The Fastest Marathons in the South, Ranked by the Numbers

This is part three of our series ranking the fastest marathons in every region of the U.S. If you missed the first two, start with the fastest marathons in the Midwest and the fastest marathons in the Northeast.

Same idea, same math. This isn't a review of the medal or the post-race party. It's the nerd perspective: we pulled the same numbers for 12 Southern marathons, ran them through the same model, and ranked them with the PR Nerd Fast Course Score. Because the method doesn't change from region to region, you can compare these scores directly with the other lists.

For this series, we're using the U.S. Census Bureau's definition of the South, which stretches from Delaware and Maryland down through Florida and west to Texas and Oklahoma. That's why races like Marine Corps and Baltimore are here instead of in the Northeast. We picked the region's biggest marathons plus several smaller races with reputations for fast times. It's a selected list, not every marathon in the South.

The Rankings

The score runs from 0 to 100, where 100 would be a perfectly flat course on a cool, calm, dry morning. "Time cost" is our estimate of how much slower a 4:00 marathoner would run on that course on a typical race day compared to that perfect course.

Rankings are based on unrounded scores. BQ Rate is the share of Boston-eligible finishers who ran a Boston qualifying time, from Find My Marathon, for the 2027 Boston Marathon qualifying period (roughly September 2025 to September 2026). Winter and spring races show their 2026 edition, and fall races show their 2025 edition. BQ Rate isn't part of our score.

The headline: the South is fast if you pick the right month. You might expect heat to wreck every Southern race on this list, but it doesn't. The region's big marathons are mostly held from late fall to early spring, and no race here takes more than about a half-percent heat penalty on a typical day. In fact, Rocket City and Tobacco Road have some of the coolest, driest typical starts we've seen in any region.

What separates the South's races is mostly hills. Houston, Disney, Kiawah, and Shamrock are pancake flat. Austin, Baltimore, and Dallas have some of the most climbing we've analyzed so far.

And Houston, at 93, is the second-highest score in the series, behind only Steamtown in the Northeast. It beats Boston and Chicago.

How the Score Works

We use the same model for every region. Here's the short version. (The Midwest article has the full explanation.)

The score estimates how much a course and its typical weather slow you down, as a percent of your finish time. Every 1% of estimated slowdown takes 20 points off a perfect 100. There are four inputs:

1. Hills. For our model, we use a simplified estimate: about 2% added to your finish time for every 1,000 feet of total climbing. Research on the energy cost of running on slopes (Minetti and colleagues, 2002) shows that climbing costs more than descending gives back. The 2% figure is our own simplification based on that idea, not a result from one study.

2. Net downhill. Courses that finish lower than they start get a credit at half the rate of the climbing penalty. None of the races on this list have a meaningful net drop, so this didn't come into play here.

3. Heat and humidity. Research on big-city marathons (Ely and colleagues, 2007; El Helou and colleagues, 2012) shows that times slow as it gets warmer, and that the fastest performances happen in cool weather, roughly 40 to 50°F. To turn weather into a number, we use a rough coaching rule of thumb: add the temperature and the dew point. Under 100, there's no penalty. Above it, the penalty grows. We use the typical race-morning temperature, add a fixed 6°F for warming during the race, and estimate the dew point from typical race-week humidity.

4. Wind. A small penalty for typical peak wind above about 9 mph (15 km/h).

What the data is: Elevation gain, typical race-week weather (from about 20 years of historical climate data), and finisher counts come from RunDida's race pages, the same single source we've used for every region.

This is a comparison tool, not a personal race-time calculator. Actual conditions vary a lot from year to year, and sunlight, wind, and your own heat acclimation all affect how you'll run.

A Word About Southern Weather

Typical weather is only half the story in the South. The other half is how much it varies.

A January morning in Houston or Orlando is usually cool, but a warm front can push race-day temperatures into the 60s or 70s with high humidity. That happens more often in the South than in the Midwest or Northeast, where the same months are reliably cold. Our score uses typical conditions, so it can't capture that risk.

The practical advice: if you pick a Southern race for a fast time, have a Plan B. Know what pace you'll run if the forecast comes in warm and humid, and be willing to adjust on race morning. Running your goal pace in bad conditions is how good training blocks end in a blowup at mile 20.

It's also worth noting that our model doesn't penalize cold. Rocket City's typical start in the mid-30s is chilly at the line, but it's close to ideal once you're running. Bring throwaway layers and gloves.

Race by Race

1. Houston Marathon (Score: 93)

• Usually held: Mid-January
• Finishers: 8,852 (2026)
• Elevation gain: About 65 feet
• Typical start: Around 50°F, dew point mid-40s

Houston is the flattest big marathon we've analyzed in any region, with about 2.5 feet of climbing per mile. That's even flatter than Chicago. Its typical January weather is cool, and the only thing keeping it from a near-perfect score is humidity: Houston mornings are damp even in winter.

It's also the South's best race for Boston qualifiers by the numbers, with more than 14% of finishers running a BQ time. Houston has a reputation as one of the fastest marathons in the country, and the data backs it up. Entry has historically been through a drawing for many runners, so check the official site for current registration rules.

The one real risk is a warm year. When Houston gets a humid 60-degree morning, the course stops mattering.

2. Shamrock Marathon (Score: 82)

• Usually held: Mid to late March
• Finishers: About 2,400 (2026)
• Elevation gain: About 270 feet
• Typical start: Mid-40s°F, dew point around 40°F

Shamrock runs along the Virginia Beach oceanfront on a flat out-and-back course, and its late-March weather is usually cool and dry enough to avoid any heat penalty. Its main weakness is wind. Coastal courses are exposed, and Shamrock has one of the higher typical wind readings on this list. On an out-and-back, that means you'll likely run into it for at least half the race.

It's a great spring option for East Coast runners who want a flat course before it gets warm.

3. Walt Disney World Marathon (Score: 81)

• Usually held: Early to mid-January
• Finishers: 13,282 (2026)
• Elevation gain: About 165 feet
• Typical start: Mid-50s°F, dew point upper 40s

Here's a fun one. By the numbers, Disney is a fast course. It's flat, it runs through all four Walt Disney World theme parks, and it starts before dawn to beat the Florida heat. It lands third in the South.

But Disney has the lowest BQ rate we've seen anywhere: less than 1% of finishers qualify. That's not because of the course. It's because almost nobody runs Disney for time. People run in costumes, stop for character photos, and treat it as a celebration. It's the clearest example in the whole series of a BQ rate reflecting the field, not the course.

If you actually want to race it, the course will cooperate. Just know you'll be one of very few people doing that.

4. Marine Corps Marathon (Score: 80)

• Usually held: Late October
• Finishers: 16,180 (2024)
• Elevation gain: About 395 feet
• Typical start: Around 50°F, dew point low 40s

Known as "The People's Marathon," Marine Corps starts in Arlington, Virginia, and tours Washington, D.C., past the monuments and along the National Mall, before finishing near the Marine Corps War Memorial. Its late-October weather is usually ideal, and its climbing is moderate.

Its BQ rate is low, but like Disney and Fargo in the Midwest, that's largely about who runs it. Marine Corps attracts a huge number of first-time marathoners, military runners, and people running for the experience. The course itself is solid. Two things to know: the finish includes a short uphill, and the course has a time checkpoint on the 14th Street Bridge late in the race that slower runners need to beat.

5. Kiawah Island Marathon (Score: 78)

• Usually held: Mid-December
• Finishers: About 1,500 (2025)
• Elevation gain: About 130 feet
• Typical start: Mid-50s°F, dew point upper 40s

Kiawah is one of the flattest courses in the series, a loop on resort roads and paths on a coastal island near Charleston, South Carolina. If it were held somewhere cooler and calmer, it would be near the top of every list.

Two things hold it back: humidity and wind. A typical December start in the mid-50s with coastal humidity carries a small heat penalty, and Kiawah has the highest typical wind of any race on this list. On a calm, cool day, it's very fast.

6. Rocket City Marathon (Score: 72)

• Usually held: Mid-December
• Finishers: About 1,400 (2025)
• Elevation gain: About 670 feet
• Typical start: Mid-30s°F, dew point low 30s

Rocket City, in Huntsville, Alabama, has the best weather of any race we've analyzed in any region. Its temperature-plus-dew-point total is lower than every race in the Midwest and Northeast. A cold, dry December morning is close to perfect for running fast.

The course is what costs it. At about 670 feet of climbing, it's in the hillier half of the list. Rocket City has a long-standing reputation with serious runners, and its BQ rate is solid for its score.

7. Richmond Marathon (Score: 71)

• Usually held: Mid-November
• Finishers: 4,943 (2025)
• Elevation gain: About 685 feet
• Typical start: Mid-40s°F, dew point upper 30s

Richmond calls itself "America's Friendliest Marathon," and it has excellent mid-November weather with calm typical winds. The climbing is what holds its score back. The course is rolling, with about 685 feet of gain.

Richmond is known for its finish: a steep downhill to the James River at Brown's Island. It's a great way to end a marathon, as long as your quads still work. If you like a big, well-supported race with cool weather and you've trained on rolling hills, Richmond is a strong choice.

8. Tobacco Road Marathon (Score: 70)

• Usually held: Mid-March
• Finishers: About 900 (2026)
• Elevation gain: About 720 feet
• Typical start: Around 40°F, dew point low 30s

Tobacco Road, near Raleigh in Cary, North Carolina, is an out-and-back course with much of it on the American Tobacco Trail, a rail trail. Its early-March weather is cool and dry, and it carries no heat or wind penalty.

Its score is held back by climbing, but its BQ rate is the second-highest in the South, at about 12%. Like Glass City in the Midwest and Vermont City in the Northeast, it has a reputation that draws experienced runners. Rail trails also tend to have long, gradual grades instead of steep hills, which may make them easier to run than the total gain suggests.

9. St. Jude Memphis Marathon (Score: 67)

• Usually held: Early December
• Finishers: About 2,000 (2025)
• Elevation gain: About 700 feet
• Typical start: Mid-40s°F, dew point around 40°F

St. Jude Memphis is one of the most meaningful races on any list. It raises money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the course runs through the hospital's campus, where patients and families cheer runners on. Its December weather is good. Its climbing puts it in the bottom half of our ranking.

If you're picking a race for the experience and the cause, there may not be a better one. If you're picking strictly for speed, there are flatter options.

10. Dallas Marathon (Score: 60)

• Usually held: Mid-December
• Finishers: About 3,800 (2025)
• Elevation gain: About 845 feet
• Typical start: Low 40s°F, dew point mid-30s

Dallas has some of the best weather on this list, with a cold, dry typical start. Its course is the issue. It's a rolling city loop that includes a long stretch around White Rock Lake, with about 845 feet of climbing.

It's a well-run December race and a good choice if you want cool weather late in the year. For a PR attempt, Houston is the better Texas option by a wide margin.

11. Baltimore Marathon (Score: 56)

• Usually held: Mid-October
• Finishers: 1,959 (2025)
• Elevation gain: About 975 feet
• Typical start: Around 50°F, dew point low 40s

Baltimore has the second-most climbing on this list. Its October weather is good, but nearly 1,000 feet of gain is a lot for a city marathon. It's a race for runners who enjoy a challenge and want to see the city, not for a BQ attempt.

12. Austin Marathon (Score: 51)

• Usually held: Mid-February
• Finishers: 7,278 (2026)
• Elevation gain: About 1,015 feet
• Typical start: Mid-40s°F, dew point upper 30s

Austin has the most climbing of any race in the series so far, at just over 1,000 feet. Its February weather is usually cool, but it also has one of the higher typical wind readings on this list. Put those together, and it's the lowest score we've calculated in the South.

Austin is a fun, energetic race in a great city. Like the Flying Pig in the Midwest and Pittsburgh in the Northeast, run it for the experience, not the clock.

BQ Rate vs. Fast Course Score

In the South, our score and BQ rates line up moderately well: the correlation is about 0.4, between the Midwest (about 0.3) and the Northeast (about 0.8).

The biggest outlier is Disney, which scores as one of the fastest courses but has the lowest BQ rate in the series. Marine Corps is a smaller version of the same story. On the other side, Tobacco Road and Rocket City have higher BQ rates than their scores predict, because they attract experienced runners.

Houston is the one race where everything lines up: the best score, the highest BQ rate, and a big field.

What the Score Doesn't Capture

• Warm-weather years. This is the biggest one in the South. Typical weather is good, but a warm, humid race day happens more often here.
• Where the hills are. Total gain doesn't show whether climbing is spread out or packed into one steep section.
• Surface. Trail sections, like on Tobacco Road, can feel different from pavement.
• Crowding. Disney and Marine Corps are huge, and Disney's narrow park paths can get congested.
• Your own strengths. If you live and train in the heat, humid conditions may bother you less than our model assumes.

Which Southern Marathon Should You Pick?

• Chasing a BQ: Houston, by a wide margin. Have a Plan B for a warm year.
• Flat course in the spring: Shamrock, if you can handle some wind.
• Flat course in December: Kiawah Island, as long as it isn't too humid or windy that day.
• Best weather, willing to work on hills: Rocket City or Richmond.
• Once-in-a-lifetime experience: Marine Corps, Disney, or St. Jude Memphis.

Whatever you pick, a tune-up race six to eight weeks out is the best way to set your goal pace, and it's worth practicing your fueling plan on your long runs. If you want to know how much you can realistically take off your time in one training block, I broke that down in how long it takes to improve your marathon time.

FAQ

What is the fastest marathon in the South? By our PR Nerd Fast Course Score, Houston ranks first. It's the flattest big marathon we've analyzed in any region, with cool typical January weather. It's also the South's best race for Boston qualifiers by the numbers.

What is the flattest marathon in the South? Houston, with about 65 feet of total climbing. Kiawah Island and Disney are also very flat.

What's the fastest marathon in Texas? Houston, by a wide margin. Dallas and Austin are both much hillier.

Is the Marine Corps Marathon a fast course? It's a solid course with moderate climbing and usually good late-October weather. It scored 80, fourth in the South. Its low BQ rate mostly reflects its large number of first-time marathoners.

Is the Disney Marathon fast? The course is. It's flat and starts before dawn. But almost no one runs it for time, which is why less than 1% of finishers run a BQ.

What's the best time of year to race a marathon in the South? December through early March. The biggest risk is a warm, humid race day, so have a backup pace plan.

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Our scores are estimates based on typical conditions and published course data. They're meant to help you compare races, not to predict your exact time. Race dates, courses, and field sizes change, so check each race's official website before you register.

Sources

• Minetti, A. E., Moia, C., Roi, G. S., Susta, D., & Ferretti, G. (2002). Energy cost of walking and running at extreme uphill and downhill slopes. Journal of Applied Physiology, 93(3), 1039–1046.
• Ely, M. R., Cheuvront, S. N., Roberts, W. O., & Montain, S. J. (2007). Impact of weather on marathon-running performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 39(3), 487–493.
• El Helou, N., Tafflet, M., Berthelot, G., Tolaini, J., Marc, A., Guillaume, M., Hausswirth, C., & Toussaint, J.-F. (2012). Impact of environmental parameters on marathon running performance. PLoS ONE, 7(5), e37407.
• RunDida race pages: elevation gain, typical race-week weather, and finisher counts.
• Find My Marathon: Boston qualifying rates by race for the 2027 Boston Marathon qualifying period.
• Official race websites for course descriptions.