You line up at Carmel City Center at 8:10 am with the half marathoners beside you, and for 13 miles you share the road, which makes the first half feel like a big race even in a field of a few hundred marathoners. Carmel is famous for its roundabouts, and you will run through a lot of them, swinging wide on fresh asphalt past brick storefronts and the smell of coffee from the storefront cafes. After the split you head out onto greenway paths and quieter neighborhood loops, where the only climbs are gentle rises over creek bridges. The course is flat enough that roughly one in five finishers has qualified for Boston in recent years. Spring weather is the gamble: dress for anything from frost to warm sun, and plan to be done before the wind picks up.
Loop from a shared start/finish at Carmel City Center (200 City Center Drive); marathon and half share the first 13 miles on flat suburban roads and greenway paths.
Registration is open. Current pricing: $100 marathon, $80 half, $45 10K, $35 5K; prices increase after November 8, 2026 at 11:59 pm EST. Marathon ages 16+, half ages 10+. Register ↗
- 17.2% of 2026 marathon finishers ran a Boston qualifying time; the figure was 21% in 2024. ↗
- The organizers describe it as one of the flattest and fastest Midwestern spring marathons and a USATF-certified Boston qualifier. ↗
- All four distances share the same start and finish line, with marathon/half runners in the south lanes and 10K/5K in the north lanes. ↗
- The marathon has a 6.5-hour time limit, which the organizers pitch as walker-friendly. ↗
Checked 2026-10-13. Always confirm on the official site before booking travel.