Two Cities Marathon
Fresno, United States · November · Independent
Why people love it
- Flat course with only 102 m (335 ft) of gain; one runner PRed in 2025.
- Well organised, with pacers, plenty of toilets and parking (RaceRaves production 4.5).
- Cheery volunteers, school bands and a detour through Old Town Clovis at mile 19 (31 km).
- Breakfast, beer and a half-zip finisher top.
Watch out for
- Crowds thin in the last 10 km (6 mi); walkers can bottleneck the last mile.
- Starts about 10 °C (50 °F) but finishes can reach 27 °C (80 °F).
- Long Saturday packet pickup lines; go after 1 p.m.
- Entry about US$155, rising on set dates.
- Drive to the 6:30 a.m. start; there is no walking access.
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: Moderate
- Racer satisfactionLoved4.2
RaceRaves 4.4 from 30 ratings, MarathonGuide 4.4 from 2. Organisation and community are praised; the course is plain and late miles are quiet. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run4.4
RaceRaves production 4.5; expo, parking, pacers and toilets praised in 2025. Long Saturday packet lines, and an exit jam of over an hour in 2021. · Medium confidence
- First timer friendlyFriendly4.3
Flat 102 m (335 ft) gain, 6.5 hour limit, pacers and good aid; thin crowds in the last 10 km (6 mi). · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialFast3.9
One 2025 runner PRed in perfect weather; a 2018 runner said underpasses, a hill near Friant and last-mile walkers slow it. · Medium confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course sceneryPleasant3.2
RaceRaves scenery 3.5. Shaded early miles, Old Town Clovis and trail; others call it flat and dull. · Medium confidence
- Room to runRoomy3.7
Wide roads and trail, little crowding; walkers in the last mile slow faster runners. · Medium confidence
- Road surfaceGood3.6
Paved roads and rail trail; a few underpass dips. · Medium confidence
- Road closuresMostly closed3.6
Road closures from 3 am to 3 pm on Friant, Shepherd and parts of Clovis; trail sections shared with walkers and cyclists in 2023. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessMostly flat4.2
102 m (335 ft) of gain over the full distance, a little above pancake flat. · Medium confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
Point-to-point across town with no reported net drop. · Low confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSmooth4.0
Plentiful toilets, parking, pacers and a pre-dawn start; a 2018 report of shuttles and a 2021 exit jam. · Medium confidence
- Pacers and timingGood4.2
Pacers mentioned in several reports and well-marked course. · Medium confidence
- Crowd supportDecent3.1
Enthusiastic bands and school groups early; thin in the last 6 miles (10 km), per a 2024 reviewer. · Medium confidence
- Aid stationsGood4.0
Water, electrolyte and gels at two stops; occasional requests for more fuel and food. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindMostly calm4.0
Light winds of 14 km (8.7 mi)/h (9 mph) at a 2023 start. · Medium confidence
- Air temperaturePleasant3.8
Start about 7 to 10 °C (44 to 50 °F); warm finishes up to 20 to 27 °C (68 to 80 °F) in some years. · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityReliable3.8
Dry Central Valley, but heat up to 27 °C (80 °F) in 2025 and wildfire smoke concerns in 2019. · Medium confidence
- Spectator friendlySome viewpoints3.0
Trail crossings allow viewing, but crowds are scattered. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeSea level4.9
About 95 m (310 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 availabilityGood3.8
Lodging described as ample in Clovis and north Fresno. · Low confidence
- Hotel valueGood3.6
One runner stayed in Clovis; no rates reported. · Low confidence
- WalkabilitySome driving2.8
Drive to a 6:30 am start; limited reports of shuttles. · Low confidence
- Travel easeOne connection3.4
Fresno airport about 20 km (12 mi) away with limited flights; reachable by car from the Bay Area or Los Angeles. · Medium confidence
- LogisticsSimple3.8
Expo at a church the day before; one runner suggested going after 1 pm to avoid long lines. · Medium confidence
- Town and foodFine3.3
Old Town Clovis has restaurants and the Fresno area has a wide food 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 inEasy4.3
Open entry, not reported as selling out. · Medium confidence
- Value for moneyFair3.2
About 155 US dollars including fees; swag rated 3.9 by RaceRaves, a long-sleeve half-zip finisher gift and a breakfast with beer. · Low confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Fresno, Fresno County, United States
- Typical month
- November
- Latest or next date
- 1 November 2026
- Organiser
- Independent
- Field size
- About 500 athletes
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- point-to-point
- Climbing
- 102 m (335 ft)
- Start time
- 06:30
- Cutoff
- 6.5 hours
- Boston qualifier
- Yes
- Surface
- Paved roads and the Clovis-Fresno rail trail; some underpasses
- How to get in
- open
- Sells out
- Rarely
- Entry fee
- About $155
- Air temperature
- 7–24 °C (45–75 °F)
- Humidity
- Dry Central Valley, but 87 percent at one 2023 start
- Altitude
- 95 m (310 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Fresno Yosemite International (FAT), 20 km (12 mi) away
- Where to stay
- Clovis, North Fresno near Woodward Park
- Booking
- Hotels in Clovis and north Fresno; a 2019 reviewer said lodging is ample. Packet pickup at a church the day before.
What racers and reviewers say
- RaceRavesRaced 2025 · aggregator · Positive
30 ratings, 4.4 overall; difficulty 2.3, scenery 3.5, production 4.5, swag 3.9. Agreed: top organization, flat and fast, enthusiastic but thinning crowds, good aid with occasional fuel requests.
“Top-notch organization.”
- MarathonGuideRaced 2025 · aggregator · Positive
4.4 from 2 reviews. Dedicated staff and a small field; a racewalker found the course flat, well-marked and quiet, with good traffic control through Woodward Park.
“Worthwhile but not a major event.”
- MarathonGuide 2012 reportRaced 2012 · aggregator · Positive
A 5:27 finisher praised the easy flat course, excellent organization and weather, with about a quarter of the course in Clovis and the rest in Fresno.
- BibRave reviewsRaced 2017 · aggregator · Positive
Easy expo with vendors, a short-sleeve tee plus a finisher half-zip, and a runner who did the Clovis half seven years in a row and called it flat, scenic and well run.
- Halfmarathons.net course pageRaced 2024 · article · neutral
Starts at Clovis Community College, uses the rail trail, with a 6.5 hour limit across distances.
Show 5 more
- knbdingle on RaceRavesRaced 2025 · aggregator · Positive
Expo, parking, pacers and toilets top notch; shady first half and few but enthusiastic spectators.
- FearTheTurtle on RaceRavesRaced 2024 · aggregator · Positive
PR in perfect weather; flat, good aid, long Saturday packet lines, closed roads, finisher festival. Stayed in Clovis.
- smt1964 on RaceRavesRaced 2024 · aggregator · Positive
Well-organised aid, a pace of about 5 min per km (8 min per mile), and thin crowds in the last 10 km (6 mi).
- Lani on RaceRavesRaced 2018 · aggregator · Positive
Small, well-run race with pacers and shuttles. Boston caution: last-mile walkers bottleneck. Good CIM tune-up.
- ABC30 Fresno newsRaced 2019 · article · neutral
Road closures from 3 am to 3 pm on Friant, Shepherd, Teague and Old Town Clovis; expo at New Covenant Church; over 3,000 expected across events.
Raced Two Cities Marathon? Your notes on the course, conditions and logistics help the next athlete decide.
Sources
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