Well organized expo, although the line to get my packet was a little long. Race started really well, and the post race bar situation was great!
Hill but fun course
Packet pickup was conveniently located. Expo was nice and big. Austin is hilly as all heck and coming from Chicago, the hills were a bit of a challenge. The temperature … MORE
Packet pickup was conveniently located. Expo was nice and big. Austin is hilly as all heck and coming from Chicago, the hills were a bit of a challenge. The temperature on the other hand was cool yet not windy so made for a great run. I loved the volunteers, the spectators, the race organizers, and the after party. Due to the chilly temps I didn’t hang around too long, but for the short time I did, it was fun. If I did it again, I would definitely put in more hill training. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful race, a wonderful course, and one I would recommend.
Challenging course, but oh so scenic!
Expo: 5/10 A pretty standard race expo, with some unique vendors I haven’t seen at other expos (Texas Drain giving out free plungers, I’m looking at you lol). The system … MORE
Expo: 5/10
A pretty standard race expo, with some unique vendors I haven’t seen at other expos (Texas Drain giving out free plungers, I’m looking at you lol). The system for picking up packets right when you walk in was probably the worst I’ve seen at a race – it took almost half an hour just to get through the line to pick up my packet. I would’ve liked to see more vendors and possibly a larger event space to alleviate some of the crowding.
Course: 9/10
The course is absolutely fantastic and by far one of my favorites of all the half marathons I’ve done. Even with as challenging as it is with all of the hills, it’s so scenic and takes you through a few very different parts of the city. Crowd support was great throughout 90% of the course. My only complaint is with the aid station drinks – half of the time, I could barely taste the Nuun mixed into the water, meaning there likely wasn’t much for carbs/fuel in it. While the Nuun was a unique touch, perhaps Gatorade would’ve been a more practical choice.
Production/organization of race weekend:6/10
From the expo to the finish line, this was a very well designed and organized race overall. This is one of the first races in years where I haven’t felt gridlocked until like four miles into the race, so whatever they did for start corrals worked wonders. The finisher’s area was nice and large, so there was no extreme crowding while grabbing your post-race goodies and leaving the chute. My one gripe would be with the post-race food – we only received water and then a bag with popcorn, a fruit cup, and one other packaged item. I had heard that in prior years, the spread was a bit more impressive.
Swag and medals: 8/10
The medals were next-level; I LOVE the design and the sparkles! The shirts and all the merch were made by Under Armour, which is a huge plus for me. The designs for all of the merch were a little plain, but I found plenty of things I liked and ultimately bought. By Friday at 4pm when I was at the expo though, most women’s items were sold out in sizes larger than small, and they weren’t restocked after the race when merch was for sale. Honestly, if there was enough merch in all sizes, I probably would’ve given a 10/10 in this category!
Overall: 7/10
No doubt a solid race overall. If you’re looking for a challenging but scenic course through a rather eclectic city, I’d totally check the Austin Marathon out.
Hills, Hills, Hills
The hills in this marathon were extremely difficult for me to overcome. I had never ran on hills prior to this race. The final hill, 0.5 miles from the finish … MORE
The hills in this marathon were extremely difficult for me to overcome. I had never ran on hills prior to this race. The final hill, 0.5 miles from the finish line, was the worst! All that said, I am grateful for the experience. I was truly pushed to the edge of my limits. Now that I know where my limits lie I can go forward to break them!
If you like your half to end in hills...
The elevation profile suggests a pretty balanced course. Despite this, everyone warned me this is a hilly and tough course. I would argue that the first 9-10 miles is more … MORE
The elevation profile suggests a pretty balanced course. Despite this, everyone warned me this is a hilly and tough course. I would argue that the first 9-10 miles is more downhill than up. The ups are gradual but long which doesn’t put me off in the slightest.
But right around mile 9-10 that all changes. First comes a short but incredibly steep hill followed by a step and long killer at mile 11-12. Not fun stuff.
Other things…
The complete lack of corrals is odd. It’s every man for him (her) self at start time.
The expo wasn’t all that great. It’s the second big race I’ve done in recent months (Dallas being the other) that had a crappy expo. Perhaps it’s COVID byproduct?
It’s superficial, but the race shirt is ugly. Somehow I missed getting my finisher’s shirt but, after seeing it, I’m not upset. Under Armor as the gear sponsor is odd simply because Under Armor A) isn’t relevant in running and B) almost isn’t relevant in fitness after bad operations and investments.
Atmosphere was excellent. Tons of participants and all very positive. It’s fun to be in a city where the run takes over the downtown area. I just wish the hotels/Uber/restaurants didn’t extract a premium from runners.