Houston, United States · 42.195 km road marathon
Houston Marathon 2027
Sunday 17 January 2027
A flat single loop from downtown Houston through the Heights, Rice University, the Galleria and Memorial Park, with a 6-hour chip limit and a January start at 06:55.
Houston Marathon at a glance
- Start
- 06:55, corrals A and B first, then timed pulses, Congress Avenue at Fannin Street (provisional)
- Finish
- Lamar Street at Crawford Street, by the George R. Brown Convention Center
- Course
- One loop west to Memorial Park and back, flat, about half concrete and half asphalt
- Elevation
- Between 8 and 19 m above sea level
- Time limit
- 6 hours chip time, 13:45 per mile; slower finishers get no official result
- Cut-offs
- Mile 7.6 split by 09:40 (else sent to the half), mile 20 by 12:20; estimates
- Entry
- Sold out for 2027, charity entries included; no waiting list, no transfers
- Bib pickup
- Expo at George R. Brown Convention Center, 15 and 16 January 2027; no race-day pickup
- Aid stations
- Water, Gatorade and medical aid every 1.5 miles from mile 2
Checked against the organizer's pages on 25 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.
Houston Marathon course map and elevation
One loop west to Memorial Park and back, flat, about half concrete and half asphalt. Map, elevation profile and 3D flyover.
› running direction two lines: out and back on the same road race kilometresCourse: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Route drawn by TrailSplits from published race information; approximate. For illustration, not navigation.
What to expect on the course
- West along Washington Avenue, then south on Heights Boulevard near km 4 and West Gray to Kirby Drive
- The half marathon turns off at mile 7.6; the marathon passes Rice University on Main Street
- A short overpass near mile 12.8, the organizer's highest point at 84 ft (26 m)
- Post Oak Boulevard past the Galleria, then Chimney Rock Road across Buffalo Bayou to Memorial Drive near km 29
- Home through Memorial Park and along Allen Parkway beside the bayou, past the lowest point near mile 24.3
The map shows the 2026 course from downtown Houston to Memorial Park and back; the organizer has not yet published a separate 2027 course map.
Read the full course description
A single loop on closed streets, certified by USA Track & Field, from Congress Avenue at Fannin Street in downtown Houston to Lamar Street beside the George R. Brown Convention Center. The course heads west along Washington Avenue, turns south on Heights Boulevard near km 4 and west on West Gray to Kirby Drive at about km 8. Kirby runs south to Bissonnet Street near km 11; the half marathon turns off at mile 7.6, about km 12, while the marathon passes Rice University on Main Street and heads west on University Boulevard to Weslayan Street near km 19. A short overpass near mile 12.8, about km 20.6, is the highest point on the organizer's profile at 84 ft (26 m); the map's ground heights leave the deck out. Post Oak Boulevard leads north past the Galleria to about km 24, then Tanglewood Boulevard and Chimney Rock Road cross Buffalo Bayou to Memorial Drive near km 29. Memorial Drive through Memorial Park and Allen Parkway beside the bayou lead back downtown past the lowest point, 23 ft (7 m), near mile 24.3, about km 39. The surface is about half concrete and half asphalt. Water, Gatorade and medical aid come every 1.5 miles from mile 2, the 2026 map shows gels between miles 6 and 7 and at mile 18, and 2026 pacers ran from 2:55 to 5:56.
Source, licence and file
TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.6 km in the file). Approximate ground heights from USGS 3D Elevation Program lidar, added by TrailSplits at roughly 100 m intervals. Bridges and small road gradients are not surveyed road elevations.Heights from the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program (public domain).
Three decisions to make before race day
Send a qualifying time by 30 November 2026 if you want Corral A
Corrals follow your predicted time and only A and B start at 06:55. For Corral A, add a verified time (marathon under 3:30, half under 1:45) by 30 November 2026.
More detail
Corrals follow your predicted finish time, and only A and B start together at 06:55; C to F follow in timed pulses. Corral A needs a verified chip time run since 1 January 2025 on a certified course, such as a marathon under 3:30 or a half under 1:45, added to your account by 30 November 2026. You may move back a corral on race day, never forward.
Check your pace against the 13:45 per mile limit, and switch to the half in time
The limit is 6 hours of chip time; the mile 7.6 split closes at 09:40 and mile 20 at 12:20. Switching to the half costs $20 until 31 October 2026 and $40 until 6 January 2027.
More detail
The limit is 6 hours of chip time, and the marathon split at mile 7.6 closes at 09:40, after which runners go onto the half course; mile 20 closes at 12:20. A Stay Safe Pace Team with balloons runs the slowest allowed pace. If 6 hours is out of reach, switching to the half costs $20 until 31 October 2026 and $40 until 12:00 Central on 6 January 2027.
Be in Houston by Saturday afternoon to collect your packet
Collect your packet at the expo on Friday 15 January (10:00 to 18:00) or Saturday 16 January (08:30 to 17:00) with photo ID. There is no race-morning pickup.
More detail
Packets are only handed out at the expo in the George R. Brown Convention Center, Friday 15 January 2027 from 10:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 16 January from 08:30 to 17:00, against government photo ID and your confirmation. There is no race-morning pickup and no mailing. A friend may collect one packet for you with your signed confirmation and a copy of your ID.
Your race-day sheet
Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Houston.
ESTIMATED FINISH
10:55:00
MOVING PACE BUDGET
5:34/ km
ELAPSED PACE
5:41/ km
120 min below the modelled finish limit
| Distance | Elapsed | Local clock |
|---|---|---|
| 5 km | 00:28:26 | 07:23:26 |
| 10 km | 00:56:53 | 07:51:53 |
| 15 km | 01:25:19 | 08:20:19 |
| 20 km | 01:53:45 | 08:48:45 |
| Halfway | 02:00:00 | 08:55:00 |
| 25 km | 02:22:12 | 09:17:12 |
| 30 km | 02:50:38 | 09:45:38 |
| 35 km | 03:19:05 | 10:14:05 |
| 40 km | 03:47:31 | 10:42:31 |
| Finish | 04:00:00 | 10:55:00 |
Training plan for Houston Marathon 2027
A free week-by-week plan dated to this race. It starts from a stated default (weekly distance, longest recent run, days a week) that you can change; nothing is read from your watch or training history. It does not use the finish-time target above.
View my training planNo account required. Keep a fixed copy, download the calendar or get a subscription URL for Google or Apple Calendar.
Entry, bib pickup and rules
- Entry:
- Sold out for 2027, charity entries included; no waiting list, no transfers
- Bib pickup:
- Expo at George R. Brown Convention Center, 15 and 16 January 2027; no race-day pickup
Read the full entry and pickup rules
The 2027 marathon and half marathon are sold out, including the Run for a Reason charity entries; only the 5K on Saturday is still open. Entry was first come, first served from 11 January 2026 in five price tiers from $160 to $210, with no waiting list. Entries cannot be transferred, refunded or deferred unless the optional refundable registration (16 percent extra) was bought at entry. Runners must be 12 on race day. A registered runner may switch between marathon and half for $20 until 31 October 2026 and $40 until 12:00 Central on 6 January 2027. Bibs are collected with government photo ID at the expo in the George R. Brown Convention Center on 15 and 16 January 2027; there is no race-day pickup and nothing is mailed.
Sources
Checked 25 September 2026; next review due 2026-10-21. Event facts come from the organizer; the pacing sheet, decisions and plan are TrailSplits' own. Independently prepared by TrailSplits, not endorsed by the organizer.
- 2027 race weekend schedule
- 2027 expo and packet pickup
- 2027 registration and pricing
- Registration platform (Haku)
- Course information
- 2026 refuelling stations map
- Course elevation profile
- Participant FAQ
- Pace team
What each source confirms
- 2027 race weekend schedule: Sunday 17 January 2027 as marathon day, the start at Congress and Fannin, the 06:35 wheelchair, 06:45 half marathon elite and 06:55 marathon elite and open-field starts, and the expo hours on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 January 2027.
- 2027 expo and packet pickup: Expo at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Friday 15 January 10:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 16 January 08:30 to 17:00, photo ID and confirmation, no race-morning pickup and no mailing.
- 2027 registration and pricing: Open registration from 11 January 2026, the five marathon price tiers from $160 to $210, the Corral A qualifying standards and 30 November 2026 deadline, the distance-switch fees and deadlines, the minimum age of 12, and no refunds, transfers or deferrals.
- Registration platform (Haku): On 25 September 2026: the 2027 marathon and half marathon are sold out, including Run for a Reason charity entries; only the 5K is open.
- Course information: Single start for marathon and half, six corrals and pulsed start, refuelling and medical aid every 1.5 miles from mile 2, the 6-hour chip limit and 13:45 per mile pace, the mile 7.6 split at 09:40 and mile 20 at 12:20 as estimated cut-offs, the Stay Safe Pace Team, USATF certification and the course map and elevation profile links.
- 2026 refuelling stations map: The course route with mile markers, streets, the half marathon split, refuelling stations and gel points. A 2026 map, not a confirmed 2027 course.
- Course elevation profile: Start at 39 ft, finish at 43 ft, highest point 84 ft near mile 12.8 and lowest 23 ft near mile 24.3.
- Participant FAQ: Start at Congress and Fannin, finish at Lamar and Crawford, the 50/50 concrete and asphalt surface, no waitlist, no transfers, proxy pickup limited to one extra packet with signed confirmation, and moving back but not forward between corrals. Most dates on this page are still 2026's.
- Pace team: 2026 marathon pace groups from 2:55 to 5:56.