- Weather
- 45°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~4,500-5,000 runners
- Course
- Rolling
- Elevation
- 500 ft gain
"America's Friendliest Marathon"
PR8Weather9Experience9
Late October · Southeast · Modified Loop
Marine Corps Marathon
Arlington, VA · Sunday, October 25, 2026
Known as "The People's Marathon" for its no-prize-money, participant-first identity, organized start to finish by active-duty Marines. The course loops through Arlington and DC past the Pentagon, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Capitol, starting and finishing near the Marine Corps War Memorial (the Iwo Jima statue).
"The People's Marathon"; military focus
- Bucket List
- Big Race Experience
Opens the race organizer's website
Typical start
52°
Cooler than 29% of U.S. marathons
Modeled historical conditions
Elevation gain
600ft
Flatter than 23% of races
Estimated total climb
Field size
22K
Larger than 98% of races
Estimated field
PR potential
7.5/10
Ahead of 39% of races
Almanac model
Percentiles compare this race against all 224 U.S. marathons in the Almanac.
Course profile
600 ft gain
Rolling course, modified loop.
0510152026.2
Race-day weather
Modeled from location, month and coastal proximity, not verified race history.
6 AM
44°
Start
52°
Midday
63°
ExcellentGoodWarmHeat risk
Typical start sits at 52°F, excellent marathon conditions.
Typical dew point 45°F, 22% chance of precipitation, wind around 7 mph. All modeled.
The bottom line
A balanced race that suits most goals without specialising in any.
Marine Corps Marathon is a strong choice for a first marathon, and the course rolls gently without any sustained climbing. The tradeoff is scale: race morning is complicated and you are sharing the course with a very large field.
Why runners choose this race
A loop course around Arlington, VA, with steady rollers that reward even pacing.
The case for it
- Big-race atmosphere
The tradeoffs
- You dislike crowded starts and corrals
Course and logistics
- Course type
- Modified Loop
- Surface
- Road
- Profile
- Rolling
- Total gain
- 600 ft(estimated)
- Field size
- ~20,000+ runners(estimated)
- Crowd support
- Heavy crowd support
- Entry
- Data coming soon
- Start / finish
- Start and finish in the same area
Race details
- Typical timing
- Late October
- Next confirmed date
- Sunday, October 25, 2026
- Region
- Southeast
- Editorial tier
- Featured
- Data last reviewed
- 2026-08-26
- Bucket List
- Big Race Experience
- Loop course
- Destination race
Similar races
Races with a comparable profile.
Mid-November · Southeast
Allianz Richmond Marathon, CarMax Richmond Half Marathon, & Capital One Richmond 8k
Richmond, VA
- Weather
- 45°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~4,500 runners
- Course
- Rolling
- Elevation
- 500 ft gain · 0 ft net
Event: 2026 Allianz Richmond Marathon
PR8Weather9Experience8
- Weather
- 49°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~1,500 runners
- Course
- Rolling
- Elevation
- 800 ft gain
Uptown skyline and tree-lined neighborhoods
PR7Weather9Experience7