CDA Marathon (Coeur d'Alene Marathon)
Coeur d'Alene, United States · May · Independent
Why people love it
- Lake Coeur d'Alene and Spokane River views on a paved trail, praised by almost every reviewer.
- Start and finish at McEuen Park, close to hotels and town.
- Early 5:30 a.m. start option helps slower runners avoid heat.
- Boston-qualifying course with a 6 hour limit.
- Small field of about 520 marathon finishers keeps early miles uncrowded.
Watch out for
- About 240 m (786 ft) of gain, with long climbs at miles 5 to 8 and 18 to 21.
- Aid stops can be about 5 km (3 mi) apart; carry a bottle on warm days.
- Heat and no shade on trail sections; highs reached 27 °C (80 °F) some years.
- Half, 10K and 5K runners crowd the path in places.
- Same medal design for every distance; bib pickup only on Saturday.
Race
How racers feel about it, how well it is run, and how it treats a first timer. Counts for 28% of the overall score.
Toughness: Tough
- Racer satisfactionLoved4.2
RaceRaves 4.6 from 81 ratings and a MarathonGuide 4.7. Lake views and friendliness win; heat, far-apart water, hills and basic swag are the complaints. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run4.0
RaceRaves production 4.5. Volunteers and the park start are praised; sparse aid, Saturday-only bib pickup and tracking info not emailed cost points. · Medium confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable3.3
A 6 hour limit, early start option and small field help. Hills and widely spaced aid make it harder than billed. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialAverage2.8
Marketed as fast, but several runners found it hillier than expected, with 240 m (786 ft) of gain and shadeless trail. · Medium confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course scenerySpectacular4.5
RaceRaves scenery 4.7. Lake, river and foothill views on a paved trail; a sewage plant smell near mile 18 detracts. · High confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points3.1
Two out-and-backs, early-mile start on a street, and bottlenecks where half, 10K and 5K runners merge on the path (park near mile 16, 26 km (16.2 mi)). · Medium confidence
- Road surfaceGood4.0
Road and paved Centennial Trail, mostly smooth; one runner noted a hole in a sidewalk near the finish. · Medium confidence
- Road closuresPartly closed3.0
Trail sections are shared with 5K, 10K and half runners, and probably open to the public; no explicit closure statement found. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessRolling3.0
Gain 240 m (786 ft), loss 246 m (807 ft), which sits in the 150 to 300 m (500 to 1,000 ft) rolling band. · High confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
Net loss about 6 m (20 ft); effectively a loop-style out-and-back. Boston qualifier but not downhill. · High confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSmooth3.8
Park-adjacent start and finish, early 5:30 a.m. option and short toilet lines. Bib pickup is Saturday only and the anthem runs long. · Medium confidence
- Pacers and timingGood3.8
Pace groups listed by race; results and tracking provided though tracking info was not emailed. · Medium confidence
- Crowd supportDecent3.0
Small field of about 523 marathoners; quiet early miles, loud finish; no reports of dense roadside crowds on the trail. · Low confidence
- Aid stationsStandard2.7
Several 2026 runners found stops about 5 km (3 mi) apart and ran dry in heat; others called eight stations plentiful. Finish food is good. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindMostly calm3.8
Wind not reported as an issue; a headwind helped on a 2001 report. · Low confidence
- Air temperaturePleasant3.5
Starts at 8 to 15 °C (46 to 59 °F), which is ideal, but highs reach 23 to 27 °C (73 to 80 °F). · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable3.4
Recent May 30 highs ranged 15 to 27 °C (59 to 80 °F); some years perfect, others hot. · Low confidence
- Spectator friendlySome viewpoints3.0
Start and finish at McEuen Park are easy; out-and-backs on trails offer few spectator spots. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeLow3.9
Altitude about 670 m (2,200 ft); no meaningful effect for most runners. · High confidence
Stay and travel
Hotels, walkability, getting there, and the town around the race. Counts for 10% of the overall score.
- Hotel availabilityGood3.8
Resort town with many hotels and rentals; late May is shoulder season ahead of peak summer. · Low confidence
- Hotel valueNormal3.2
Lake resort pricing; no hotel review found. · Low confidence
- WalkabilityWalkable4.2
McEuen Park is downtown and runners stayed about 1.6 km (1 mi) from the start on foot. · Medium confidence
- Travel easeOne connection3.0
Spokane (GEG) is about 55 km (34 mi) away; a runner flew via Denver and drove in smoothly. · Medium confidence
- LogisticsSimple3.8
Pickup, start and finish all at McEuen Park; limited to Saturday pickup. · Medium confidence
- Town and foodGood4.4
Pleasant resort town praised by runners for lake, trails and post-race stay. · Medium confidence
Entry
How hard it is to get a place, and what you get for the fee. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Getting inOpen entry4.5
Open entry; marathon $100; a few hundred finishers; no cap reported. · High confidence
- Value for moneyGood value3.8
$100 marathon fee with long-sleeve shirt and finish food; same medal for every distance and a basic expo. · Medium confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, United States
- Typical month
- May
- Latest or next date
- 30 May 2027
- Organiser
- Independent
- Field size
- About 523 athletes
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- out-and-back
- Climbing
- 240 m (785 ft)
- Descent
- 246 m (805 ft)
- Start time
- 06:30
- Cutoff
- 6 hours
- Boston qualifier
- Yes
- Surface
- Road and paved Centennial Trail along lake and Spokane River
- How to get in
- open
- Sells out
- Rarely
- Entry fee
- About $100
- Air temperature
- 8–23 °C (46–73 °F)
- Humidity
- Dry, inland
- Altitude
- 670 m (2,200 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Spokane International (GEG), 55 km (34 mi) away
- Where to stay
- Downtown / McEuen Park, Lakefront
- Booking
- Resort town; book lake-area hotels or short-term rentals early for late May. One 2026 runner stayed in an Airbnb about 1.6 km (1 mi) from the start.
What racers and reviewers say
- RaceRavesRaced 2026 · aggregator · Positive
81 ratings, 4.6 overall; difficulty 2.8, scenery 4.7, production 4.5, swag 4.0. Runners agree the lake and river scenery and volunteers are the draw; common complaints are far-apart aid on warm days, hills (a steep climb near mile 2, a long one near miles 5 to 8) and merging of half and 10K runners.
“Beautiful but challenging.”
- Personal blog (Debrunsto50)Raced 2026 · blog · Mixed
Hot and sunny day; hills longer than expected (about 1.6 km (1 mi), 1 mi, at miles 5 to 8 and a steep climb to the mile 21 turnaround). Water ran out by mile 10 (16 km) for a handheld; sewage plant smell near miles 18 and 24. Loved small field, long-sleeve shirt and finish food.
- BibRaveaggregator · Positive
Reviewer found a clean, friendly town beside the lake; the out-and-back by the lake was the highlight with inclines near miles 5 and 11 that were easier than feared. (Page content not retrievable on the direct URL; summarised from search extract.)
- MarathonGuideRaced 2024 · aggregator · Positive
Single review (4.7) praising the park start and finish, good medals, shirts and post-race food; packet pickup started an hour later than advertised.
- MarathonGuide race report (Bob Dolphin)Raced 2001 · article · Mixed
Old report describing two long hills near the lake with a late headwind in the final 15 km (9 mi); course has been revised since, so treat as background only.
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- Coeur d'Alene PressRaced 2025 · article · Positive
Local paper counted about 2,500 runners across the four events on a clear morning in the 60s F (about 16 to 20 °C (68 °F)).
Raced CDA Marathon (Coeur d'Alene Marathon)? Your notes on the course, conditions and logistics help the next athlete decide.
Sources
Pages we used for facts and ratings. See how we rate.
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