Capital City Marathon & Half Marathon
Olympia, WA
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 5 Miler, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Welcome to Capital City Marathon, one of the best marathons in the Northwest. Located in fun and friendly Olympia, Washington, we feature a beautiful course with rolling hills, enthusiastic volunteers, a festive post-race event with food, music, massage and swag. We are a Boston Marathon qualifier with a loyal following … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 17):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 64 | 62 | 62 | 82 | 61 |
| L (°F) | 34 | 49 | 47 | 50 | 37 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Consistently a fun race!
This is a smaller race but they carry it out like it is a large race. I really enjoy running this race. I especially love the massage school that volunteers … MORE
This is a smaller race but they carry it out like it is a large race. I really enjoy running this race. I especially love the massage school that volunteers to give massages after the race.
Such a great race!
This was my 3rd time running this race. The communication prior to the race is great, race packet pickup is well organized and the number of aid stations is awesome. … MORE
This was my 3rd time running this race. The communication prior to the race is great, race packet pickup is well organized and the number of aid stations is awesome. They have a great group of volunteers. This was my 64th marathon, so I have seen a bunch– and I would say this is the best organized and easiest race to run. The race leaves and finishes as this park that is across from the Governors Hotel– not the fanciest hotel, but literally it is a 2 minute walk. It just doesn’t get much easier. I left my hotel room at 6:55AM and the race started at 7:00AM. The only down side would be the elevation gain– my watch said it was 1500 feet— although they do not say it is that much… I will for sure run the race again. AND it was my PR by 6 seconds.
Good Washington option
Well organized smallish race, fair amount of rolling hills with their own version of heartbreak hill around mile 22. Miles 4ish to 18 or so are through more rural areas … MORE
Well organized smallish race, fair amount of rolling hills with their own version of heartbreak hill around mile 22. Miles 4ish to 18 or so are through more rural areas so not a lot of cheering if you need that. Some houses in the neighborhoods towards the end had parties going on that were a welcome boost. Lots of turns but well marked and good volunteers directing where to go. Overall a good race, good post race food too.
Quality and Quaint
Nice and smooth course with a lot of spectator support all along the way as it is mostly through neighborhoods in Olympia. Has a very down home feel and not … MORE
Nice and smooth course with a lot of spectator support all along the way as it is mostly through neighborhoods in Olympia. Has a very down home feel and not to hard of a course!
Hills were not as bad as I thought....
Being a Floridian, I was anxious about the hills in the race. They were fine. The race itself was great. There was a reasonably priced hotel across from the start/ … MORE
Being a Floridian, I was anxious about the hills in the race. They were fine. The race itself was great. There was a reasonably priced hotel across from the start/ finish area, and they had race morning packet pickup– which allowed me to fly in late the night before. The best part of the race was I got to meet Jeff Galloway– he was there as a guest of the marathon.
Fun race in Washington State
I registered for this race sort of last minute because I was going to be flying into Seattle the night before needing to be in Portland... this was in the … MORE
I registered for this race sort of last minute because I was going to be flying into Seattle the night before needing to be in Portland… this was in the middle. It was easy to check-in on race morning and there were multiple hotels near the start/ finish. The scenery was pretty and the goodie bag was great. It was a super fun race that I would do again and again!
Great small town race
I really enjoyed the Capital City Marathon. It was well organized and well executed. I really enjoyed that I could stay at a hotel adjacent to the start/finish. The countryside … MORE
I really enjoyed the Capital City Marathon. It was well organized and well executed. I really enjoyed that I could stay at a hotel adjacent to the start/finish. The countryside was rural but had beautiful views. I enjoyed the finish festival, and we were fortunate to have splendid weather. I would do this race again.
Small hometown feel race
Wasn't sure what to expect with this race as typically the more elaborate the website, the more well done the race is. The Capital City's website is pretty plain and … MORE
Wasn’t sure what to expect with this race as typically the more elaborate the website, the more well done the race is. The Capital City’s website is pretty plain and I get very few emails from them leading up to the event.
Parking is a bit of a struggle as many roads are closed and being from out of town, had to rely on my gps. You have to pay the meters! Ended up parking in Capital Lake Park parking lot-easy .3 miles from the start line. Where the race starts was a bit questionable.
Once going, this race as fantastic! It does have some hills and it seemed there was never a downhill on the backside of the uphill. The sites are beautiful and have never seen spectators like this before! Once you hit about mile 8, all the houses set up their own aid stations with water, orange slices, watermelon, and beer! Super supportive community which made this race a memorable one in my quest for 50 half marathons in 50 states.