The short version: The 55th BMW Dallas Marathon weekend is December 11–13, 2026, and Sunday is sold out. As of September 27, the race lists the marathon, half, 50K ultra, relay and weekend series as full. The only Sunday entry left is a $500 Legacy Runner charity spot. Saturday's 10K ($64) and 5K are still open. If you're registered: there's no race-morning packet pickup, the marathon cutoff is 6.5 hours, and the half cutoff is 4 hours. If you missed out, the Irving Frost Marathon in Las Colinas is six days later.
Race weekend schedule
Every event starts and finishes at Dallas City Hall Plaza (Marilla St. and S. Akard St.) downtown.
| Day | Event | Start | Status (Sept. 27) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Friday Night Lights 1 Mile | 7:00 p.m. | See Race Roster |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | 10K | 8:00 a.m. | Open: $64 |
| 5K and 5K Team Challenge | 8:10 a.m. | Open: $54; team $219 | |
| 5K Walk | 8:15 a.m. | Open | |
| Kids 100M Dash (5 and under) | 10:00 a.m. | Open | |
| Oncor Kids 1-Mile Run/Walk | 11:00 a.m. | Free for Dallas ISD students | |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Marathon, Half Marathon, 50K Ultra | 8:00–8:30 a.m. (corrals A–D) | Sold out |
| 5-Person Marathon Relay | 8:00 a.m. | Sold out | |
| Half Marathon Walk | 8:30 a.m. | Sold out |
Saturday's 10K runs through downtown and Deep Ellum. The race calls the 5K "fast" with minimal turns. Both have a 20-minute-per-mile limit: 1 hour for the 5K, 2 hours for the 10K. The next price tier is $69 for the 10K and $5 more for the 5K. Youth entries (12 and under) are $10 for the 5K and $15 for the 10K.
Still want a Sunday bib? Your options
- Legacy Runner, $500. This fundraising entry covers the marathon or half. It includes a special honorary bib, an invitation to the race-weekend press conference at Scottish Rite for Children, and recognition on race weekend. The money goes to Scottish Rite for Children, the race's primary beneficiary.
- A transfer from a registered runner. The race allows transfers through October 31, 2026 on the Race Roster dashboard, with a $15 fee plus any price difference. The event pages add "if an event has not reached capacity," so email info@dallasmarathon.com before you count on it. Don't buy a bib outside the official system. Every runner has to pick up their own packet in person, so an unofficial bib won't get you to the start.
- Run Saturday instead. The 10K and 5K finish at City Hall Plaza with their own finisher medal and the post-race party (free beer for runners 21 and up).
Time limits and cutoffs
| Race | Time limit | Pace to hold |
|---|---|---|
| Marathon | 6.5 hours | 14:50 per mile |
| 50K Ultra | 6.5 hours | 12:30 per mile |
| Half Marathon | 4 hours | 18:00 per mile |
| 5-Person Relay | 6.5 hours | 14:50 per mile |
There are also two on-course cutoffs:
- Mile 7.8, Richmond Ave. and Greenville Ave., 10:45 a.m. The half and full split here, and every Sunday runner has to reach this point in time.
- Mile 18.5, Winsted Dr. and the White Rock Lake Trail, 12:00 p.m. This one applies to 50K runners only.
Streets reopen behind the pace limit, and course support and medical aid end with them. Medals go only to runners who finish inside the official time.
Packet pickup: no race-morning option
The free Health & Fitness Expo is at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, 650 S. Griffin St. Hours are Friday, Dec. 11, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 12, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. If you can't get there on either day, you can't race. The race says every runner must pick up their own packet, and it won't make exceptions. Relay teams are handled differently: one member collects the whole team's packet.
Race morning
- Corrals: Race numbers arrive by email the Wednesday before. Your corral is printed on your bib, based on the finish time you entered at registration. Corral A starts at 8:00, B at 8:10, C at 8:20, and D plus the walkers at 8:30. You can move back a corral, but never forward.
- Gear check: Opens at 6:30 a.m. It only accepts the clear bag you get at the expo.
- Pacers: The Dallas Running Club runs even splits. Marathon groups go from 3:15 to 5:15 in 15-minute steps. Half groups go from 1:30 to 3:00 in 10-minute steps. Meet your pacer at the DRC booth at the expo.
- Aid: 17 aid stations, all with water and Gatorade Endurance Formula.
- Getting there: There are surface lots within walking distance of City Hall Plaza, and the race recommends reserving parking in advance through SpotHero. DART rail also serves downtown.
- Age: Runners must be 16 or older for the half, full, 50K and relays.
The course
Sunday's course starts and ends downtown. The race says it passes through "various popular neighborhoods" with cheer stations along the way. For the first 7.8 miles, the half, full and ultra runners share the road. Relay leg 1 hands off at Harvard Ave. and Cole Ave. At Richmond and Greenville, the half turns back toward downtown and the full continues toward White Rock Lake and around it. 50K runners have a checkpoint at mile 18.5 on the White Rock Lake Trail and an ultra-only aid station at mile 20.5. The race's aid-station list puts half-marathon mile 8.4 at marathon mile 21.5, so the two courses share about the last 4.7 miles back to City Hall.
The race is a Boston Marathon qualifier on a USATF-certified course (TX21063LAB). Pick a qualifying race with our Boston 2027 cutoff explainer. We couldn't find a 2026 course map on the official site yet, so check again before race week.
What to expect in December
Plan for anything. The 2025 race ran in freezing temperatures, FOX 4 reported, and the race's own 2024 recap mentions rain. The race runs rain or shine. Visible lightning delays the start, and a canceled race is not rescheduled or refunded. Registration is non-refundable unless you bought the optional refund protection plan when you signed up.
About 19,000 runners finished in 2025, from all 50 states and more than 30 countries. Two Dallas runners won: Steven Fahy took the marathon in about 2:23, and Sergio Mena the half in about 1:06. Alauna Carstens won the women's marathon in about 2:53. Olympian Dakotah Popehn won the women's half in about 1:12.
Texas's oldest marathon
The race began as the White Rock Marathon in 1971 and is Texas's oldest marathon. It moved to December in 1976, and it has supported Scottish Rite for Children since 1997. The race calls 2026 its 55th year. The same weekend also has holiday races across Texas if your family wants its own start line.
Missed out? North Texas races to run instead
These are on RunSignup and were open as of September 27. Prices are the current tier before processing fees.
| Race | Date | Distances | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Worth Marathon | Sun., Nov. 8 | Full, half, 20 mi | $139 / $119 (through Oct. 6) |
| Vibha Dallas Dream Mile | Sun., Nov. 15 | Half, 10K, 5K | $70 half (through Sept. 30) |
| Texas Quad, Bachman Lake | Nov. 26–29 | Half or full, 1–4 days | $95 a day |
| CRC Thanksgiving Day Half, Fort Worth | Thu., Nov. 26 | Half, 5K, 1 mi | $70 half (through Sept. 30) |
| Irving Frost Marathon, Las Colinas | Sat., Dec. 19 | Full, half, 10K, 5K | $129.99 / $109.99 (through Oct. 18) |
| Texas Double, Bachman Lake | Dec. 19–20 | Half, full or 50K, 1–2 days | $95 a day (through Sept. 30) |
| New Years Double, Allen | Dec. 31 & Jan. 1 | Full, half, 5K each day | $115 |
| Time Travel Half, Garland | Sat., Jan. 2 | Half, 10K, 5K | $70 half |
The Irving Frost is the closest match. It's one week after Dallas, starts at Toyota Music Factory, and bills itself as a "fast & flat," USATF-certified Boston qualifier that benefits the Irving Schools Foundation. The Fort Worth Marathon is five weeks earlier, also on a certified course, along the Trinity River. The Bachman Lake doubles and quads are small loop races (8 laps for the full), and the organizer says the course is not certified this year because of construction. They suit racking up marathons more than chasing a BQ.
Willing to travel? The San Antonio Marathon (Dec. 6) was still open at $199. So were Austin (Feb. 14) and Cowtown (Feb. 28), per our Texas registration check. Houston is sold out too; see Houston alternatives. For every option, browse the Texas marathon calendar, the half marathon calendar, the Dallas–Fort Worth calendar and the December race guide.
