The Woodlands Marathon
The Woodlands, TX
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 2K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Woodlands Marathon is a BOSTON QUALIFIER, the fastest course in Texas on average and one of the top 25th fastest courses in the country. It qualifies close to 11% of its registered runners in the marathon for the Boston Marathon. The marathon, half marathon, 5k, 10K and 2k Fun … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Mar 01):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 83 | 73 | 85 | 71 | 72 |
| L (°F) | 49 | 49 | 71 | 35 | 52 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
I wouldn't run it again
I will preface this with saying this was my 3rd marathon, the other 2 being the Austin marathon. Overall, unless I was trying to BQ I would never run the … MORE
I will preface this with saying this was my 3rd marathon, the other 2 being the Austin marathon. Overall, unless I was trying to BQ I would never run the full again and even at that I would probably go somewhere else.
My biggest critiques were the course, bathroom lines, and running out of food at the finish line.
The course is rather boring, trees and road that is it. There was very little crowd support. You run so many areas twice, causing elite athletes to be mixed in with slower (me) runners. This wasn’t an issue for me, but the elite athletes were having to weave in and out of other runners. There is a spot you will run twice that is just sidewalk, that’s fine, what is not fine is that there are people walking dogs, pulling strollers, or just chill walking where we are supposed to be running. Poor course marking in the area caused me to worry I got off course because it seemed odd to not have someone directing runners and non-runners or some type of signage. Additionally, the streets were not fully shut off. They had cones to divide runners and cars, it didn’t feel safe in some areas and many intersections they were still trying to get cars though with officers stopping traffic. People in cars were getting mad and honking, it felt uncomfortable.
Bathroom lines were horrid, there would be one bathroom on course with 20+ people lined up. Pre-race, the bathroom lines were long, they had 3 bathrooms blocked off for pacers/elites and then just 6 bathrooms for everyone else, half and full marathoners.
As I finished, it was warm and I grabbed my metal and headed to grab food. The only food left were chicken strips and soggy brisket burritos. There was no cold water because they said they ran out. There were no bananas or other snacks. I finished 1 1/2 hours BEFORE the cut off, I feel like they should have at least enough bananas and cold water to last the whole marathon.
Nice flat course
Race organization was really good - from check-in, to starting line, to finish line. The course is overall flat - a few rollers and mixed inclines/decline, but it could be … MORE
Race organization was really good – from check-in, to starting line, to finish line. The course is overall flat – a few rollers and mixed inclines/decline, but it could be a fast course. Course aid stations were plentiful, volunteers great, and safety/police fantastic.
The two loops were nice as it gave runners a glimpse of what was to come for most of the second loop. Running out in the less developed areas was also nice in the more wooded areas.
First Timer 🤩
This race was my very first half marathon and it was ran so smoothly by amazing people and vendors! Will definitely be back doing the full marathon & always in … MORE
This race was my very first half marathon and it was ran so smoothly by amazing people and vendors! Will definitely be back doing the full marathon & always in The Woodlands 🤍
One of the areas best 10K's!
The Woodlands is a very well run and directed race in every way. Course is well-marked and mostly tree-lined which mitigates any wind. 10K runners are provided a non-congested course … MORE
The Woodlands is a very well run and directed race in every way. Course is well-marked and mostly tree-lined which mitigates any wind. 10K runners are provided a non-congested course as they run separately from the half and marathon. Awards and swag are first rate. The VIP tent is right above the finish line and provides GREAT food and beverage! Worth the price.
BQ Course! Perfect size race. RD is A+
Ran every event over the past decade with the exception of the 5K which is run the prior weekend. Very competitive race across age groups. Many runners skip the Houston … MORE
Ran every event over the past decade with the exception of the 5K which is run the prior weekend. Very competitive race across age groups. Many runners skip the Houston Marathon to run The Woodlands as it is a better run race, easier to park, a faster course, costs less and the post race festivities, food and entertainment are really, really good. The half marathon is has the largest field.
The course tree lined for the most part which shields runners from the wind. The course is about as flat as can be. Flatter than Houston (Woodlands’ is flat, downhill at the end vs 3 underpasses and an uphill grade in downtown), Indy, Columbus. And, The course has the right number of runners vs being clogged. Corrals are based on time. A charity or VIP entry does not place slow runners and walkers in front of faster runners which Houston, Indy and other races sadly do. This causes congestion that has faster runners having to weave around the pay-for-position runners, which increase stress, distance run and risk of injury. Thus, I have not run Houston or Indy a 2nd time.
Twice there have been issues with runners following the course. Why? Runners follow others and ignore the signs. The police lead is responsible for knowing the course. A replacement did not and short coursed the runners, which killed BQ’s for many. In spite of the waiver, the Race Director, Willie Fowlkes, provided refunds which is unheard. This is one of many reasons Mr. Fowlkes has more respect than most race directors. Cycle leads and ALL runners should know the course, pay attention to the signs. If one fails to follow a well-marked course it is due to their not paying attention (e.g., music, conversation, following the crowd = not being in the moment and the race). The responsibility is the runner’s!
Relaxing race
The organizers did a great job with this race! The communication and signage was excellent. The course itself had some rolling hills and lined with trees. Parking was a little … MORE
The organizers did a great job with this race! The communication and signage was excellent. The course itself had some rolling hills and lined with trees.
Parking was a little tricky, as there were a ton of smaller parking lots. The finish line was a lot of fun with the beautiful area surrounded by small ponds. I liked that the medal has the state of Texas on there.
I'll be back!
This was my first time running this race. The area is nice. The course is great! The one thing that wasn't so great was the parking. There parking volunteers were … MORE
This was my first time running this race. The area is nice. The course is great! The one thing that wasn’t so great was the parking. There parking volunteers were few, so it was hard to know if a lot had parking spaces available, until parking further out and passing by the empty parking spaces. Other than that, it was great. The post-race festivities were well organized and there was plenty of space; people weren’t all on top of each other. The weather beautiful! I’ll be back for 2023!
Bonked, but BQ'd
Unusually warm for this race. Usually, in the 40s. The Woodlands is a very well run and directed race in every way. Course is well-marked and mostly tree-lined which mitigates … MORE
Unusually warm for this race. Usually, in the 40s. The Woodlands is a very well run and directed race in every way. Course is well-marked and mostly tree-lined which mitigates any wind. Awards and swag are first rate. The VIP tent is right above the finish line and provides GREAT food and beverage! Worth the price.
You're gonna love the course.
-A well-conducted race for Houston-area runners. -Loved the finish line swag this year! -Overall, this course is navigable & easy to run. Having a hairpin turn in a marathon course … MORE
-A well-conducted race for Houston-area runners.
-Loved the finish line swag this year!
-Overall, this course is navigable & easy to run. Having a hairpin turn in a marathon course is not ideal, but it’s also not the worst thing.
-Race day logistics and staging were smooth & optimal!
Well organized. Lots of potty/hydration
This race was super well organized with plenty of stops for water/Gatorade/gels/gummies and potties at every stop. The swag was great (finishers shirt is a moisture wicking that you'd actually … MORE
This race was super well organized with plenty of stops for water/Gatorade/gels/gummies and potties at every stop.
The swag was great (finishers shirt is a moisture wicking that you’d actually wear to run)
After was a pretty decent festival with a bouncy house for the kiddos and a free beer and food for the hungry runners
I’ll be back to see if I can improve on my first attempt!
Free Race!!
First of all, I would like to say Thank you to the race organization for a free race entry. I really enjoyed everything about this course and marathon. I especially … MORE
First of all, I would like to say Thank you to the race organization for a free race entry. I really enjoyed everything about this course and marathon. I especially liked that even though the 1/2 marathon and marathon started at the same place it was nice that the marathon and 1/2 corals were separate and we basically never saw he 1/2 marathon runners. The only this that I would change is to get a different post race beer besides Heineken and different post race food besides potato taco’s but no complaints. Great Race and Great Pacers.
25.4 miles
This race should be boycotted by all runners. Everyone was cheated since the race was unofficial at 25.4 miles. Ran numerous races and never had a screw up that these … MORE
This race should be boycotted by all runners. Everyone was cheated since the race was unofficial at 25.4 miles. Ran numerous races and never had a screw up that these race officials pulled. The race director should be fired/removed for his incompetence. They were more concerned with getting folks to sign up for next year rather than reimbursing folks for a product they did not receive.