Spring Marathons 2026
23 marathons · 2026/03 – 2026/05
Spring marathon season opens with the promise of Boston — the world's oldest annual marathon and the only major that requires a qualifying time. Every April, 30,000 runners who earned their place line up in Hopkinton for the point-to-point course that ends on Boylston Street. But spring offers far more than Boston. March brings a wave of Southern races where warm weather returns first — Houston, Austin, and Myrtle Beach. April fills with mid-Atlantic and Midwest races before the heat arrives. May closes the window with late-spring races in the Pacific Northwest where mild temps last longest. Training for a spring marathon means long runs through winter — cold, dark mornings on icy roads. It is harder than summer training. But the athletes who survive January long runs arrive at the start line forged by conditions that build mental toughness no treadmill can replicate.
Upcoming Marathons
Spring 2026 by the Numbers
Boston Marathon (April 20, 2026) is the crown jewel of spring racing — 30,000 qualifiers on the world's most storied course.
Spring marathons tend to be slightly faster than fall races due to lower humidity, despite similar temperatures.
March-April is peak season for Southern marathons before summer heat makes racing dangerous below the Mason-Dixon line.
The Big Sur International Marathon (April, California) is widely considered the most scenic marathon in America.
Why Race in Spring?
Boston — if you have a BQ, spring is when you cash it in on the world's most prestigious marathon course.
Southern escape — warm-weather destinations like Myrtle Beach, Savannah, and Austin offer race-cation potential.
Winter-forged toughness — surviving cold-weather training builds mental resilience that translates directly to race-day grit.
Training Periodization
Spring marathon training starts in December-January. Long runs happen in the coldest months — invest in quality cold-weather gear, reflective clothing for dark mornings, and consider treadmill intervals for the worst days. Peak mileage falls in February-March.