- Weather
- 48°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~1,500 runners
- Course
- Flat
- Elevation
- 80 ft gain
Fast coastal resort course
PR9Weather9Experience7
Mid-March · Southeast · Out-and-Back
Tobacco Road Marathon
Cary, NC · Sunday, March 14, 2027
American Tobacco Trail; high BQ percentage
- Best for PR
- Boston Qualifier
- First Marathon
Opens the race organizer's website
Typical start
44°
Cooler than 72% of U.S. marathons
Modeled historical conditions
Elevation gain
200ft
Flatter than 54% of races
Estimated total climb
Field size
1.5K
Larger than 60% of races
Estimated field
PR potential
9.4/10
Top 11%
Almanac model
Percentiles compare this race against all 224 U.S. marathons in the Almanac.
Course profile
200 ft gain
Flat course, out-and-back.
0510152026.2
Race-day weather
Modeled from location, month and coastal proximity, not verified race history.
6 AM
36°
Start
44°
Midday
55°
ExcellentGoodWarmHeat risk
Typical start sits at 44°F, excellent marathon conditions.
Typical dew point 37°F, 22% 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.
Tobacco Road Marathon is a strong choice for a PR attempt, and Cary offers very little meaningful elevation. The tradeoff is that nothing about it is extreme in either direction.
Why runners choose this race
A out-and-back course around Cary, NC, 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
- Out-and-Back
- Surface
- Road
- Profile
- Flat
- Total gain
- 200 ft(estimated)
- Field size
- ~1,500 runners(estimated)
- Crowd support
- Pockets of spectators
- Entry
- Data coming soon
- Start / finish
- Start and finish in the same area
Race details
- Typical timing
- Mid-March
- Next confirmed date
- Sunday, March 14, 2027
- Region
- Southeast
- Editorial tier
- Featured
- Data last reviewed
- 2026-08-26
- Best for PR
- Boston Qualifier
- First Marathon
- Out-and-back
- Flat course
- Destination race
Similar races
Races with a comparable profile.
- Weather
- 44°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~1,500 runners
- Course
- Flat
- Elevation
- 150 ft gain
Lowcountry marsh and historic streets
PR9Weather9Experience7
- Weather
- 48°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~2,000 runners
- Course
- Flat
- Elevation
- 50 ft gain
Private resort island; maritime forest
PR9Weather9Experience8