As the 7th largest city in the US, San Antonio is ready for a world-class marathon. San Antonio Sports, in partnership with the City of San Antonio, and marathon industry experts from The Trust Group and Boston Marathon winner, Meb Keflezighi, is thrilled to present the San Antonio Marathon. Now, …
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As the 7th largest city in the US, San Antonio is ready for a world-class marathon. San Antonio Sports, in partnership with the City of San Antonio, and marathon industry experts from The Trust Group and Boston Marathon winner, Meb Keflezighi, is thrilled to present the San Antonio Marathon. Now, with an incredible opportunity to elevate San Antonio’s premier running experience we aim to reflect the vibrant cultural spirit and uniqueness of our community. Join the celebration of a new running tradition where every step tells a story.
The San Antonio Marathon offers something for everyone, with a Friday night 5K and Sunday Marathon and Half Marathon. In collaboration with the City of San Antonio, world-class courses will be created where every step of the course tells a story of San Antonio’s vibrant communities, historic landmarks, and iconic sights.
The San Antonio Marathon (26.2 miles/42km) kicks off at Main Plaza in the heart of Downtown San Antonio and takes runners on a scenic journey through some of the city’s most historic neighboorhoods and streets, including King Willism, North Saint Mary’s Street, Monte Vista, Olmos Park, and Alamo Heights. Along the way, participants will pass landmarks such as The Alamo, through Fort Sam Houston, and Brackenridge Park before entering the finish line fiesta at Hemisfair.
This course is USATF Certified and proudly endorsed by Meb Keflezighi.
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The Big Hits of San Antonio
The San Antonio Marathon is a great way to experience the city, taking runners through several major points of interest including the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Pearl, and even an … MORE
The San Antonio Marathon is a great way to experience the city, taking runners through several major points of interest including the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Pearl, and even an Army base station, which makes the course feel especially unique. Aid stations were plentiful throughout most of the race, though they became more sparse and spread out during the later miles, so proper hydration planning is important.
Crowd support was absolutely amazing in the sections closer to downtown and the city center. However, the stretches between the Botanical Garden and the Army base were noticeably quiet, which can become mentally challenging during the tougher miles. While the overall elevation gain is not extreme compared to other marathons, the course is deceptively difficult due to the constant rolling Texas Hill Country-style hills combined with the Texas heat. Even our pacing group struggled with the conditions and ultimately decided to DNF, which says a lot about how demanding the course can be.
The course also includes several turnaround sections, which personally were not my favorite since they seemed to add little value beyond extending the distance. If you are not well-conditioned for hills or heat, this race will likely feel very difficult.
Overall, the San Antonio Marathon is a beautiful and challenging race that showcases many highlights of San Antonio. For an inaugural event, the race producers did a very solid job, even though there are still a few quirks to work out in future editions.
As Good As Inaugural Gets
BOTTOM LINE: After 16 years under the Rock ‘n’ Roll banner, San Antonio stepped out on its own this year, launching a brand-new race weekend under the local ownership of … MORE
BOTTOM LINE: After 16 years under the Rock ‘n’ Roll banner, San Antonio stepped out on its own this year, launching a brand-new race weekend under the local ownership of San Antonio Sports. And while growing pains are an inescapable reality for any first-time event, the inaugural San Antonio Marathon Weekend was remarkably smooth sailing from expo to finish festival. Even with a reported 19,000 runners, SATX avoided major hiccups and made me glad I’d waited all these years for a better (i.e. less corporate) option than the Rock ‘n’ Roll Series.
On that note, and on a Texas scale of more to less corporate, SATX fell somewhere between Dallas / Houston (more) on one end and The Cowtown (less) on the other; for its part, The Cowtown felt just as professionally produced but at the same time more laid back and local. Having a more corporate vibe isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it’s not to say more buttoned-up races lack a distinct personality—only that some personalities are more distinct and more memorable than others.
In the case of San Antonio, the energetic and entertaining half marathon course through downtown was well designed and, as I understood it from SATX veterans, a marked improvement over the previous Rock ‘n’ Roll route. Though not necessarily scenic with its urban mix of mostly residential and commercial neighborhoods, the route featured notable highlights like the wear blue Mile tribute to fallen service members through Brackenridge Park in mile 7 and a brief stretch through the Pearl Brewery District in mile 12. I also enjoyed the gentle climb up to Joint Base San Antonio–Fort Sam Houston in mile 9/10, followed by a short loop on the base and a return trip via that same downhill in mile 11. Rounding out the course highlights, a drum ensemble in mile 13 provided a much-needed boost.
The marathon and half marathon courses diverged in the final 0.4 miles to approach the finish from different directions. This meant only marathoners passed the Alamo in the home stretch, a fact that understandably seemed lost on most of the road-weary runners who at that point were laser focused on the finish line. Aid stations along the course were plentiful on a warm and muggy day, and the city of San Antonio showed mucho corazón, as the spectators lining the route—and there were plenty—filled the streets with their supportive cheers and infectious energy. And I’d be remiss not to mention the pre-race performance of the national anthem which, sung by a talented and precocious 11-year-old, was among the best I’ve heard on race day. Clearly this is a city that’s willing and able to support its own home-grown marathon weekend, and that local support will be instrumental in growing the event and attracting out-of-town runners like me.
As a destination, San Antonio makes for a rewarding weekend getaway. December weather is likely to be among the best in the nation for running, while the Alamo and Riverwalk as the main attractions can both be enjoyed in a single afternoon if you’re efficient and don’t linger (but what fun is that?). Clean-up and maintenance efforts in recent years have paid off handsomely, and despite its decidedly touristy feel, the downtown section of the Riverwalk is now a charming, walkable stretch lined with shops and restaurants that tend to get very crowded on weekends. Not surprisingly given the five Spanish colonial missions within city limits, San Antonio is also a conspicuously devout community. This manifested on race day in the somewhat surprising pre-race prayer along with several spectator signs that referenced Bible verses or suggested that Jesus may play a key role in my performance (hopefully he wasn’t responsible for my corral assignment, as detailed below).
Overall I’d rate San Antonio’s inaugural offering at 4½ shoes; the unremarkable urban scenery and my frustration with the start corrals (see “PRODUCTION” below) prevent me from rounding up. Having now run the six largest cities in Texas (Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, though Austin was nearly 15 years ago), I’d have a tough time recommending San Antonio over The Cowtown, Dallas, or even Houston if you’re a 50 Stater looking for a single Texas race. That said, SATX in its inaugural year is already easy to recommend on its own merits. And it’s a race weekend that, with a few workable tweaks, should reach its top-tier potential in the years to come.
PRODUCTION: To use a phrase many runners (including myself) use to describe other big-city Texas marathons, the inaugural San Antonio Marathon Weekend felt like a well-oiled machine. If I hadn’t known, I would not have guessed this was their first rodeo. The expo was excellent (despite its unflattering merch options) with an impressive number of vendors, race day was energetic and well supported as described above, and though it was crowded, the lively finish festival at Hemisfair provided swaths of green grass on which to sit and relax.
At the same time, there were key aspects of race weekend that could (and no doubt will) be improved. In particular, the staging area was a bit of a mess, with minimal signage to guide runners to the start corrals. No one seemed to be checking bib numbers to ensure each runner started in the appropriate corral, something larger races tend to do. And once I did enter my designated corral, I found myself positioned near the 2-hour pacers (appropriately so, since I’d estimated my finish time at 1:59:59, an average pace of 9:09/mile) but one corral BEHIND the 5-hour (avg pace 11:27/mile) and 5½ hour (avg pace 12:35/mile) marathon pacers. Huh? 🤔
As anticipated, this arrangement caused immediate angst as I spent the early miles of the race weaving around slower runners (and even a few walkers) to the tune of a 10:04 opening mile and 9:23 second mile. And with that, my hopes of running sub-two hours went out the window. Not wanting to do anything stupid on a janky lower leg, I focused instead on running comfortably at a 9:08/mile (i.e. sub-two hour) pace for the final 11+ miles. Curiously, the two-hour pacers didn’t pass me until the mile 9 marker, meaning their last four miles must have been significantly faster than their previous nine to finish under two hours—not the ideal way to pace a two-hour half marathon.
Also in need of improvement going forward, the race tracking app crashed and burned, logging my splits for miles 9–12 at 23:19, 3:43, 3:43, and 6:27. Nothing like breaking a world record two miles in a row! And like the start of the race, foot traffic around the crowded finish festival at the Hemisfair was slow going, though that may have had more to do with the road construction that seemed to be ongoing in that area.
Overall, the production exceeded expectations for a first-time event, and especially one as Texas-sized as San Antonio Marathon Weekend with its reported 19,000 runners. Putting on an event like this—and especially the first year—takes a village, and it’s clear that from the moment the city took the reins from the Rock ‘n’ Roll folks, plenty of blood, sweat, and tears went into planning this year’s inaugural event. Bravo, SATX.
SWAG: This is a rarity for me, but as a bling aficionado I’m giving the SATX swag a 5-shoe rating based on the medal alone. Too many races—both inaugural and long-time events—seem to treat medal design as an afterthought, the end result being a passable but uninspiring keepsake that’s soon forgotten. On the other hand, the team at San Antonio Sports clearly took great pride in their inaugural medals—the half marathon medal features a colorful cartoon depiction of a mariachi band with the bandleader front and center wearing an oversized sombrero (see the race’s Facebook page for the marathon and 5K designs). If you value the artistry of the finisher medal like I do, you can’t help but love it. Check out the attached photo to see for yourself.
As for the race tee, it’s good enough—a short-sleeve, navy blue tech tee from Pressio that’s wearable, albeit fairly shapeless (as was much of the merch at the expo). It’s one I’ll wear, though at the same time not one I’ll go searching for in my extensive wardrobe of race tees. Here’s hoping as the race grows and matures, it also takes a step up in the apparel department.
Beautiful course lots of spectators
Amazing course, very scenic! Lots of spectators out cheering you on. It was a bit Hilly especially between .miles 10 to 20, seemed either going up or down a hill. … MORE
Amazing course, very scenic! Lots of spectators out cheering you on. It was a bit Hilly especially between .miles 10 to 20, seemed either going up or down a hill. Went through a military base, which was cool! Overall a well organized race, great scenery, great support, I recommend it to any marathon runner!
Excellent production for first time out!
Wow, this was a really nicely done production for an inaugural race! The packet pick up was well run and efficient with good exhibitors. Stay within walking distance if you … MORE
Wow, this was a really nicely done production for an inaugural race! The packet pick up was well run and efficient with good exhibitors. Stay within walking distance if you can along the river walk so you can walk so you don’t have to worry about parking. Race morning was more than a little chaotic—getting 19,000 people to a start line was a bit of a goat rodeo, everyone had to funnel down in a choke point that was difficult to say the least to navigate, and then you had to get to your corral and be checked. Once in, they did wave start so people at the very back didn’t start for nearly 1h. I was in wave 2 so in theory should have been out of the fray quickly but spent the first 2 miles elbow to face and really off pace. The course was great—flat, pretty and a staggering amount of crowd support, more than most races which was remarkable given it was a first time for this race. Good water stations—but take note, there were so MANY water stations, I genuinely thought this was a set up for hyponatremia if people weren’t careful and taking electrolytes also. At mile 9ish, you start a long slow climb of the only hill on the course into Ft. Sam Houston which was super cool. You run through the Fort then out around mile 10.5 and then straight down hill for the remainder of the race to the finish line which was a huge party with so many people. Good snacks including chocolate milk. No AG awards. Weather was great, overcast, foggy (so humid) but wonderful temps for Texas. Medal was good. Pics cost money 🙁 and that’s always a rip off. They use Brooksee tracking so people following you can literally get real time updates and estimates (that were dead on) about where you would be when.
Inaugural San Antonio Marathon Weekend
We had a great time at the weekend events for the inaugural San Antonio Marathon. This is a completely new, San Antonio themed event that replaces the Rock and Roll … MORE
We had a great time at the weekend events for the inaugural San Antonio Marathon. This is a completely new, San Antonio themed event that replaces the Rock and Roll series event from years past. Overall, the events were well organized, planned and attended. I believe there were about 3,000 runners in the 5k event on Friday, and about 14,000 runners in the Half-Marathon/Full Marathon events on Sunday. I’ll share my quick impressions of what worked well and what could improve for next year (2026 registration is already available at a low, low price!)
The expo was held Friday and Saturday and was well attended by vendors. The official race merchandise was made by Pressio. There were many options for both men and women. Personally, I felt the quality could have been better for the price; I didn’t purchase anything at the expo, but the race shirts were pretty good. They did run out of my pre-selected shirt size for the 5k, so I hope that is something that will be improved for next year.
The 5k on Friday night was holiday themed and took place around the lights of San Antonio. The race energy was high and the course was flat. Don’t miss the free Voodoo Donuts on the course! Logistically, some parts of the course were a bit tight, and the water station area was a bit congested in the setup. Also, they did set up corrals for the 5k (1-6) based on projected finish time. This was a nice way to organize people, but they also released corrals one by one with about a 3 minute pause between corrals. It seemed to take longer than necessary to get started. Overall, it was a great option for a shakeout run and was quite festive! Plus, much like the Houston Double option, if you ran the San Antonio 5k plus one of the Sunday Marathon events, you earned the Texas Two Step medal!
Sunday morning was also pretty smooth overall; free parking was provided at the Alamodome, which was about a 1 mile walk to the start. (Good for a warmup). There were also various spots around downtown and a valet option that could be worth it! Stephen also thought it would be a good idea for the city to use the Via busses to shuttle runners from the lots to the start, but the mile wasn’t too bad of a walk.
We used gear check which was set up by last name – you dropped your bag at your assigned UPS truck and they transported to the finish line. This was the best I’ve seen it done in any race – gear was right there at the end after you exited the finish queue which was great to have so quickly after the finish!
Port-a-Potties were abundant, but they were all near corral 4. There were 20 total corrals for the race – my suggestion would be to spread them out a bit more for the folks in the back. As a side note, these were also plentiful throughout the course and there never appeared to be a wait.
The start was prompt at 7:15am. Stephen was in corral 2 and started almost right away. I was in 16, and it took about 30 minutes to get all the way to the start. It would be nice to have speakers/sound toward the back so we could hear which groups were going as well as the pre-race music/festivities.
After the start, it was a bit of a blur! There was incredible crowd and course support throughout the run. As far as logistics go for the half marathon, I give the race an A+. There were ample water and electrolyte stops, even for the back of the pack. There was also a gel stop that was well stocked when I passed through. Stephen’s feedback for the marathon course was similar, but he said maybe make the electrolyte stops less diluted. I also, for the first time ever, stopped at first aid around mile 5 for an arch/ankle issue. They were quick to provide care and support and I was back on the course.
One of the most touching sections of the race was the Wear Blue Tribute Mile, honoring our military men and women lost in the line of duty. It was incredibly beautiful, patriotic and well done, a tribute to this military city!
Mile 9 was the only measurable hill on the half course – about 260ft total gain between miles 9 and 10. We also ran through Fort Sam Houston which was a pretty cool experience, and the band there was jamming! For the marathon course, you’re treated to about 900ft of elevation gain over the back half of the run.
Mile 11 was a chance to make up some time downhill, and the finish through the Pearl district and Hemisfair was also a nice San Antonio tribute. Finish line logistics were good, but one of the only areas I would really suggest improvement for runner safety. There needs to be additional barriers along the finish to prevent course crossing. Finisher medals were available immediately after crossing, and HEB provided all the post race treats (hello chocolate milk). I had to traverse the crowds to pick up my Texas Two Step medal, which in hindsight should be closer to the finish line.
The course is walker friendly – 4 hours for the half, and 7 hours for the full.
The post race festival was lively – long lines for beer/food/pics but this is the case in most major events. We stayed for a bit to enjoy the scene but didn’t partake for long. If you have family/friends joining, there was plenty of space for chairs and resting on the park lawn.
Overall, a GREAT event and experience! I highly recommend this event for anyone seeking a fun and mildly challenging course. San Antonio nailed it with this one!
Great Race
Being the first year for this race, it went off with out a hitch in my opinion, especially with over 15,000 runners. Packet pick up was at the convention center … MORE
Being the first year for this race, it went off with out a hitch in my opinion, especially with over 15,000 runners. Packet pick up was at the convention center and went smoothly. Decent amount of vendors if you happen to have forgotten something or looking for some new merch. Race day was pretty crowded around the start corals, but what do you expect with that many runners. Like most big city races there were good areas and some not so good areas. No safety type issues, just have to go through some run down parts which is fine by me. The crowd support was amazing. Both sides of the streets where lined with people on a lot of the course and the closer you go to the finish, the more people there were. Didn’t get to stick around for the after party cause we had a plane to catch, but what i did see of it, it looked to be a good one. It reminded me of the Indy Mini in a lot of ways without the track, but you didn’t get to run through a small military base which was pretty cool. Overall, I would have no problem recommending this one and if i lived close enough, I would do it on a regular basis.
Fun inaugural race
Got to the start and met online friend for selfie and went to the bathrooms. Line was moving but I got scared and went to the corral. Glad I did … MORE
Got to the start and met online friend for selfie and went to the bathrooms. Line was moving but I got scared and went to the corral. Glad I did because they were PACKED. Great energy 0-10 until the half split from the full. Had a fun race! Said I participated as a first timer because it was the first race, my 38th overall and 27th state.
Great Support, Beautiful City
The San Antonio community and San Antonio Sports did a phenomenal job with the inaugural year of the San Antonio Marathon. I was impressed with the number of water stations, … MORE
The San Antonio community and San Antonio Sports did a phenomenal job with the inaugural year of the San Antonio Marathon. I was impressed with the number of water stations, and the volunteers showed up in force.
The course was beautiful, particularly the memorial (blue) mile, the path through Fort Sam Houston, and the run through the botanical gardens. The rolling hills definitely hurt on tired legs, but the city isn’t flat and the community support more than made up for it.
Congrats to the city on year one and I look forward to future years!