Big D Texas Marathon

This is one of the most beautiful marathon courses you will ever run. We may be a bit prejudiced because we love the beauty of Dallas, Texas when it is in early spring bloom. All the trees and shrubs will be in full foliage with all the flowering plants in spring bloom. We have designed our course so you can see Dallas at its' finest. If you want to see a great photo journal of our course and all its beauty, Click Here.

You start and end on the historic grounds of the great State Fair of Texas. The fairground's art deco architecture and stunning landscape will set the mood of the day. Once you leave the State fairgrounds you head north and you soon run into the beautiful neighborhoods surrounding the crown jewel of central Dallas, White Rock Lake. In addition to the beauty of the Rock, where all Dallas' runners go to do their long runs, the beautiful and luxurious homes are a vision. Once you leave White Rock you head into a part of the course that will have tree-lined parks on one side and beautiful homes on the other. As you head into the final stages of the marathon in the last six miles is where the really great homes will greet you. Your trip down Swiss Avenue is the best! And as you head to the finish line you return to finish on the front steps of the historic Cotton Bowl. You'll see why we love Dallas, Texas!

Fees:
Entry fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. No exceptions.
$90 through April 10, 2012
$100 April 11 through April 14, 2012
There will be no race day registration.

Register Online

Printable Entry Form - We cannot guarantee receipt of a mail in entry if mailed after April 6, 2012.

Start Times:
Sunday, April 15, 2012
7:30 am Central DST - Texas Marathon start
8:00 am - Half Marathon start
8:20am - 5k start

Location of Start/Finish Line:
The Big D Texas Marathon events will start and end in historical Fair Park in the shadow of the Cotton Bowl near downtown Dallas, Texas. There will be plenty of free parking available at Fair Park and you can relax, stretch and prepare for The Big D Texas Marathon in the beautiful surroundings of Fair Park. Please read the detailed direction details on our directions page as to the best way to arrive at Fair Park.

Course Time Limit:
The start line will close at 8:05 a.m. If you arrive late, you may not be allowed to start. We will keep the finish line and course open for 61/2 hours. We will enforce this time limit this year. Do not register for the marathon if you do not think you can finish within this time frame. Since we have a timing mat at the half marathon point of our course, those arriving after three hours and fifteen minutes will be given a half marathon finisher medal and will be transported back to the finish line. For those that make that time limit, we will have another point at the 20-mile mark of the course. If you do not arrive at that point by the five hour mark you will be pulled from the course and taken to the finish line. You will be given a half marathon finisher medal. We will monitor our participants after that point and will make a race day decision as to your ability to complete the course near the 6 &1/2 hour time limit.

Pace Teams:
We will have pace teams at the 2012 Big D Marathon. Our leaders will be guiding you to finish times of 3:40, 4:00, 4:20, and 4:40. Our pace teams are staffed and provided by the Dallas Running Club.

DART light rail now travels to Fair Park!
Be sure to visit the DART website for schedules and station maps. Keep in mind trains do not run very often on Sunday morning. At this point trains will only arrive at Fair Park 3-4 times before race start. However if you plan ahead you can avoid car traffic and let DART do the driving. We will have bag check for everyone.

ChronoTrack Timing at Big D:
The Texas Marathon will use ChronoTrack timing system, which records your time precisely from start to finish. Chrontrack is the latest timing technology. Your timing tag is now disposable and will come with your bib number when you get your race packet. No more lining up to get your timing chip race morning, and no waiting to have your timing chip retrieved at the finish line! Awards will be based on gun time.

Race Recovery Food Court and Finish Line festival:
The Texas Marathon will host a post-race party in the Tower Building, which is next to the start/finish line with plenty of post race food, liquids & activities.

Showers:
We will have a portable shower truck facility available courtesy of the Park Cities Baptist Church. Towels and supplies are provided so you can clean up after the event should you so desire

First Class Event T-shirt:
Our event shirt for those entering the full marathon is a Navy tech shirt with our disctinctive Big D on the front. Our shirts will be gender specific.

Packet Pickup and Late Registration:
April 12 & 13, 2012 - 10:00 AM to 7 PM and April 14, 2012 - 10:00 AM to 6 PM
Run-On Dallas/Mockingbird -5400 E Mockingbird #114 - 214-821-0909
Run-On Dallas/Preston - 11811 Preston Rd -214-416-9978
Run-On Richardson - 1469 W Campbell - 972-231-8260
Run-On Coppell - 680 N Denton Tap Rd - 972-956-5550
Run-On McKinney - 5180 Eldorado Pkwy #200 - 972-540-0333
New! Run-On San Antonio - 20079 Stone Oak Pkwy Ste 3120 - 210-494-7869
www.runontexas.com.
For our out of town guests staying at one of our two host hotels, you can choose to get your packet on Saturday April 14 at the Doubletree Hotel from Noon to 6 p.m. If you cannot get your packet in this time frame then you must select either a Run-On store or Race Day for pickup.
In person signup and late registration April 12 - 14, 2012 will be allowed at the Dallas Run-On store only. There will be no race day registration. The other three Run-On stores will be for packet pickup only for those who have pre-registered and designated those stores for pickup. You may also choose to pick up your packet race morning at the event.

The Big D Marathon Age Group Awards:
Awards will be presented to the top three men and women finishers in each of the
following age groups. 24 & under, 25 - 29, 30 - 34, 35 - 39, 40 - 44, 45 - 49, 50 - 54, 55 - 59, 60 - 64, 65 - 69, 70+. The top overall and masters male and female will be awarded special trophies. Although chip timing affords run events to produce quick fast timing results, it was never intended to be the benchmark for finish order. Big D feels that this is a foot race against other human beings and not against a computer system. The first one back across the finish line is the winner. If your finish placement is important to you, we suggest you line up in the front rows at the start.

Marathon Finisher Rewards:
At all Mellew Production events, we try to call out everyone's name as you finish. All marathon finishers will receive a great medal and a finisher cap. The medal will be handed to you in the finish line area. Our 2012 medal and finisher shirt are currently being designed. We should have the new designs in in earlt 2012.

Accommodations:
Our main host hotel will be the Double Tree by Hilton Dallas - Campbell Centre at 8250 N Central Expressway Dallas, Texas 75206.You may also stay at Hyatt Summerfield Suites Dallas/Lincoln Park which is just two blocks from the DoubleTree at 8221 N central Expressway, Dallas Texas 75225. We will have packet pickup for our guests at either of our host hotels, but it will take place between Noon and 5 p.m. on Saturday April 14, 2012 in the lobby of the Doubletree. If you do not list the hotel as your pickup point when registering, your packet will not be there. If you are unable to get your packet during these hours, it will be available at the event race morning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hydration Stations:
We will have 15 aid stations positioned approximately every 1 1/2 to 2 miles. Not only will they provide you with water, sports drinks, and other goodies, but they will also be competing for $1000 in prize money. Our Sports drink is GatorAde. Their job is to please you! Information on water stations and port-o-let placement on the course can be found here.

Medical:
Race day medical services include first aid medical stations with ambulance service at the start, finish and on the course. For complete info, Click Here

Weather:
The average high for Dallas this time of year is 68.5 degrees with the average low of 47 degrees. Dallas is in early bloom and is a great city with many activities! Find out more by clicking here.

Event Photgraphy:
Brightroom will be our official race photgrapher. Click on the logo to see your pictures.

Raise Money for Charity:

Donate your old shoes.

Boston Qualifier?
Yes.

Entry Requirements:
You must be able to complete the marathon and half marathon in 6 1/2 hours. Slower runners and walkers who are not able to keep the respective pace will be subject to street re-openings/bridge openings and will need to proceed using sidewalks and road breakdown lanes. The finish line will remain open for 7 hours, therefore, you will still receive your finisher's medal and official finishers certificate.

You must be at least 12 years old to run the Big D Half Marathon.
You must be at least 16 years old to run the Big D Texas Marathon.
The following are strictly prohibited from the course: baby joggers, in-line skates, bicycles and any other non-official wheeled vehicles.

Entries are not transferrable to others and there are no refunds.