Duke City Marathon
Albuquerque, United States · October · Independent
Why people love it
- Out-and-back on the Paseo del Bosque trail beside the Rio Grande, with cottonwoods and fall colour.
- Flat: under 90 m (300 ft) gain, USATF certified Boston qualifier.
- Start and finish at Civic Plaza, with hotels and the convention centre next door.
- Friendly volunteers, water and Gatorade about every 3 km (2 mi), finish food and a beer garden.
- Open entry with about 510 finishers, so it rarely sells out.
Watch out for
- Altitude is about 1,620 m (5,300 ft) and the air is dry; arrive early and hydrate.
- Several runners got wrong-year medals or none at all.
- No corrals; half and 10K waves start 15 minutes apart on a two-way path shared with cyclists.
- Little food on course or at the finish, and some aid stations ran dry late.
- Few toilets and unclear signage reported by several reviewers.
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 satisfactionLiked3.2
RaceRaves 3.5 from 28 ratings, Marathon Maniacs about 5.5 out of 10 from 13, Wagner 4 of 5. Flat and friendly but boring and patchy. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationAdequate3.0
RaceRaves production 3.2. Wrong-year or missing medals, unmailed bibs, poor signage and missing shirt sizes; others call it well run. · Medium confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable3.2
Flat and everyone can finish per a reviewer, but 1,620 m (5,300 ft) altitude, no corrals and a shared two-way path; cutoff not published. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialAverage3.3
Flat with under 90 m (300 ft) gain but altitude costs sea-level runners; Boston qualifier though only 21 of about 510 qualified in 2025 (4.1%). · Medium confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course sceneryPleasant3.2
RaceRaves scenery 3.3: bosque cottonwoods, fall colour, Rio Grande and balloons; reviewers also call it boring and repetitive. · Medium confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points2.5
Narrow two-way path shared with half and 10K runners, waves 15 minutes apart, no corrals, and the organiser says the trail is too narrow now. · Medium confidence
- Road surfaceGood3.5
Paved bike path and streets; no surface complaints beyond crowding. · Low confidence
- Road closuresMostly open2.4
Cyclists on the path, little police presence on the return in 2021, and a shared two-way trail. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessMostly flat4.2
Under 300 ft (90 m) gain per a 2021 race report; slight climb to the turnaround and slight descent home. · Medium confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
Out-and-back from and to Civic Plaza, net zero; Boston qualifier. · Medium confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSome waiting2.7
No corrals, multiple events starting 15 minutes apart, unmarked start in 2018, parking confusion; gear drop and hotel next door help. · Medium confidence
- Pacers and timingSome pace groups3.0
Pacer information not found; timing and results exist, a missing medal remained three months after one race. · Low confidence
- Crowd supportSparse2.4
Several reviewers cited sparse spectators; locals gather at the finish. · Medium confidence
- Aid stationsStandard2.8
Water and Gatorade every 1.6 to 3 km (1 to 2 mi) but no food or gels, some stations dry late, and few toilets. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindMostly calm3.5
Bosque trail is sheltered by trees; some years reported wind. · Low confidence
- Air temperaturePleasant4.0
Starts at 3 to 6 °C (38 to 43 °F), warming to about 16 °C (60 °F). Cold rain and wind in 2022 and 2023. · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable3.3
Cold rain and wind in 2022, extremes in 2023, calm sunny 2021. · Low confidence
- Spectator friendlyEasy3.5
Many bosque parking lots and spectator spots per Wagner; sparse crowds noted by others. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeElevated1.5
About 1,620 m (5,300 ft) above sea level. · High confidence
Stay and travel
Hotels, walkability, getting there, and the town around the race. Counts for 10% of the overall score.
- Hotel availabilityGood4.2
Hotels and the convention centre next to Civic Plaza per RaceRaves reviewers. · Medium confidence
- Hotel valueNormal3.4
No pricing evidence; downtown Albuquerque is probably moderate. · Low confidence
- WalkabilityWalkable4.2
Hotels beside the start; finish at Civic Plaza. · Medium confidence
- Travel easeEasy3.9
ABQ airport about 8 km (5 mi) from Civic Plaza. · Low confidence
- LogisticsSome complexity3.0
Small expo, bibs not mailed for one runner, parking 10 USD, parking signage confusion. · Medium confidence
- Town and foodGood3.5
Old Town and downtown restaurants; finish food was limited. · Low 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 entry4.6
Open entry with about 510 marathon finishers; no sell-out reported. · Medium confidence
- Value for moneyFair2.9
A 2025 reviewer called the entry fee expensive; swag 2.9; medals missing or wrong-year; shirt and medal otherwise liked. · Low confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, United States
- Typical month
- October
- Latest or next date
- 18 October 2026
- Organiser
- Independent
- Field size
- About 510 athletes
- First held
- 1984
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- out-and-back
- Climbing
- 90 m (295 ft)
- Start time
- 07:00
- Boston qualifier
- Yes
- Surface
- Paved bike path and city streets
- How to get in
- open
- Sells out
- Rarely
- Air temperature
- 3–18 °C (37–64 °F)
- Humidity
- Dry high desert
- Altitude
- 1,620 m (5,310 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), 8 km (5 mi) away
- Where to stay
- Downtown near Civic Plaza, Old Town
- Booking
- Hotels and the convention centre next to Civic Plaza let runners stay warm before the start.
What racers and reviewers say
- RaceRavesRaced 2026 · aggregator · Mixed
28 ratings (14 marathon), 3.5 overall; difficulty 2.3, scenery 3.3, production 3.2, swag 2.9. Flat fast course along the bosque, friendly volunteers and hotel next to the start; complaints about missing or wrong-year medals, limited finish food, no corrals, congestion between start waves, few toilets, sparse spectators and altitude.
- Marathon ManiacsRaced 2023 · aggregator · Mixed
13 member reviews from 2018 to 2024 averaging about 5.5 out of 10: a flat but boring out-and-back on a bike path, helpful water stops from some, shortages and poor marking from others, cyclists on the path, little finish food and altitude and dry air.
“Easy but pretty boring.”
- Team Run RunRaced 2021 · blog · Positive
First woman and 9th overall in 3:02:38 and 4 of 5 stars: flat fast out-and-back on the bosque path, a cool sunny start in the high 30s °F (3 to 4 °C (39 °F)), Gatorade and water about every 3 km (2 mi), no food on course, no corrals, plentiful finish food and a beer garden. Advises hydrating early in the dry air.
“Flat and fast course.”
- Albuquerque JournalRaced 2026 · article · Positive
2026 report: 7 am start, finish at Civic Plaza, more city streets now used because the trail is too narrow for two-way traffic. A Colorado Springs winner at 6,000 ft (1,830 m) appreciated the lower altitude.
“I appreciated the lower altitude, yeah.”
- MarathonGuideRaced 2026 · aggregator · Positive
One 5.0 review posted in 2026 calling it a great first marathon, with no details; confirms 378 finishers in 2022.
“Great first marathon”
Show 1 more
- HalfRunsRaced 2026 · survey · neutral
Runner Favorite score of 83 out of 100, 21% of runners returning, a USATF certified largely flat course with minimal net change; warns altitude and warm days.
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Sources
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