The short version: The 20th Fort Worth Marathon Festival is Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7–8, 2026, at Farrington Field. The 10K and 5K run Saturday. The marathon, half and 20-mile race start at 7:30 a.m. Sunday on a USATF-certified course that the race calls a Boston qualifier. Registration is open on RunSignup: the marathon is $144 until 11:59 p.m. Nov. 2, then $150. This is the last year of the 20-miler.
Race weekend at a glance
| Event | Day | Start | Fee now (through Nov. 2) | Race-week fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10K | Sat., Nov. 7 | 7:30 a.m. | $54 | Registration closes Nov. 5 |
| 5K | Sat., Nov. 7 | 7:45 a.m. | $49 | Registration closes Nov. 5 |
| Marathon | Sun., Nov. 8 | 7:30 a.m. (walkers 6:00 a.m.) | $144 | $150 |
| 20-Mile Race | Sun., Nov. 8 | 7:30 a.m. | $134 | $140 |
| Half Marathon | Sun., Nov. 8 | 7:30 a.m. | $124 | $130 |
Fees are the race fee on RunSignup; the processing fee is extra (about $9–10 on the long races). The RunSignup event setup caps the marathon at 1,200 runners, the half at 2,500 and the 20-miler at 200. Race-week prices run Nov. 3 through 7 p.m. on Nov. 7.
The 20-miler is the oddball here, and it is going away: the race calls 2026 the "final year of the 20-Mile Race." It is a useful distance for anyone using Fort Worth as a long-run tune-up for Houston, Austin or Cowtown.
The course
The race describes the Sunday course as fast and flat. It follows the Trinity River and runs through Overton Park and the Colonial area. The half shares the first 11.5 miles with the marathon, and the 20-miler shares the first 15. The marathon and half courses are USATF-certified (certificates TX24040LAB and TX24041LAB), and the race lists the marathon as a Boston Marathon qualifying course. The 20-miler, 10K and 5K are not listed as certified. Saturday's 10K runs through Trinity Park and along the Trinity Trails, and the 5K stays in Trinity Park.
For friends and family, the race suggests the Trinity Trails around miles 5–8, downtown Fort Worth around miles 12–15 and Trinity Park around miles 20–22.
Cutoffs, pace groups and the early start
- Sunday courses close at 2 p.m., about 6.5 hours after the gun. The marathon sweeper runs about 14:45 a mile and the half sweeper about 20:30 a mile.
- Saturday courses close at 10 a.m., roughly 2.5 hours for the 10K.
- The 6 a.m. early start is for marathon walkers expecting to need more than 5.5 hours. The race says not all aid stations may be open for the first 90 minutes, so carry your own fluids. Early starters still get an official time and the finisher buckle but aren't eligible for age-group awards.
- Pace groups: marathon groups from 3:10 to 5:00 every 10 minutes. Half groups from 1:30 to 2:30 every five minutes, plus 2:45, 3:00, 3:15 and 3:30.
If you're chasing a Boston time, the 3:10 to 3:30 groups line up with most of the age-group standards. Our Boston 2027 cutoff explainer covers how much of a buffer you need. Fort Worth is too late for the Chicago 2027 time-qualifier window, which closes Oct. 29 (see our Chicago application guide), but it counts for New York's 2027 time-qualifier route, which runs through Dec. 31.
Packet pickup
Pickup moves around the Metroplex during race week. The RunSignup page says times and places are subject to change until Oct. 15, so check again after that date. The official site lists noon to 6 p.m. each day; RunSignup lists 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. except Thursday.
| Day | Store |
|---|---|
| Tue., Nov. 3 | The Runner, 3535 W. Pioneer Pkwy., Pantego |
| Wed., Nov. 4 | Luke's Locker Dallas, 3046 Mockingbird Ln. |
| Thu., Nov. 5 | Bear Creek Running Co., 121 Rufe Snow Dr., Keller |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Fleet Feet Fort Worth, 2600 W. 7th St. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Luke's Locker Clearfork, 5255 Monahans Ave., Fort Worth |
The two official pages disagree on race-morning pickup. RunSignup describes a 6–7 a.m. pickup at Farrington Field, while the official site says there is no race-day packet pickup for Sunday events. If you're coming from out of town on Sunday morning, email the race (fortworthmarathon@gmail.com) before you rely on it. All five stores are in our Dallas–Fort Worth running store directory.
Parking, policies and the finish
- Parking: official race parking is at Farrington Field (1501 University Dr.). It's free Saturday. Sunday is prepaid only, with passes sold at packet pickup until the lot fills, and Trinity Park is closed to cars Sunday morning.
- No refunds or transfers. Deferrals to 2027 are allowed through Oct. 15, 2026 for an admin fee. Switching distances costs $15 plus any price difference through Nov. 6.
- Dogs and strollers are allowed only in Saturday's 5K.
- Finisher awards: a 6-inch belt buckle for the marathon, half and 20-miler, and a 3-inch medal for the 10K and 5K. Age-group awards go three deep.
- After the race: a party in Trinity Park with food, craft beer and music. Cox Racing Services handles timing and live results.
Other November options around DFW
If Nov. 8 doesn’t work, DRC’s The Half in Dallas is a week earlier, on Nov. 1. Thanksgiving week brings the four-day Texas Quad at Bachman Lake, and the Dallas Marathon weekend follows on Dec. 11–13. Every Fort Worth race on RunSignup is on our Fort Worth races page, and marathons in Texas lists every 26.2 with current fees.
