The Leavenworth Marathon & Half Marathon features a stunningly beautiful course in the scenic town of Leavenworth, Washington. Marathoners will start near the renowned Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Runners will enjoy a fast course that begins with a 9 mile journey through scenic Icicle Canyon, then will turn right on East …
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The Leavenworth Marathon & Half Marathon features a stunningly beautiful course in the scenic town of Leavenworth, Washington. Marathoners will start near the renowned Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Runners will enjoy a fast course that begins with a 9 mile journey through scenic Icicle Canyon, then will turn right on East Leavenworth Road heading north in the fully closed southbound lane all the way to the Wenatchee River Bridge where they will cross into the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth to follow wooded riverfront parks and trails, eventually meeting up with Icicle Road, which leads to Icicle River trails and then once again joining onto East Leavenworth Road for a second lap following again into the riverfront trails which will lead this time to the finish and roar of the crowd at the Enchantment Park Event Center.
In this amazing course, runners will encounter a mix of paved roads and paths, dirt roads, paths and trails. Surrounded by impressive mountains, participants might see salmon spawning in the rivers or four legged creatures cheering from the edge of the wild.
The marathon is limited to runners who will complete the course within the six hour time limit, due to course restrictions. Walkers are welcome in the half marathon category. The half marathon course is open for four hours.
The half marathon course will enjoy an Enchantment Park Start right from the TedDriven Event Center, heading up the parkway, the turning onto the sidewalk along highway 2, then parading down Front Street through the heart of the Bavarian village before turning right on 9th Street and entering Riverfront Park. From there, the course will follow the same route as the Marathon back to the finish at Enchantment Park.
About TedDriven: Your participation enables us to invest in Cancer Research and Survivor Support
The Leavenworth and Wenatchee Marathons are operated by TedDriven, LLC a social benefit organization that supports cancer research and local not for profits. Cancer research is a special interest of the directors. We all are connected to someone affected by cancer. Your race directors, Lynda, Colin, Wendy & Ian have all been directly impacted and are committed to doing their part to fight the disease. TedDriven invests proceeds from the Wenatchee Marathon and the Leavenworth Marathon to the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University.
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Fun and Challenging Course
This was my first time running the Leavenworth half marathon, and I can't say enough great things about it. Really well organized event, stunningly beautiful course, a nice mix of … MORE
This was my first time running the Leavenworth half marathon, and I can’t say enough great things about it. Really well organized event, stunningly beautiful course, a nice mix of both road and trail, and a good combination of both uphill and downhill throughout. I’ve raced a decent amount of half marathons, and this one is now my favorite. Hoping to go for the marathon next year!
Beautiful, sunny fall day!
Loved running over the river and next to it many times. Loved the beautiful mountain views and fall colors. It's nice that it starts and finishes in downtown Leavenworth at … MORE
Loved running over the river and next to it many times. Loved the beautiful mountain views and fall colors. It’s nice that it starts and finishes in downtown Leavenworth at Enchantment Park now. We started coming for this race since 2015 when my husband did his first marathon. Since then we come every year and 3 more family members have done the marathon and we love doing the half when not marathoning!!
Great First Half!!
It was my very first half and I ran it on Saturday 10/4/25. I was actually sick Monday 9/29 the week of the half so I was just glad I … MORE
It was my very first half and I ran it on Saturday 10/4/25. I was actually sick Monday 9/29 the week of the half so I was just glad I finished the race! It was so so beautiful and I would definitely do this race again!!!
Beautiful & Crispy Autumnal Run!
This half marathon race was easier and more enjoyable than I expected! The scenery was unbeatable and the weather was absolutely perfect… crisp, cool and sunny! There was a little … MORE
This half marathon race was easier and more enjoyable than I expected! The scenery was unbeatable and the weather was absolutely perfect… crisp, cool and sunny! There was a little smoke lingering around but nothing crazy. The hills and portions of sandy trails made it a little challenging to run. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of hydration stations and community that came out to support. Great vibes all around. I would love to do it again, and faster!
Amazing views across lots of terrain!
Absolutely amazing views throughout the city of Leavenworth! I did not expect as much trail and sand running as there was but it pushed me and made me better!! There … MORE
Absolutely amazing views throughout the city of Leavenworth! I did not expect as much trail and sand running as there was but it pushed me and made me better!! There were water stations placed appropriately throughout! Lots of porta potties and I even lucked out and found a more regular bathroom on the course :). We didn’t get any swag which I found odd but that’s okay! I’m determined to do this again and get a better time!
Nice race to celebrate Oktoberfest
I love the area and the course is ok, but about a third of the course is run on an unpaved trail. The issue is not that it is unpaved, … MORE
I love the area and the course is ok, but about a third of the course is run on an unpaved trail. The issue is not that it is unpaved, but that it’s mostly sand, which makes it difficult to run. The organizers are top notch and the race date cannot be a better one: Oktoberfest!
Rocked!
They need to bring own electrolytes! Parking may be limited especially because of oktoberfest. Plan to show up earlier than expected for the half. Easy to sign up. Director kept … MORE
They need to bring own electrolytes! Parking may be limited especially because of oktoberfest. Plan to show up earlier than expected for the half. Easy to sign up. Director kept us in the loop regarding fire season. Do recommend getting the insurance in case of it being canceled.
Gorgeous course, well run, net downhill!
This was my first time doing the Leavenworth Marathon, my 3rd marathon overall. It was BY FAR my favorite course I have done. Got to watch the sunrise at the … MORE
This was my first time doing the Leavenworth Marathon, my 3rd marathon overall. It was BY FAR my favorite course I have done. Got to watch the sunrise at the start of the course while running through the Icicle Creek area. Everything was run well, not a big production, but smooth. I PR-ed by 18 minutes due to the perfect course and perfect weather!
Good race but course was meh.
The course was nice but it was horrible to have runners going through a trail and sand pits after running 20miles. This really brought the whole experience down as I … MORE
The course was nice but it was horrible to have runners going through a trail and sand pits after running 20miles. This really brought the whole experience down as I was more concerned about not rolling ankles and falling over. The course from mile 20-22 was my least favourite and it left a bad taste in my mouth with how poor it was; I’m sure there are other areas we could have ran to make it more enjoyable; also making us do 10miles steep downhill is very hard on the knees.
Great running views
The views were amazing. Mountains and rivers. Mostly flat in the beginning. Toward the end there was some hills. Afterward, it was so cool to see octoberfest in Leavenworth. Such … MORE
The views were amazing. Mountains and rivers. Mostly flat in the beginning. Toward the end there was some hills.
Afterward, it was so cool to see octoberfest in Leavenworth. Such a cool town with beautiful sites!
Scenic & Well-Organized
I chose to run this race for my Washington state half marathon. (Trying to run a half in every state as a personal goal.) The course was very pretty, but … MORE
I chose to run this race for my Washington state half marathon. (Trying to run a half in every state as a personal goal.) The course was very pretty, but be aware you will run on varied terrain. Course directors were accessible at the bib (not really a packet…) pick-up. They give you your shirt after you finish. Deejay in the morning was a very pleasant fellow to listen to as you waited for the start. (It was 39 degrees, so bring layers.) Many participants drove to the race start, something I thought they didn’t really want people to do. We rode the shuttles from the middle school. Walked from our hotel to the shuttle pick-up; good to walk out our legs after the race. There was just the right amount of well-stocked aid stations staffed with various members of the community volunteering. Everyone was super-nice and encouraging along the way. The participants seemed to be a mostly young-ish group (20’s, 30’s), but exuded very good energy and positive vibes. This 60-something woman had a blast running with them. Plentiful snacks and hydration at the finish. As the two races (full & half) fall in the first weekend of Leavenworth’s signature Oktoberfest celebrations, it would have been nice for the town to have included these events in their extensive Oktoberfest brochure and to perhaps acknowledge the runners (say a banner when you arrive in town – “Welcome Marathon & Half Marathon Runners,” or something like that). Also, the Oktoberfest logo/graphic that the town uses would look great on the race T-shirts. Tie the two events together a little more. Overall, we had a fantastic weekend in Leavenworth and will definitely be back!
Leavenworth Half
The route was well marked with plenty of aid station. But it was a screwing route the last 3 miles was on rutted sandy road. With that said I have … MORE
The route was well marked with plenty of aid station. But it was a screwing route the last 3 miles was on rutted sandy road. With that said I have run worse
Good for PR/ PB
On the bus ride from the finish to the start line, I over heard others saying people used this race to BQ since the first 10 miles is downhill. The … MORE
On the bus ride from the finish to the start line, I over heard others saying people used this race to BQ since the first 10 miles is downhill. The one complaint I had was running back into town you are joining the half marathon from the back and have to run around all the walkers, who sometimes were 4-5 people wide ( friends/ groups walking together). I felt like the game frogger 🐸
Beautiful views and fun location
This race is held the first weekend of Leavenworth's Oktoberfest festival, which is a fun time. This was my first marathon after completing the half marathon in 2014. You park … MORE
This race is held the first weekend of Leavenworth’s Oktoberfest festival, which is a fun time.
This was my first marathon after completing the half marathon in 2014. You park (or get dropped off) at the finish line and then take a shuttle up to the start. The start had enough port-a-pots for people, and you had enough time to use them but not so much time you froze to death before the start. There were under 400 marathoners in 2015, so the start isn’t too crowded.
The first 10 miles are downhill, which, coming from a super flat area in Eastern Washington, I wasn’t trained for. So my quads and glutes got tired sooner than normal. There is a difficult segment where you run in soft dirt (twice, because you go over that area right before halfway and then again right before the finish), and a couple inclines that are annoying but not horrible. The halfway point goes right through the finish line, and then you run the half marathon loop, so be prepared for that mental torture of running right past your car and having 13.1 miles left to run. Fortunately, the second half isn’t too hilly.
The volunteers are great and the marathoners even got two “babysitters” (as I like to call them) on bikes who were carrying Gatorade, gummy bears, and overall making sure the marathoners had what they needed. There is quite a bit of race support from locals as well as Oktoberfest visitors. I did get a little miffed by one volunteer. Around mile 17 I asked my significant other to bring me a water bottle because I was out of water and the next aid station wasn’t for a while and I was getting pretty dehydrated. I was in the back of the pack, the winner had already won I am sure, so a little extra water was not going to give me some advantage over other runners. However, a volunteer spotted my boyfriend about to give me a water bottle and yelled, “Hey, that’s cheating!” so I declined the water and went on my way. Probably just a one-off incident but still bothered me.
The medals are awesome, although I’m not sure they change year to year. It is a big chunk of metal that acts as a bottle opener. The shirts are nothing to write home about and in fact I don’t even have mine anymore.
My *only* complaint (and it’s a small one) is that they don’t have a post-race beer. How can you have an Oktoberfest marathon and not give away beer to the finishers?! Oh well, there is tons of beer in town at the festival to partake in. Overall, it’s a nice race and I recommend it for the views and to experience Leavenworth.
Gorgeous mountain town, nice little race
The first 10 miles of this marathon are all downhill, which can make the latter 16.2 a little harder than you expect. It will also hit your quads a little … MORE
The first 10 miles of this marathon are all downhill, which can make the latter 16.2 a little harder than you expect. It will also hit your quads a little more than you want, so be prepared for it to feel more challenging. That said, the Icicle Creek Canyon is a beautiful place to start and Leavenworth is a charming, secluded mountain town. At times you feel like you’re getting all of the mountain-running action without having to deal with the thin air. The surrounding area is equally beautiful, which makes this race a nice perk for a fun getaway. I also wear the t-shirt around quite often, and the hunky medal doubles as a bottle opener.