Runners start · local time — Marathon and half marathon start together on Sunday at 7:30 a.m.; 5K on Saturday at 9:00 a.m.; kids' Fun Run on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
The Chattanooga Marathon began in 2016 and marked its 10th anniversary in 2025.
The marathon, half marathon, 5K and kids' Fun Run are held over one weekend,
and the marathon and half marathon start together at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday at First Horizon Pavilion.
The full marathon is a USATF-certified course, so it counts as a Boston Marathon qualifying race.
Elevation gain is about 1,200 feet (about 366 m) for the marathon and about 664 feet (about 202 m) for the half marathon,
so it is not a pancake-flat course—short, steep hills are mixed in.
The course passes through Downtown, the University area and Southside, and also runs along the Tennessee Riverwalk.
With the start and finish at the same place, the logistics are simple, and a party area follows the finish.
Aid stations are about every 2 miles, and each one is usually decorated around a theme.
With about 3,000 runners each year, it is a mid-sized race and does not feel crowded.
Finishers receive a finisher medal, and runners in every event get a commemorative T-shirt.
By early March the worst of winter has passed, but mornings are still cool, which suits runners going after a fast time.
Local runners say the course has become flatter than it was at first,
and they count the scenery through the industrial district and the downtown restaurant area as part of the race's appeal.
