Seattle Marathon
Seattle, United States · November · Independent
Why people love it
- First held in 1970; Thanksgiving-weekend race with open entry.
- Views of Lake Washington, the Arboretum and the Space Needle.
- Finishes in Memorial Stadium; the 2025 route had 13 aid stations.
- Easy Sunday-morning parking near the start.
Watch out for
- The course changes almost every year, so check the current map.
- Gain of 280 to 305 m (918 to 1,000 ft), with climbs late in the race.
- Narrow Burke-Gilman Trail and shared paths cause congestion.
- Gels ran out at some stations, so carry your own fuel.
- Cold, damp November weather of about 3 to 12 °C (37 to 54 °F).
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 satisfactionLiked3.4
RaceRaves averages 3.5 of 5 over 40 ratings. Praise for the finish and volunteers; complaints about highway sections, logistics and a yearly changing route. · Low confidence
- OrganizationAdequate3.2
Reviewers cite a last-minute 2025 course change, a gear check over 40 minutes, and aid stations unstaffed or out of gels. · Low confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable3.2
Steep late climbs, shared paths and changing routes, offset by easy parking and mostly well-supported aid stations. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialSlow2.4
Roughly 280 to 305 m (918 to 1,000 ft) of climbing, many late, plus cold damp weather and narrow trail sections. · Low confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course sceneryPleasant3.3
Lake Washington, the Arboretum and the Space Needle, but highway, tunnel and freeway-adjacent stretches in 2023 and 2024. · Low confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points2.6
Narrow Burke-Gilman Trail, out-and-backs and half and full merging caused congestion from 2021 to 2024. A late turnaround was confusing in 2019. · Medium confidence
- Road surfaceMixed3.2
Dirt trails behind the university and shared paths in 2025, plus wet leaves and ice in some years. · Low confidence
- Road closuresPartly closed3.0
Green Lake and shared paths stay open to walkers, cyclists and dog walkers, and runners stopped for cars at some crossings. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessRolling2.9
Gain of 280 to 305 m (918 to 1,000 ft), rolling, with climbs bunched late. · Medium confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
The course shifts by year, and recent routes end near the start area, so no meaningful net change. · Low confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSome waiting3.2
Seattle Center start has free street parking and a heated indoor area, but gear check took over 40 minutes in 2025. · Low confidence
- Pacers and timingSome pace groups3.2
Pace-group corrals worked well in 2022. The half measured about 21.6 km (13.4 mi) on one tracker. · Low confidence
- Crowd supportDecent2.6
Downtown, Gas Works Park and the finish draw cheers, but a 2025 reviewer says the new route lost the best crowds. Shared paths are sparse. · Low confidence
- Aid stationsStandard3.2
13 aid stations with helpful volunteers in 2025, but gels were sparse or out from 2022 to 2024 and some stations were unstaffed. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindMostly calm3.6
No review cites wind as a problem, but few comment on it. · Low confidence
- Air temperatureWarm or cool3.4
Typically 3 to 12 °C (37 to 54 °F) with drizzle. 2025 was 16 °C (60 °F) and sunny, and some years were icy. · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable2.8
Reports range from icy (2023, 2025) to good (2022, 2024), with frequent drizzle and some snow risk. · Medium confidence
- Spectator friendlySome viewpoints2.6
Closed roads and shared paths made it hard for friends to reach several spots in 2025. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeSea level5.0
Seattle sits about 60 m (200 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
Large city with many downtown hotels. · Low confidence
- Hotel valueNormal3.2
The host hotel was far from the 2022 start, and downtown rates vary. · Low confidence
- WalkabilityWalkable4.0
Seattle Center start and Memorial Stadium finish are a short distance apart and near downtown. · Low confidence
- Travel easeEasy4.0
Seattle-Tacoma airport is about 22 km (14 mi) from downtown with light rail. · Medium confidence
- LogisticsSimple3.6
Packet pickup was easy in 2023, but in 2022 the expo was small and one day only, and the shuttle ran one way. · Low confidence
- Town and foodGood4.4
Strong food and waterfront scene. · 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 inEasy4.4
Open entry with no sign of selling out. · Low confidence
- Value for moneyFair3.4
Medals and long-sleeve shirts drew mixed reviews. Fee not found. · Low confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Seattle, Washington, United States
- Typical month
- November
- Latest or next date
- 29 November 2026
- Organiser
- Independent
- Field size
- About 2,500 athletes
- First held
- 1970
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- point-to-point
- Climbing
- 280 m (920 ft)
- Surface
- Road plus shared paths; dirt trail behind UW reported in 2025
- How to get in
- open
- Sells out
- Rarely
- Air temperature
- 3–12 °C (37–54 °F)
- Humidity
- Damp; drizzle common
- Altitude
- 60 m (195 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), 22 km (14 mi) away
- Where to stay
- Downtown, Belltown, South Lake Union, Queen Anne
- Booking
- Westin Seattle is the host hotel and packet pickup, but was far from the 2022 start; stay near Seattle Center.
What racers and reviewers say
- RaceRaves (UW Medicine Seattle Marathon)Raced 2025 · aggregator · Mixed
3.5 of 5 from 40 ratings spanning 2021 to 2025. Runners say the course changes nearly every year and call it hilly but manageable. Highway, tunnel and freeway-adjacent sections drew complaints, congestion on the Burke-Gilman Trail, and some aid stations ran out of gels.
- Team Run Run (Jenny D)Raced 2019 · blog · mixed-positive
Watch showed 918 ft (280 m) of gain with a steep climb near mile 23 (37 km). High 30s Fahrenheit (about 3 to 4 °C (39 °F)), aid stations well organised, spectators light but a stadium finish motivating.
- Team Run Run (Michael Linscott)Raced 2025 · blog · mixed-positive
Last-minute course change with dirt trails behind UW and awkward out-and-backs. Almost 1,000 ft (305 m) of climbing, 60 °F (16 °C) and sunny, 13 aid stations with water and Gatorade but few gels. Easy parking, well-run start, limited spectator access.
- Wikipedia: Seattle MarathonRaced 2025 · article · neutral
First held 15 November 1970, annual since; current course runs south through downtown, over Ship Canal Bridge, through UW and the Arboretum, around Green Lake and finishes at Memorial Stadium.
Raced Seattle 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.
Training for Seattle Marathon? Moku Coach builds your plan around race day.