- Weather
- 43°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~2,000 runners
- Course
- Flat
- Elevation
- 200 ft gain
Flat desert loop across 3 cities
PR9Weather9Experience8
Mid-January · Southwest · Loop
Houston Marathon
Houston, TX · Sunday, January 17, 2027
One of the largest winter marathons in the country, run as a flat downtown loop specifically timed to take advantage of January's cool Gulf Coast weather before Houston's heat and humidity return. Strong spectator support has made it a longtime favorite for both first marathons and fast ones.
Fast winter race; strong spectator support
- Best for PR
- Boston Qualifier
- First Marathon
- Bucket List
Opens the race organizer's website
Typical start
51°
Cooler than 37% of U.S. marathons
Modeled historical conditions
Elevation gain
150ft
Flatter than 64% of races
Estimated total climb
Field size
7K
Larger than 95% of races
Estimated field
PR potential
9.7/10
Top 2%
Almanac model
Percentiles compare this race against all 224 U.S. marathons in the Almanac.
Course profile
150 ft gain
Flat course, loop.
0510152026.2
Race-day weather
Modeled from location, month and coastal proximity, not verified race history.
6 AM
43°
Start
51°
Midday
62°
ExcellentGoodWarmHeat risk
Typical start sits at 51°F, excellent marathon conditions.
Typical dew point 39°F, 16% chance of precipitation, wind around 7 mph. All modeled.
The bottom line
A quietly fast race that does not ask for much beyond honest pacing.
Houston Marathon is a strong choice for a PR attempt, and Houston offers very little meaningful elevation. The tradeoff is that nothing about it is extreme in either direction.
Why runners choose this race
A loop course around Houston, TX, with very little meaningful elevation change.
The case for it
- PR attempts
- Boston qualification
- First-time marathoners
The tradeoffs
- No notable warnings in the data.
Course and logistics
- Course type
- Loop
- Surface
- Road
- Profile
- Flat
- Total gain
- 150 ft(estimated)
- Field size
- ~7,000 runners(estimated)
- Crowd support
- Steady crowd support
- Entry
- Data coming soon
- Start / finish
- Start and finish in the same area
Race details
- Typical timing
- Mid-January
- Next confirmed date
- Sunday, January 17, 2027
- Region
- Southwest
- Editorial tier
- Featured
- Data last reviewed
- 2026-08-26
- Best for PR
- Boston Qualifier
- First Marathon
- Bucket List
- Loop course
- Flat course
- Destination race
Similar races
Races with a comparable profile.
- Weather
- 38°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~4,000 runners
- Course
- Flat
- Elevation
- 200 ft gain
Night race running down the Las Vegas Strip
PR10Weather9Experience8
- Weather
- 54°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~800 runners
- Course
- Flat
- Elevation
- 200 ft gain · 0 ft net
Event listed as: Marathon
PR9Weather9Experience6