If you want a big-city race weekend with a small-town welcome, the Cowtown is a good place to start. You'll line up on Gendy Street outside the Will Rogers Memorial Center on the last Sunday of February, sharing the morning with half marathoners and 50K ultra runners. Around mile 6 the course carries you into the Stockyards National Historic District and past Joe T. Garcia's, before swinging through downtown, the Near Southside, the TCU campus and Trinity Park. It is a rolling loop with roughly 736 feet of gain, and runners report the hills cluster around miles 9 to 11 and 15 to 16, so pace the first half with that in mind. The course stays open 7.5 hours after the last corral starts, which gives run-walkers real room. Register well before the February 26 deadline, since distances can sell out.
Rolling loop from Will Rogers Memorial Center through the Stockyards National Historic District, downtown, the Near Southside, TCU campus and Trinity Park, with the noticeable hills around miles 9-11 and 15-16.
2027-02-26 at 11:59 p.m. online, unless a distance reaches capacity earlier; onsite registration at the Friday/Saturday expo if space allows. Already open for 2027 as of 2026-10-13 (RaceRoster); exact opening date not found. Tiered pricing via RaceRoster; specific dollar amounts were not visible on fetched pages. Virtual races run January 8 through March 31. Register ↗
- The 2027 Cowtown runs Saturday Feb 27 and Sunday Feb 28, with the Marathon, Half and 50K Ultra on Sunday; online registration closes Feb 26, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ↗
- The event kicked off in 1979 with two races, a 10K and the marathon, and has grown into the largest multi-event road race in North Texas. ↗
- The marathon is a rolling road loop with about 736 feet of gain; 2,134 runners finished in 2026 and roughly 2.5 percent ran Boston-qualifying times. ↗
- Once the last corral starts, the marathon and ultra course stays open 7.5 hours; the course passes the Stockyards National Historic District around mile 6. ↗
- The Cowtown hosted the 2023 USATF National Half Marathon Championships and funds the C.A.L.F. program, which has given thousands of pairs of running shoes to local children. ↗
Checked 2026-10-13. Always confirm on the official site before booking travel.