Run smarter. Race faster.
Dallas, TX · Sunday, December 13, 2026
The Dallas Marathon starts and finishes at City Hall and runs a big loop out to White Rock Lake and back. The shape is simple: a gradual climb of about 140 feet from Turtle Creek to Greenville Avenue in the first seven miles, eight flat miles around the lake, then the race’s one real hill on Winsted Drive just after mile 18. From there it’s mostly downhill along Ross Avenue into downtown, with a short climb up from Riverfront Boulevard to the finish.
Pace plan
Set your goal and start time. Your checkpoints, the time of day you’ll reach each one, and the course guide below all update to match.
Pacing
A little slower on the climbs, a little faster on the downhills and flats, for the same finish time. Based on where this course climbs. Treat it as an effort guide.
Corrals start in waves, from 8:00 a.m. for corral A to about 8:30 a.m. for corral D. Enter the start time on your bib to see the time of day you’ll reach each checkpoint.
Average pace
8:01/mi
Hover or tap a bar to see that mile.
| Checkpoint | Elapsed |
|---|---|
| Cedar Springs RoadMile 3 · The first climb. Behind pace here is fine | 24:07 |
| Greenville AvenueMile 7.1 · The high point. A few seconds behind is on track | 57:16 |
| Half/full splitMile 7.8 · Richmond & Greenville by 10:45 a.m. | 1:02:50 |
| Halfway, White Rock LakeMile 13.1 · Even pace from here. Don’t press yet | 1:45:05 |
| Winsted DriveMile 18.5 · The big climb. Let the pace slow | 2:28:08 |
| Greenville & RossMile 21.6 · Downhill from here. Start racing if you can | 2:53:14 |
| FinishMile 26.2 · Dallas City Hall Plaza | 3:30:00 |
Save it to your phone, or send the link to the people cheering for you.
The course
You start on Marilla Street at City Hall and head west through downtown, then run Commerce Street under the Triple Underpass at Dealey Plaza and turn north on Riverfront Boulevard. This is the lowest part of the course, about 50 feet below the start. The first mile slopes gently down, so it will feel easy. Let it.
7:56 /miMile 2 at 15:53
Past the American Airlines Center, the course climbs about 80 feet up Harwood Street and Cedar Springs Road, then dips down to Turtle Creek. It’s the first time the legs have to work. Hold your effort and let the pace come back on the way down.
8:05 /miMile 4 at 32:02
Turtle Creek Boulevard, Avondale, Fitzhugh and Cole Avenue add up to a long, gradual climb of about 140 feet, topping out near Monticello and Greenville Avenue around mile 7. That’s the high point of the course. None of it is steep, but it adds up. Expect these splits to come in a few seconds slow, and don’t chase them.
8:06 /miMile 7.8 at 1:02:50
The half marathon turns for home at Richmond Avenue and Greenville. Marathoners must be through that split by 10:45 a.m. You head east along Richmond and Gaston through Lakewood, dropping about 110 feet to White Rock Lake. Use the free speed, but keep it smooth.
7:54 /miMile 10 at 1:20:13
You run a full lap of the lake on West and East Lawther Drive and the lake trail, with a short detour through the neighborhood near Dalgreen Drive and a crossing at the north end near Northwest Highway. It’s flat and scenic, with halfway near the north end, but the field thins out and a north wind blows straight across the water. Find a group and settle into goal pace.
7:59 /miMile 18.5 at 2:28:08
Below the spillway at the south end of the lake, the course turns up Winsted Drive and climbs about 130 feet in roughly a mile on its way back to Gaston Avenue. It’s the steepest climb of the day and it comes when you’re tired. Shorten your stride, keep your arms working, and accept a slower split.
8:16 /miMile 20 at 2:40:31
Gaston and Richmond take you back west toward Greenville Avenue, gently downhill with a few small rises. Spectators gather around Lower Greenville, which you passed at mile 7. Take a gel here so you have it for the last 5 miles.
7:57 /miMile 21.6 at 2:53:14
Ross Avenue runs downhill into downtown, about 120 feet over nearly three miles, with a short detour on San Jacinto and Field Street through the Arts District. If you’ve saved your legs, this is where to start racing. If not, let gravity do the work and focus on form.
7:54 /miMile 24.3 at 3:14:33
Lamar and Continental drop you back to Riverfront Boulevard, the low point of the course again. Then Commerce Street climbs about 50 feet back into downtown before Ervay and the finish on Marilla at City Hall Plaza. It’s gradual, but you’ll feel it. Count down the blocks.
8:03 /miFinish at 3:30:00
| Mile | Terrain | Pace /mi | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flat | 7:53 | 7:53 |
| 2 | Flat | 8:00 | 15:53 |
| 3 | Climb | 8:14 | 24:07 |
| 4 | Rolling | 7:55 | 32:02 |
| 5 | Flat | 8:10 | 40:11 |
| 6 | Flat | 8:10 | 48:21 |
| 7 | Rolling | 8:07 | 56:28 |
| 8 | Flat | 7:57 | 1:04:25 |
| 9 | Flat | 8:01 | 1:12:26 |
| 10 | Downhill | 7:47 | 1:20:13 |
| 11 | Flat | 8:00 | 1:28:12 |
| 12 | Flat | 8:00 | 1:36:12 |
| 13 | Flat | 8:00 | 1:44:12 |
| 14 | Flat | 7:58 | 1:52:10 |
| 15 | Flat | 7:59 | 2:00:10 |
| 16 | Flat | 7:59 | 2:08:08 |
| 17 | Flat | 8:01 | 2:16:09 |
| 18 | Rolling | 8:00 | 2:24:09 |
| 19 | Rolling | 7:57 | 2:32:07 |
| 20 | Climb | 8:25 | 2:40:31 |
| 21 | Rolling | 8:00 | 2:48:31 |
| 22 | Flat | 7:52 | 2:56:23 |
| 23 | Flat | 7:56 | 3:04:19 |
| 24 | Downhill | 7:52 | 3:12:10 |
| 25 | Flat | 7:55 | 3:20:06 |
| 26 | Flat | 8:09 | 3:28:14 |
| Finish | Flat | 8:02 | 3:30:00 |
Lap your watch at each marker; GPS distance drifts over 26.2 miles. Even-pace card for 3:30:00
Race strategy
The first seven miles rise gradually, about 140 feet in all. They’re easy to run too hard because no single hill looks like much. Run them at goal effort, accept a few slow seconds, and you’ll get them back on the descent to the lake.
The eight flat miles around White Rock Lake are where pacing goes wrong. Settle into goal pace with a group and hold it. Any time you bank here, you’ll give back with interest on Winsted Drive.
After Winsted, the rest of the course is mostly downhill or flat until the short climb from Riverfront. That makes miles 21–25 the place to race. If you reach Greenville and Ross with energy left, use it.
The last few weeks
Mid-December in Dallas can be almost anything. Many race mornings are in the 30s or 40s°F, which is ideal, but warm and humid days happen, and so do cold fronts with a strong north wind. In 2013 the race was canceled because of an ice storm. Check the forecast the week of the race and set your goal by the conditions, not by your training plan.
Race morning
Yes. The race lists itself as a Boston qualifier on a USATF-certified course. The 2026 course map shows the new certification as pending, so check the official site before race day if you’re counting on it.
Moderately. There’s about 570 feet of climbing in all, mostly in a gradual climb from Turtle Creek to Greenville Avenue (miles 4–7) and a steep one on Winsted Drive around mile 19. White Rock Lake and Riverfront Boulevard are flat, and the long run down Ross Avenue helps late.
Six and a half hours, which works out to 14:50 per mile. The course reopens to traffic behind that pace. Marathoners must also reach the half/full split at Richmond Avenue and Greenville Avenue, mile 7.8, by 10:45 a.m.
Lower Greenville is the best single spot, because runners pass near Greenville and Richmond twice, around miles 7–8 and again near mile 21. White Rock Lake and Winsted Drive are good for lending support late in the race, and the finish is at City Hall Plaza.
Last checked October 21, 2026. This is an independent guide from Miles. We’re not affiliated with the race organizer. Start times, cutoffs, and logistics can change, so confirm everything on the official race site before race day.
Miles is a running coach wired directly into your training.