The short version: Saturday, Oct. 17 has two marathons and three 50Ks. The Galveston Ultra Trail runs a point-to-point 50K down the beach. The Home For Freedom Marathon in Wichita Falls raises money for tiny homes for veterans. The Inks Lake Trail Run has a trail marathon and 50K in the Hill Country, and Midland’s Energy City Half is in its 12th year. On Sunday, Oct. 18, the Huntsville Half returns on its old course. Fees below are the RunSignup race fee on Oct. 11, before processing fees.
| Race | When | Where | Main distances and fee on Oct. 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galveston Ultra Trail | Sat., Oct. 17, 7:20 a.m. | Galveston Island beach | 50K $125 · Half $95 · 10K $75 · 5K $60 |
| Home For Freedom Marathon | Sat., Oct. 17, 7 a.m. | Lake Wichita Park, Wichita Falls | Marathon $125 · Half $90 · 5K $45 |
| Inks Lake Trail Run/Ruck | Sat., Oct. 17, 7 a.m. | Inks Lake State Park, Burnet | 50K $135 · Marathon $115 · Half $90 · 10K $70 · 5K $45 |
| Energy City Race | Sat., Oct. 17, 7:45 a.m. | Midland | Half $115 · 10K $85 · 5K $65 |
| Huntsville Half & 10k | Sun., Oct. 18, 8 a.m. | University Ave., Huntsville | Half $99 · 10K $69 |
Galveston Ultra Trail (Saturday)
Trail Racing Over Texas calls this one “trail running, Texas coast style,” and the trail is the beach. The 50K is point to point: runners take a shuttle to the start and run the length of Galveston Island to the finish at the central race hub, with the Gulf on one side the whole way. RunSignup lists the event address as 1929 Boddeker Road. The organizer’s course notes promise hard-packed sand (tide dependent), almost no elevation, and full exposure to wind and sun, so the real variables are the breeze and the tide, not hills.
- Start times: 50K and 50K relay at 7:20 a.m.; half marathon and 10K at 8:30 a.m.; 5K run/walk and 5K ruck at 9 a.m.; 1-mile walk and free kids run at 10 a.m.
- Price: 50K $125, half $95, 10K $75, 5K and 5K ruck $60, 1-mile walk $40, through race morning. The 50K relay splits the course into five 10K beach legs for teams of two to five; RunSignup lists the relay at $55.
- Extras: finisher medals, a race towel, chip timing, free race photos and a finish-line festival with food trucks. Aid stations stock NeverSecond fuel and electrolytes.
It is the most unusual race of the weekend and a soft entry into ultras for road marathoners, since there are no technical trails to learn. Bring sunscreen and a hat for the late-morning finish. More on the format in our Texas ultra season preview and the ultramarathons in Texas hub.
Home For Freedom Marathon, Wichita Falls (Saturday)
Home For Freedom is a Wichita Falls nonprofit that builds tiny homes for veterans facing housing insecurity. The organization says its first home is occupied by a veteran who was previously homeless and its second was just completed, and that each home costs about $50,000 to build and furnish without donations. The marathon is its fundraiser. The start and finish are at Lake Wichita Park, just past the veterans’ memorial; the marathon starts at 7 a.m., the half at 7:30 and the 5K at 8.
- Price: marathon $125, half $90, 5K $45 in the final tier, which closes the night of Oct. 14. A shipped virtual option (shirt and medal) is also available.
- Packet pickup only before race day: Thursday, Oct. 15, 5–7 p.m. at CycleRun (5007 Taft Blvd.) or Friday, Oct. 16, 5–8 p.m. at American Legion Post 169 (4605 Lake Shore Dr.), where a spaghetti dinner is included for runners. There is no race-day pickup and packets are not mailed.
- Boston status: the race says it is pursuing Boston-qualifying certification for the marathon course but it is not guaranteed until certification is final. Don’t make this your only BQ attempt. Our Boston 2027 cutoff explainer covers what times you need.
- No refunds: transfers to next year are reviewed case by case.
Awards go three deep overall and three deep in each 10-year age group at every distance. If the cause appeals but Oct. 17 doesn’t work, see our Veterans Day races in Texas page for November options.
Inks Lake Trail Run/Ruck, Burnet (Saturday)
Perspective Pacing’s Inks Lake race packs six distances into one morning at Inks Lake State Park (3630 Park Road 4 West): the 50K starts at 7 a.m., the marathon, half and half-marathon ruck at 7:30, the 10K and 5K at 8, and a 1-mile youth trail run at 10. Prices in the current tier are $135 for the 50K, $115 for the marathon, $90 for the half or half ruck, $70 for the 10K and $45 for the 5K, and registration stays open until race day.
The park’s granite terrain is rockier than the pine trails of East Texas, so trail shoes are a better choice than road shoes. See all trail races in Texas for more Hill Country dates.
Energy City Race, Midland (Saturday)
Now in its 12th year, the Energy City Half Marathon, 10K, 5K and 1K is billed as a destination race for West Texas, and the organizer says it has historically drawn more than 1,100 runners. It is hosted by the Camron Stotts Foundation. Camron Stotts started the race in 2015 to benefit Restoration Farm, the ministry he founded with his family, and was killed by a drunk driver while cycling near his home in 2018. Proceeds go to local charities.
The half starts at 7:45 a.m. and the 10K and 5K at 8:05. Fees are $115 for the half, $85 for the 10K, $65 for the 5K and $20 for the kids run, open until race morning. Two weeks later, West Texas has the Lubbock Marathon on Oct. 25, and El Paso’s Transmountain Half is in our Nov. 7–8 race weekend guide.
Huntsville Half & 10k (Sunday)
The organizer says the Huntsville half marathon is back on “much of the traditional course,” now with a 10K alongside it. Both start at 8 a.m. on University Avenue across from Rather Park and run through the Sam Houston State University campus: two loops for the half, one for the 10K with an earlier turnaround. The race pitches itself as a tune-up for the Chevron Houston Marathon, which is three months out. Fees are $99 for the half and $69 for the 10K until registration closes the night of Oct. 14.
If you missed Houston Marathon entry, the Houston half marathon page and Houston race series list other winter targets.
For the ultra crowd
- Love Never Ends Trail Run, Mt. Pleasant (Sat.): the fifth edition moves to Bell Ranch, with 100K ($175), 50 miles ($155), 50K ($135), 10 miles ($90) and 5K run, walk or ruck ($75). The organizer lists about 600 feet of climbing per 10-mile loop through pine and oak. The 100K starts at 6 a.m.
- Death by 5k, Tyler State Park (Sat.–Sun.): ten trail “5Ks” in 24 hours, one every 2.5 hours starting at 8 a.m., on a loop the organizer warns is closer to 3.6 miles. Finish each lap before the next one starts. Capped at 150 runners, $170, with a waitlist once full; online registration closes the night of Oct. 14.
Also this weekend
The Toughest 10K Galveston on Sunday crosses the Galveston Causeway twice, a 72-foot climb at a 3.5% grade each way ($70 through Oct. 12, $75 through Oct. 17, $80 on race day). Houston’s Shipley Donut Dash is Saturday (see our food-race roundup), and the Day of the Dead Half Marathon series visits Houston on Saturday and Fort Worth on Sunday. Costume races are everywhere: see Halloween races in Texas and the full October race calendar.
