Community

For years, San Antonio runners have met before sunrise, logged miles through neighborhood streets and built friendships one training run at a time. This December, that community will once again have a marathon designed to feel like it belongs to them.

Registration is now open for the 2026 San Antonio Marathon, returning Dec. 4-6 for its second year as a locally driven celebration of movement, culture and connection.

The weekend will bring together experienced marathoners, first-time 5K participants, families, run clubs, volunteers and spectators in downtown San Antonio. At the center of it all is a simple idea: a major race can showcase more than athletic endurance. It can also tell the story of a city and remind residents what they are capable of accomplishing together.

A Marathon San Antonio Can Call Its Own

The San Antonio Marathon was created by San Antonio Sports in partnership with the City of San Antonio as a successor to the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon, which operated locally for 16 years.

Rather than allowing the city’s marathon tradition to fade, local organizers saw an opportunity to build something shaped more directly by San Antonio—its history, its neighborhoods, its military community, its food, its celebrations and the people who call the city home.

The inaugural San Antonio Marathon took place in December 2025. The 2026 event will continue that effort, giving San Antonio a signature race weekend intended to grow alongside the city.

From the beginning, organizers have described the marathon as a course “where every step tells a story.” Early plans included miles inspired by parts of San Antonio’s identity, including the Yanaguana Mile, Fiesta Mile, Military Mile, Rodeo Mile and Culinary Mile.

That approach reflects what many local runners already understand: covering 26.2 miles is never only about the distance. Every participant arrives with a reason for being there—a health goal, a loved one they are honoring, a personal challenge, a qualifying time or simply a promise to finish what they started.

The San Antonio Marathon gives those individual stories a place to unfold against the backdrop of the city itself.

Built From a Larger Mission of Community Wellness

The organization behind the race has spent decades using sports to create opportunities across San Antonio.

Established in 1984, San Antonio Sports is a nonprofit organization focused on transforming the community through the power of sport. It is widely known for helping San Antonio host major events such as NCAA championships and Final Four tournaments, but much of its work happens closer to home.

Its programs provide free youth sports training to students at Title I elementary schools, community fitness classes, 5K events and other opportunities that reach thousands of local children and families.

That work helped inspire the San Antonio Marathon.

The race is not separate from the organization’s broader mission. It is an extension of it—a highly visible weekend that encourages residents to move, set goals and see physical activity as something that can connect generations and neighborhoods.

It also gives young athletes and newer runners a chance to witness people of different ages and abilities taking on the same streets, each at their own pace.

A Weekend With Room for Every Kind of Runner

Not everyone needs to run a marathon to be part of the weekend.

The SATX 5K presented by Holidays on Houston Street will begin at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, starting and finishing at Hemisfair. The evening race offers a more approachable option for families, younger runners, walkers and residents who want to experience the energy of marathon weekend without taking on a longer distance.

The San Antonio Marathon and Half Marathon will follow Sunday morning, Dec. 6, beginning at 7:15 a.m. Both races will finish at Hemisfair, where runners can reunite with friends and family and celebrate what is often the final step in months of training.

Current registration is $179 for the marathon, $139 for the half marathon and $59 for the 5K. The marathon is open to participants ages 16 and older, the half marathon to ages 14 and older and the 5K to ages 7 and older.

The marathon is also a USATF-certified Boston Marathon qualifier, giving competitive runners the opportunity to pursue a major personal milestone in their own city.

But the weekend is not built only around elite times. The full marathon allows up to seven hours for completion, while the half marathon has a four-hour limit and the 5K has a one-hour limit.

Those windows create space for a broad range of participants—from athletes chasing a qualifying time to residents hoping to cross their first finish line.

Local Running Groups Will Help Carry the Weekend

San Antonio’s running community has grown into a network of clubs, informal meetups and friendships that stretch across the city.

That community presence is already visible in registration. Downtown Run Group, San Antonio RoadRunners, Para Las Chicas Run Club and Speed Burro Running are among the groups with large teams forming for the 2026 event.

The San Antonio RoadRunners will also lead official marathon pace groups, helping participants settle into a steady rhythm and pursue a target finish time.

For many runners, training with a group can turn an intimidating goal into a shared commitment. Early mornings become easier when someone else is waiting. Long runs feel shorter when conversations fill the miles. Race day becomes less about competing against strangers and more about showing up for people who helped along the way.

The marathon’s Groups and Teams Program is designed to encourage that sense of belonging. Running clubs, schools, companies, community organizations, friends and families can create or join a team, with discounts beginning once the 10th participant registers under the same group name.

Two Races, Three Medals and One Texas-Sized Challenge

Participants who want to make a full weekend of the experience can enter the SATX Two-Step Challenge.

Runners who complete the Friday night SATX 5K and either the half marathon or full marathon on Sunday will earn medals for both races, along with a separate Two-Step Challenge medal.

The added challenge creates a memorable goal for friends, couples, families and running groups who want to take on more than one event together.

It also captures the personality organizers are trying to build around the weekend—serious enough to attract competitive runners, but still unmistakably San Antonio.

Honoring Those Who Serve

Current and former members of the military, first responders and law enforcement personnel may qualify for discounted registration through GOVX while supplies last.

The offer is especially meaningful in a city with deep military ties and generations of families connected to service.

That connection was part of the event’s original vision, which included plans for a Military Mile celebrating one of the defining parts of San Antonio’s identity.

For service members and first responders who train together, the race can become another expression of teamwork, discipline and mutual support—qualities already woven into their daily lives.

Race Weekend Begins Before the Starting Line

The San Antonio Marathon Health & Fitness Expo will take place Dec. 4-5 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

The free public expo will feature running gear, performance apparel, nutrition products, technology and interactive experiences. It will also serve as the required packet pickup location for race participants.

More than a logistical stop, the expo is where marathon weekend begins to feel real. Runners collect their bibs, see other participants arriving from across the city and beyond, and step into the nervous excitement that comes before race day.

The expo will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

All runners must pick up their own packets, with limited exceptions for participants under 18. There will be no Sunday race-day packet pickup.

Carrying Forward San Antonio’s Marathon Tradition

San Antonio has a long relationship with distance running.

When the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon debuted in 2008, it drew more than 30,500 registered participants and helped encourage a broader wellness movement across the city.

The new San Antonio Marathon is intended to carry that tradition forward while giving the event a more distinctly local identity.

When the homegrown race was first announced, San Antonio Sports President and CEO Jenny Carnes said the city’s hospitality, winter weather and downtown holiday season made it well suited for a destination marathon.

“San Antonio’s welcoming atmosphere and mild weather make the city an attractive destination,” Carnes said. “We’re excited that The Running Event will bring the running industry to San Antonio, followed by a world-class destination marathon. Participants will get to experience a course that’s uniquely San Antonio along with the festive spirit of our downtown during the holidays. There’s no more beautiful time or better place to run.”

Then-Mayor Ron Nirenberg described the new event as a way to build on the city’s established marathon culture.

“We have created a strong marathon tradition over the years, and the new San Antonio Marathon will enhance the city’s stature with runners, helping solidify our race as a destination marathon in the tradition of New York and Boston,” Nirenberg said. “This change will benefit our community as well marathon enthusiasts.”

The comparison to the nation’s most famous races is ambitious, but the heart of the San Antonio Marathon is closer to home.

Its success will be measured not only by visitors, finish times or economic impact, but also by the local resident who signs up for a first 5K, the family waiting near the finish line, the volunteer handing out water and the runner who discovers that a goal once considered impossible is now behind them.

A Chance to Be Part of the Story

The 2026 San Antonio Marathon is still taking shape. Complete course maps, start-line locations, road closures and additional race-weekend information will be released closer to December.

What is already clear is that organizers want residents to see themselves as part of the event—not only as runners, but as spectators, volunteers, teammates and supporters.

Some will race for a personal best. Others will run in memory of someone they love. Some will join a club, train with coworkers or convince a family member to sign up for the 5K.

And many will simply come downtown to cheer.

Registration for the San Antonio Marathon, Half Marathon and SATX 5K is open at runsignup.com/Race/Register/?raceId=172812. 

In a city known for remembering where it came from while continuing to grow, marathon weekend offers another way for San Antonio to move forward together—one mile, one neighborhood and one story at a time.

Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for additional updates about the 2026 San Antonio Marathon, including course information, downtown street closures and race-weekend activities.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.