You line up at 5th and Harrison beside Seattle Center at 7:00 a.m. on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, usually under a low gray sky with the pavement still dark from overnight rain. This is the oldest marathon in the Pacific Northwest, started in 1970 by a few dozen friends from the University of Washington, and it still feels like a hometown race rather than a production. The course is rolling rather than brutal, about 800 feet of climbing with a little more descent, threading bridges and waterways before finishing at Bell Harbor on Pier 66 with Elliott Bay right beside you. Roads reopen at 2:30 p.m., so you have seven and a half hours, and you can keep going on sidewalks after that. Pack a throwaway layer and gloves; the finish-line chill off the water is real.
A rolling city course (Find My Marathon classifies it as a loop and 'hilly') that starts at 5th & Harrison beside Seattle Center, takes in Seattle's bridges and waterways, and finishes at Bell Harbor, Pier 66, on the waterfront.
Closes 2026-11-26. Open on Race Roster as of 2026-10-14. Full marathon $204.72 in the Oct 12 - Nov 26, 2026 tier (official site listed $187.49 before rates rose Oct 12). Run, walk, virtual and wheelchair/hand-crank divisions. No medical comps, rollovers or refunds. Hotel block deadline Oct 30. Register ↗
- The first Seattle Marathon was held November 15, 1970, organized by friends from the University of Washington with fewer than 38 runners; the Seattle Marathon Association, a nonprofit, still runs it. ↗
- Marathon finishers have grown every year since 2021: 1,030 (2021), 1,246 (2022), 1,758 (2023), 2,017 (2024), 2,470 (2025). ↗
- The Boston Marathon accepts qualifying times from the in-person Seattle Marathon (not the virtual option); about 5.5% of 2025 finishers hit a BQ. ↗
- The 2025 course was significantly redesigned from prior years; the 2026 route starts at 5th & Harrison and finishes at Bell Harbor Pier 66. ↗
- A Kids Marathon was added in 1999 with 357 children and has grown to as many as 1,200; UW Medicine became title sponsor in 2023. ↗
Checked 2026-10-14. Always confirm on the official site before booking travel.