San Antonio Marathon: Course, Route Profile & Map

Course & Elevation

From Hemisfair the course first drops south through the King William Historic Area, turns back through downtown past San Fernando Cathedral and heads north along North St. Mary's Street. After the Wear Blue Tribute Mile through Brackenridge Park it follows Broadway and East Grayson to Fort Sam Houston, then climbs gently into the residential grid of Monte Vista and Olmos Park.

The middle of the race is where the terrain works. The road rises from about 200 m at the start to around 230 to 240 m in the north, with short ramps of 15 to 25 m near km 19 and near km 29 on the way through Olmos Park and Alamo Heights. A second visit to Fort Sam Houston, with its loop out towards Stanley Road, follows before the long run back down Broadway to the Pearl, the Alamo and the finish at Hemisfair; the last 7 km lose some 40 m.

It is an urban course on closed streets, with 18 water and 9 electrolyte stations, two gel stations and a 7-hour limit. Early December in South Texas usually means a cool start at 7:15, but the sun climbs quickly over the open avenues of the second half.

Pacing Strategy

The first 14 km are essentially flat, and the downtown crowds and the tribute mile invite a fast opening. Hold your goal pace there instead of banking time: the next 20 km run on a slightly higher, gently rolling plateau where the short ramps near km 19 and km 29 each cost a few seconds if you hold effort rather than pace.

The race is decided on the second Fort Sam Houston loop and the return down Broadway. That stretch is long, straight and slightly downhill, so runners who kept something in reserve can gain there, while anyone who pushed through Olmos Park will feel the flat kilometres after 36 as the hardest of the day.

With a 7:15 start the temperature is usually on your side for the first two hours; if the morning is warm, adjust the target early rather than after km 30.

Training plan for San Antonio Marathon: 12-week build

For most age-group runners this is a three-and-a-half to five-hour effort at a steady aerobic intensity. The course never forces a big climb, so the demand is the classic marathon one: sustaining goal pace for a long time with the small extra cost of a gently rolling middle section.

Build long runs up to 30 to 35 km and put the last part of some of them at marathon pace, because the decisive section here is the long, straight return from Fort Sam Houston after km 35. Include rolling routes so that short rises of 15 to 25 m at race pace feel routine rather than disruptive.

A December race means your key training block falls into the end of summer and autumn. If you train in heat, the race-day morning will feel easy by comparison; if you come from a colder climate, a few runs in warmer conditions or late-morning sessions help in case the sun comes out over the second half.

Practise drinking from cups at pace; with an aid station roughly every mile and a half, a steady fluid and gel routine is easy to plan in advance.