Nov 13, 2024

☰

Premium Listings

Verified Accounts

Free Race Organizer Account

Become An Advertiser

Marathon Details - Houston Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > TX > Houston > Houston Marathon

Houston Marathon

Chevron Houston Marathon & Half Marathon, 5K

Houston, TX USA

January 19, 2025

http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com

News

Marathon Results

By Year:

2024 2023 2022 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

SUMMARY: Flat, fast, scenic and single-loop, the course has been ranked as the fastest winter marathon and second fastest marathon overall by "Ulitmate Guide to Marathons." Also scored 2nd highest out of 54 marathons covered by "Marathon & Beyond."

The Houston Marathon is a testament to the resilience and spirit of runners from all over the world. Whether pleasant or grueling, humorous or inspiring and life-changing, a runner's first marathon will always be remembered. Participants share stories of the motivation that first pushed them to tackle the marathon distance, of new friendships and self-discovery forged over the miles, and of the immense joy of reaching the ultimate goal: the finish line. Although each runner's experience is unique, all convey a universal pride in completing the marathon.

The marathon is known for its flat, fast course and excellent organization. The energy at the start is incomparable, and the support throughout the course is unrivaled. The expo at the convention center is well-organized and diverse, helping runners feel prepared for race day.

The route passes through notable landmarks such as Rice University and vibrant neighborhoods. The race features numerous hydration stations and enthusiastic volunteers who support runners at every step. The finish line is a celebration with medals, food, and the coveted finisher's shirt.

The Houston Marathon remains a favorite for many. Its flat course makes it ideal for setting personal records. The community support and crowd energy inspire runners through the final miles. The post-race amenities, including the warm convention center with food and beverages, provide a comfortable recovery environment.

In conclusion, the Houston Marathon is more than just a race. It is an event that brings together runners from different corners of the world, giving them the opportunity to test their strength and feel genuine pride in their achievements. It is a chance to become part of history and leave a mark on the prestigious marathon. Every step of this journey is filled with love, hope, and inspiration.

Contact Information

Name:	Carly Caulfield
Address:	720 North Post Oak Road Suite 200 Houston, Texas 77024
Phone Number:	713-957-3453
Fax Number:	713-957-3406
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (365)

Course 4.5

Organization 4.7

Spectators 4.6

Write a review

Number of comments: 365 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 37 > ]

Jeff Wang from Porter, Texas (1/14/2024) "Cold beautiful running day in the heart Texas" (about: 2024) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a beautiful day for marathon, and what is better than a well organized race on a sunny 40-50 degree slightly breezy day. Unlike hot weather last year, this race is similar to 2006 when everyone I knew PR. Houston Marathon is a very well organized event and the largest annual sporting event in Houston. Have ran many other marathons, I think Houston organization is the best, starting from registration to regular update to Expos to the race day. Expos this year is very well organized, from BIB pickup to getting your goody bag that has a large race logo towel to vendor that include Chevron printing shirts and Amaco handing out much needed gloves and bells. It also coincide Saturday morning with the 5K race, so runner can get a medal for 5K and 2 more for finishing either 13.1 or 26.2 next day. Pre-race events in GRB Convention center include more than enough portent as well as efficiently laid out bag drop off, church service, and snack for purchase. Corral system work great, 10 minutes on the dot and very precise. My favorite part of waiting? There is a set of outdoor men's urinal near the starting line, so we can take care of business quickly, 4 guys at a time. Sorry, ladies. Course run through various part of central and west Houston, good sceneries and lots of water station, 2 Gu stations, and a beer station, not mention the much appreciated crowds come and cheer you on and handing out snacks. The only complaint I have is at mile 21, while going though Memorial Park runner, someone with 3 speakers system seems to turned it up too loud. Not for my taste or ear buds after running all that time and having run another couple of minutes to get out of tunnel. Finishing line is great, they hand you, in the order, Bananas, Water, Chocolate Milk, then medal. Good priority! Post race including picking up the finishers shirt and the mug as well as snack from beloved local grocer HEB - but they ran out of ice cream! Warm food line include egg, biscuit and gravy, sausage, and pancake, and they are Texas size portion, complement with soda, more chocolate mild, coffee, or hot chocolate. Love Houston marathon. This is my number 23. 2 more and I get a free marathon. Not too bad for loyalty reward. I highly recommend this race, both for beginners and also season veterans who want nice fairly flat race
Jason Homorody from Lewis Center, Ohio (1/19/2023) "Flat fast and easy start and finish line" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this race because I had heard the course was flat and fast. There is a tiny climb up an overpass around mile 12 and some very small rolling hills around mile 20-23, but otherwise, it's a great PR course. The race starts and finishes about a block from the convention center which is where you can hang out before and after the race. This is also where you pick up your packet so it's very convenient. There are plenty of hotels very close to the finish line as well. The previous years, it was perfect marathon weather. This year unfortunately it was very humid and it really slowed the times down. The race shirt was just ok. I was hoping for some rockets or something fun. I hate shirts that say finisher on it as well. The finisher medal was just ok. Pros- You don't get your race shirt until you finish so you actually have to earn it. Flat fast course Easy packet pickup close to the race hotels Breakfast and ice cream with good snacks after the race. You also get a nice mug with your finisher shirt Cons- Some pot holes on the course and other than some nice neighborhoods here and there, Houston is not a very scenic town. The hotels and race start and finish are all close to each other, but the area of town is junky. The race breakfast wasn't very good. It was nice to have food, but it was not good
Jeff Wang from Porter, Texas (1/15/2023) "Great course, but kinda hot" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I just finished 2023 Houston marathon. Unlike last few years, this year was a bit warm and muggy. The race would have been perfect if it took place yesterday or Friday, when it was 36-45's in the morning and stayed in 50-low 60's. But as Texas weather has it, it was high 60 to 60 at the beginning, reaching low to mid 70's with the sun out. It was not terrible, but I noticed so many people walking, including myself. Again, kudos to the organizers for putting up a world class event, starting registration to excellent website. The Expo is a bit small this year but organized efficiently. The race, as always, is well planned, including great indoor area before and after the race, LOTS of port a potty, this year with even outdoor urinals- which I felt guilty of using but certainly cut down the wait time, lots of fluid stations and Med tents, at least 3 Gu stations, and a beer station- shout out to those guys at mile 21 1/2. Spectators were great. Hot breakfast is back-yeh. Great HEB sausages and HEB pancakes and HEB biscuits and gravy and lots of scrambled egg- they did not spare the egg despite of $4 a dozen. Also HEB ice cream sandwiches and HEB chocolate milk. Thanks, HEB. As always, mug and finisher and large medal at finishing line are great. Road condition is what you expect in Houston- some pot holes, but overall not bad. Nice wide road for most part with great traffic control- thanks to HPD and other law enforcement. Firefighters were out, at one point with huge American flag. If you have not been to Houston, you do run through some pretty neighborhoods now- no ghettos anymore. Great race, will run again next year, just hope it is cooler. Much cooler
A. T. from SF Bay Area, CA (1/21/2022) "should be added to Abbott Majors" (about: 2022) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Jan 16, 2022 my first time running Houston Marathon. The course is perfect for getting PB's, very flat. no surprises. Both start and finish point are a few short blocks away to each other in donwtown Houston - very convinient. Pre, during, Post race organization is flawless. Kudos to the organizer!!! This year the weather on the race day starts at 37F a bit chilly then rise to 40's during the race, absolutely perfect for marathon. Overall, I can't think of any, even minor flaws, of this race itself.
Jeff Wang from Porter, Texas (1/16/2022) "COLD race" (about: 2022) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you think Houston is too hot for marathon, 2021 freeze and today's race condition would prove you wrong. With a starting temp of low 30's and finishing temp of 51, this is the day when you can run forever. Well, at least until your shins and thigh give out. Having finished this race for 20 years and many other marathon under my belt, I still am impressed with the organization of this race. They have very informative website, good email notification, like the virtual race bag, excellent Expos despite of COVID, and of course, the race day organization. There were so many portapotty that you hardly have to wait, in GRB convention center, at starting line, right after you started, and throughout the course. Fluid station starts in mile 2 to 25 every mile. 2 Goo stations. 1 beer stand, thanks Michelob. Lots of police, thanks HPD, sheriffs and constables. Post race is well organized, nice size medal, mug and shirt. The only disappointment was lack of the usual hot breakfast from HEB, only a bad with apple/muffin/snack bars/water. So disappointed with not having my biscuit, egg and sausage. The course remain very similar to before, covering my highlights of Houston such as downtown, midtown, Rice University, Texas Medical Center, Galleria, and Memorial Park. There are some potholes and such, but they actually put some cones for more serious road defects. All in all, great race, fabulous weather, highly recommended
Wayne Wright from Palmdale, California USA (3/10/2020) "One Slick Marathon" (about: 2020) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:22:43. The Houston Marathon was my fifty-ninth 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a great day for a marathon: 46 degrees, partly cloudy, wind from the northeast at 16 mph with gusts up to 25 mph, and 46% relative humidity. The race started in downtown Houston at the corner of Congress and San Jacinto streets heading out of city center in a generally westward direction for the first two miles before turning south for the next mile or so. At mile four, we entered into the River Oaks neighborhood, lined with live oak trees that covered most of the street fronted by multimillion dollar homes on either side. Mile five took us southbound in the North Kirby district commercial area. From here on out, the road surface was mostly concrete. Just before mile eight, heading east, we parted with the half marathoners, who outnumbered us by a factor of two to one, when we turned south toward Rice University. Mile ten took us westward toward the hamlet of West University Place, another pleasant, quiet community lined with oak trees to shade us from the sun. Afterward, we turned north before heading west where we encountered our only significant incline, a railroad overpass, before the halfway mark. Miles 14 and 15 took us by the Post Oak shopping and office complex before reaching West Oaks, a neighborhood comparable to River Oaks. Before mile reaching mile 18, we began our eastbound return to downtown, primarily on Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway, including going through Memorial Park between miles 20 and 22. Weather at the finish was 57 degrees, wind from the west northeast at 16 mph, few clouds, and 24% relative humidity. ORGANIZATION: Exceptionally organized. Signs posted everywhere at the George R. Brown Convention Center, site of the expo, pre-start, and post-finish; absolutely no ambiguity as to where anything was. SPECTATORS: In a word, enthusiastic and supportive, including some of Houston's finest. CONCLUSION: An easy, flat marathon, featuring the best of Houston's neighborhoods and parks, and with the right weather and proper preparation, a good finish time in the waiting. Well done.
D. K. from Madison, WI (3/5/2020) "Fun course - great volunteers - so many spectators" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A nearly flat 6-hour course with PLENTY of volunteers, music, and spectators. Rivals NYC and Boston for fan support. Fun finish, even up against the 6 hour limit. One to enjoy start to finish
S. B. from CA (1/25/2020) "Almost a perfect marathon" (about: 2020) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've run over 195 marathons. I've run Houston 3 times. This race really does think of everything. They have both a well organized gear check and porta potties inside the convention center. The race is well marked, starts on time, and has lots of spectators. There are a few places with live bands, but I loved the extra touch of adding speakers to some of the trees and poles so that we had something to listen to when the race got hard towards the final 8 miles. Once the race is over we were shuttled back into the warm convention center. This is such a nice touch that no other marathon I've ever done has....being able to relax in a warm environment for as long as you want. They had a full breakfast sponsored by HEB. We also received both our finishers t-shirts and finishers beer stein. The volunteers were plenty along the course and inside the convention center. This is a top notch marathon. My only complaint is that they ran out of size small marathon t-shirts. I'm not sure how this happened since I signed up 11 months early, but this really is inexcusable. I was given a lame excuse about people switching between race distances. How many people really switch from the half to the full? If they can figure out the t-shirts, I would rate this marathon up there with both Marine Corps and Boston.
Jeff Wang from Porter, Texas (1/19/2020) "Another cool and successful race" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Houston marathon is the best race in the country from my 40+ marathon finish experience. From the registration to packet pickup to email to race and post race events, this marathon sets a high par for all other races to reach. This year us blessed again the a cool high 40's temperature, so even with Texas sun beating down, you can still run forever. They changed the route a bit this year, and I actually like that, giving the out of town visitor a taste of Herman Park, Rice University, and Texas Medical Center. Other than that, the race was well organized. GRB Convention center again staged the pre race sheltering with more than ample portapotty. If you need to go, there are so many ports potty in the corals, along the route (count them, 2 different areas of portapotty in first mile with at least 25 stalls; I waited no more than 5 seconds on my pit stops). Lots of water stations, at least 3 Gu station, and a number of beer stations. Post race festivities include mug and finisher shirt, huge metal, chocolate milk, ice cream sandwiches, and warm breakfast with egg, biscuit and gravy, sausage, and pancake. Yum! Expos was nice, lots of vendors. Website is informative, as well as email update. There is nothing I can complain about Houston Marathon. Look forward to it next year. My number 20.
M. B. from Chicago, Illinois (1/30/2019) "Well organized, great spectators" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 We had chilly weather (30s at the start), which made for quick times. Despite the cold the roads were filled with spectators and volunteers that were enthusiastic and supportive. I was expecting this would stop after the half and full split but no, the spectators were still there! The course was beautiful with some lovely older neighborhoods as well as the downtown area. I loved having the convention center open to warm up before and after the race and the huge changing rooms were great. My only (very picky) criticism would be adding more post race food. Loved the medal and two shirts. Would certainly recommend!

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 37 > ]



Getting ready for this event? Get a personalized adaptive training plan and 1:1 coach assistance.	Get Your Plan

Quick Links

Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools

Calendars

US/Canada

International

World Marathon Majors

Jeff Wang from Porter, Texas (1/14/2024) "Cold beautiful running day in the heart Texas" (about: 2024) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a beautiful day for marathon, and what is better than a well organized race on a sunny 40-50 degree slightly breezy day. Unlike hot weather last year, this race is similar to 2006 when everyone I knew PR. Houston Marathon is a very well organized event and the largest annual sporting event in Houston. Have ran many other marathons, I think Houston organization is the best, starting from registration to regular update to Expos to the race day. Expos this year is very well organized, from BIB pickup to getting your goody bag that has a large race logo towel to vendor that include Chevron printing shirts and Amaco handing out much needed gloves and bells. It also coincide Saturday morning with the 5K race, so runner can get a medal for 5K and 2 more for finishing either 13.1 or 26.2 next day. Pre-race events in GRB Convention center include more than enough portent as well as efficiently laid out bag drop off, church service, and snack for purchase. Corral system work great, 10 minutes on the dot and very precise. My favorite part of waiting? There is a set of outdoor men's urinal near the starting line, so we can take care of business quickly, 4 guys at a time. Sorry, ladies. Course run through various part of central and west Houston, good sceneries and lots of water station, 2 Gu stations, and a beer station, not mention the much appreciated crowds come and cheer you on and handing out snacks. The only complaint I have is at mile 21, while going though Memorial Park runner, someone with 3 speakers system seems to turned it up too loud. Not for my taste or ear buds after running all that time and having run another couple of minutes to get out of tunnel. Finishing line is great, they hand you, in the order, Bananas, Water, Chocolate Milk, then medal. Good priority! Post race including picking up the finishers shirt and the mug as well as snack from beloved local grocer HEB - but they ran out of ice cream! Warm food line include egg, biscuit and gravy, sausage, and pancake, and they are Texas size portion, complement with soda, more chocolate mild, coffee, or hot chocolate. Love Houston marathon. This is my number 23. 2 more and I get a free marathon. Not too bad for loyalty reward. I highly recommend this race, both for beginners and also season veterans who want nice fairly flat race
Jason Homorody from Lewis Center, Ohio (1/19/2023) "Flat fast and easy start and finish line" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this race because I had heard the course was flat and fast. There is a tiny climb up an overpass around mile 12 and some very small rolling hills around mile 20-23, but otherwise, it's a great PR course. The race starts and finishes about a block from the convention center which is where you can hang out before and after the race. This is also where you pick up your packet so it's very convenient. There are plenty of hotels very close to the finish line as well. The previous years, it was perfect marathon weather. This year unfortunately it was very humid and it really slowed the times down. The race shirt was just ok. I was hoping for some rockets or something fun. I hate shirts that say finisher on it as well. The finisher medal was just ok. Pros- You don't get your race shirt until you finish so you actually have to earn it. Flat fast course Easy packet pickup close to the race hotels Breakfast and ice cream with good snacks after the race. You also get a nice mug with your finisher shirt Cons- Some pot holes on the course and other than some nice neighborhoods here and there, Houston is not a very scenic town. The hotels and race start and finish are all close to each other, but the area of town is junky. The race breakfast wasn't very good. It was nice to have food, but it was not good
Jeff Wang from Porter, Texas (1/15/2023) "Great course, but kinda hot" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I just finished 2023 Houston marathon. Unlike last few years, this year was a bit warm and muggy. The race would have been perfect if it took place yesterday or Friday, when it was 36-45's in the morning and stayed in 50-low 60's. But as Texas weather has it, it was high 60 to 60 at the beginning, reaching low to mid 70's with the sun out. It was not terrible, but I noticed so many people walking, including myself. Again, kudos to the organizers for putting up a world class event, starting registration to excellent website. The Expo is a bit small this year but organized efficiently. The race, as always, is well planned, including great indoor area before and after the race, LOTS of port a potty, this year with even outdoor urinals- which I felt guilty of using but certainly cut down the wait time, lots of fluid stations and Med tents, at least 3 Gu stations, and a beer station- shout out to those guys at mile 21 1/2. Spectators were great. Hot breakfast is back-yeh. Great HEB sausages and HEB pancakes and HEB biscuits and gravy and lots of scrambled egg- they did not spare the egg despite of $4 a dozen. Also HEB ice cream sandwiches and HEB chocolate milk. Thanks, HEB. As always, mug and finisher and large medal at finishing line are great. Road condition is what you expect in Houston- some pot holes, but overall not bad. Nice wide road for most part with great traffic control- thanks to HPD and other law enforcement. Firefighters were out, at one point with huge American flag. If you have not been to Houston, you do run through some pretty neighborhoods now- no ghettos anymore. Great race, will run again next year, just hope it is cooler. Much cooler
A. T. from SF Bay Area, CA (1/21/2022) "should be added to Abbott Majors" (about: 2022) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Jan 16, 2022 my first time running Houston Marathon. The course is perfect for getting PB's, very flat. no surprises. Both start and finish point are a few short blocks away to each other in donwtown Houston - very convinient. Pre, during, Post race organization is flawless. Kudos to the organizer!!! This year the weather on the race day starts at 37F a bit chilly then rise to 40's during the race, absolutely perfect for marathon. Overall, I can't think of any, even minor flaws, of this race itself.
Jeff Wang from Porter, Texas (1/16/2022) "COLD race" (about: 2022) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you think Houston is too hot for marathon, 2021 freeze and today's race condition would prove you wrong. With a starting temp of low 30's and finishing temp of 51, this is the day when you can run forever. Well, at least until your shins and thigh give out. Having finished this race for 20 years and many other marathon under my belt, I still am impressed with the organization of this race. They have very informative website, good email notification, like the virtual race bag, excellent Expos despite of COVID, and of course, the race day organization. There were so many portapotty that you hardly have to wait, in GRB convention center, at starting line, right after you started, and throughout the course. Fluid station starts in mile 2 to 25 every mile. 2 Goo stations. 1 beer stand, thanks Michelob. Lots of police, thanks HPD, sheriffs and constables. Post race is well organized, nice size medal, mug and shirt. The only disappointment was lack of the usual hot breakfast from HEB, only a bad with apple/muffin/snack bars/water. So disappointed with not having my biscuit, egg and sausage. The course remain very similar to before, covering my highlights of Houston such as downtown, midtown, Rice University, Texas Medical Center, Galleria, and Memorial Park. There are some potholes and such, but they actually put some cones for more serious road defects. All in all, great race, fabulous weather, highly recommended
Wayne Wright from Palmdale, California USA (3/10/2020) "One Slick Marathon" (about: 2020) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:22:43. The Houston Marathon was my fifty-ninth 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a great day for a marathon: 46 degrees, partly cloudy, wind from the northeast at 16 mph with gusts up to 25 mph, and 46% relative humidity. The race started in downtown Houston at the corner of Congress and San Jacinto streets heading out of city center in a generally westward direction for the first two miles before turning south for the next mile or so. At mile four, we entered into the River Oaks neighborhood, lined with live oak trees that covered most of the street fronted by multimillion dollar homes on either side. Mile five took us southbound in the North Kirby district commercial area. From here on out, the road surface was mostly concrete. Just before mile eight, heading east, we parted with the half marathoners, who outnumbered us by a factor of two to one, when we turned south toward Rice University. Mile ten took us westward toward the hamlet of West University Place, another pleasant, quiet community lined with oak trees to shade us from the sun. Afterward, we turned north before heading west where we encountered our only significant incline, a railroad overpass, before the halfway mark. Miles 14 and 15 took us by the Post Oak shopping and office complex before reaching West Oaks, a neighborhood comparable to River Oaks. Before mile reaching mile 18, we began our eastbound return to downtown, primarily on Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway, including going through Memorial Park between miles 20 and 22. Weather at the finish was 57 degrees, wind from the west northeast at 16 mph, few clouds, and 24% relative humidity. ORGANIZATION: Exceptionally organized. Signs posted everywhere at the George R. Brown Convention Center, site of the expo, pre-start, and post-finish; absolutely no ambiguity as to where anything was. SPECTATORS: In a word, enthusiastic and supportive, including some of Houston's finest. CONCLUSION: An easy, flat marathon, featuring the best of Houston's neighborhoods and parks, and with the right weather and proper preparation, a good finish time in the waiting. Well done.
D. K. from Madison, WI (3/5/2020) "Fun course - great volunteers - so many spectators" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A nearly flat 6-hour course with PLENTY of volunteers, music, and spectators. Rivals NYC and Boston for fan support. Fun finish, even up against the 6 hour limit. One to enjoy start to finish
S. B. from CA (1/25/2020) "Almost a perfect marathon" (about: 2020) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've run over 195 marathons. I've run Houston 3 times. This race really does think of everything. They have both a well organized gear check and porta potties inside the convention center. The race is well marked, starts on time, and has lots of spectators. There are a few places with live bands, but I loved the extra touch of adding speakers to some of the trees and poles so that we had something to listen to when the race got hard towards the final 8 miles. Once the race is over we were shuttled back into the warm convention center. This is such a nice touch that no other marathon I've ever done has....being able to relax in a warm environment for as long as you want. They had a full breakfast sponsored by HEB. We also received both our finishers t-shirts and finishers beer stein. The volunteers were plenty along the course and inside the convention center. This is a top notch marathon. My only complaint is that they ran out of size small marathon t-shirts. I'm not sure how this happened since I signed up 11 months early, but this really is inexcusable. I was given a lame excuse about people switching between race distances. How many people really switch from the half to the full? If they can figure out the t-shirts, I would rate this marathon up there with both Marine Corps and Boston.
Jeff Wang from Porter, Texas (1/19/2020) "Another cool and successful race" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Houston marathon is the best race in the country from my 40+ marathon finish experience. From the registration to packet pickup to email to race and post race events, this marathon sets a high par for all other races to reach. This year us blessed again the a cool high 40's temperature, so even with Texas sun beating down, you can still run forever. They changed the route a bit this year, and I actually like that, giving the out of town visitor a taste of Herman Park, Rice University, and Texas Medical Center. Other than that, the race was well organized. GRB Convention center again staged the pre race sheltering with more than ample portapotty. If you need to go, there are so many ports potty in the corals, along the route (count them, 2 different areas of portapotty in first mile with at least 25 stalls; I waited no more than 5 seconds on my pit stops). Lots of water stations, at least 3 Gu station, and a number of beer stations. Post race festivities include mug and finisher shirt, huge metal, chocolate milk, ice cream sandwiches, and warm breakfast with egg, biscuit and gravy, sausage, and pancake. Yum! Expos was nice, lots of vendors. Website is informative, as well as email update. There is nothing I can complain about Houston Marathon. Look forward to it next year. My number 20.
M. B. from Chicago, Illinois (1/30/2019) "Well organized, great spectators" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 We had chilly weather (30s at the start), which made for quick times. Despite the cold the roads were filled with spectators and volunteers that were enthusiastic and supportive. I was expecting this would stop after the half and full split but no, the spectators were still there! The course was beautiful with some lovely older neighborhoods as well as the downtown area. I loved having the convention center open to warm up before and after the race and the huge changing rooms were great. My only (very picky) criticism would be adding more post race food. Loved the medal and two shirts. Would certainly recommend!

Become a better runner

Marathon Details - Houston Marathon