Richmond Marathon
Richmond Marathon race day weather
Cool conditions, headwinds early
Runners will face a temperature rise from 37°F at the start to 45°F by the finish, with average humidity at 59%. Headwinds will impact the first five miles, so pacing adjustments are advisable. After mile 10, a tailwind will provide a boost, especially during the descent at mile 7. With a feels-like temperature dropping to 30°F pre-race, a throwaway layer may be beneficial before the gun.
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Richmond Marathon route and elevation
The Richmond Marathon course has about 810 ft (247 m) of climbing and 949 ft (289 m) of descent, a net drop of about 139 ft (42 m). It is hillier than 68% of the marathon courses racecast.io has mapped, measured by what the hills cost in time. The hardest mile is mile 16, with 114 ft (35 m) of climbing.
Biggest climbs
- Miles 0.6 to 5.8: climbs about 100 ft (31 m).
- Miles 11.7 to 12.5: climbs about 90 ft (28 m).
- Miles 15.9 to 18.1: climbs about 190 ft (58 m).
What the hills cost
- 3:30 on a flat course is about 3:31 here (1 minute slower).
- 4:00 on a flat course is about 4:02 here (2 minutes slower).
- 4:30 on a flat course is about 4:32 here (2 minutes slower).
Hills only, priced mile by mile on the course map. The pace calculator above adds the race-day weather.
Even-effort splits for a 3:30, 4:00 or 4:30 finish
| Mile | Climb | Descent | 3:30 | 4:00 | 4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 ft | 14 ft | 7:59 | 9:07 | 10:15 |
| 2 | 24 ft | 1 ft | 8:10 | 9:20 | 10:31 |
| 3 | 18 ft | 16 ft | 7:59 | 9:08 | 10:16 |
| 4 | 26 ft | 18 ft | 8:03 | 9:12 | 10:21 |
| 5 | 24 ft | 9 ft | 8:06 | 9:15 | 10:25 |
| 6 | 47 ft | 18 ft | 8:13 | 9:24 | 10:33 |
| 7 | 4 ft | 141 ft | 7:30 | 8:34 | 9:39 |
| 8 | 48 ft | 56 ft | 7:57 | 9:05 | 10:13 |
| 9 | 30 ft | 34 ft | 7:57 | 9:06 | 10:14 |
| 10 | 76 ft | 84 ft | 7:57 | 9:05 | 10:13 |
| 11 | 100 ft | 45 ft | 8:26 | 9:38 | 10:51 |
| 12 | 77 ft | 46 ft | 8:14 | 9:25 | 10:35 |
| 13 | 39 ft | 39 ft | 7:59 | 9:07 | 10:16 |
| 14 | 17 ft | 53 ft | 7:50 | 8:57 | 10:04 |
| 15 | 16 ft | 65 ft | 7:48 | 8:54 | 10:01 |
| 16 | 114 ft | 108 ft | 8:01 | 9:11 | 10:19 |
| 17 | 81 ft | 5 ft | 8:37 | 9:51 | 11:05 |
| 18 | 30 ft | 0 ft | 8:14 | 9:24 | 10:35 |
| 19 | 0 ft | 25 ft | 7:53 | 9:00 | 10:08 |
| 20 | 32 ft | 24 ft | 8:02 | 9:12 | 10:20 |
| 21 | 7 ft | 12 ft | 7:58 | 9:05 | 10:14 |
| 22 | 22 ft | 24 ft | 7:58 | 9:07 | 10:15 |
| 23 | 5 ft | 6 ft | 7:58 | 9:06 | 10:14 |
| 24 | 12 ft | 29 ft | 7:55 | 9:03 | 10:11 |
| 25 | 24 ft | 26 ft | 7:58 | 9:06 | 10:14 |
| 26 | 9 ft | 73 ft | 7:44 | 8:50 | 9:57 |
| Last 0.2 | 0 ft | 66 ft | 1:34 | 1:48 | 2:01 |
Explore the Richmond Marathon course with the weather and your pace along the route, or compare it with other races.
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About the Richmond Marathon
The Allianz Partners Richmond Marathon is an annual marathon foot-race held in Richmond, Virginia, USA. It was established in 1978 and has been run every year since. It was known as the Richmond Newspapers Marathon until 1997 and then as SunTrust Richmond Marathon until 2011. Sports Backers produces the event and serves as the non-profit beneficiary of the event. The event supports efforts to make running accessible to Richmond area youth through the Kids Run RVA program. Wikipedia
Race weekend
Tips from Runners
From 36 race reports by runners: what worked for them, not official race information.
Find a group before the bridge at mile 16 and tuck in behind other runners. Several runners used packs there for cover from the crosswind on the long climb.
Let the long drop at mile 7 carry you without forcing it. Runners who raced it found it hard to settle back into rhythm, and the climbs come right after.
Expect climbs near mile 10 and mile 12 that don't stand out on the profile. Ease up on them, since miles 13 to 15 run mostly downhill and let you recover.
Toilet lines at the start were short around 6:10 a.m. for a 2024 runner and got long closer to the gun. Some runners skipped the line and stopped at a course toilet instead.
The first water stops get jammed, with runners stopping short at the tables. Carry enough to skip the early ones if they are crowded.
Once you join the half marathon near mile 22, keep to the right side, which is the marathon's. Watch the aid stations there, where half marathoners sometimes cut over and stop in front of you.
Set a meeting spot off the finish island before the race. The island gets packed, and a 2024 runner said phones lost data there, so the tracking app was useless.
A fence runs between the sidewalk and the corrals, so walking up the side toward the front can dead-end. A 2025 runner had to backtrack and squeeze forward through the pace groups.
- Find a group before the bridge at mile 16 and tuck in behind other runners. Several runners used packs there for cover from the crosswind on the long climb.
- Let the long drop at mile 7 carry you without forcing it. Runners who raced it found it hard to settle back into rhythm, and the climbs come right after.
- Expect climbs near mile 10 and mile 12 that don't stand out on the profile. Ease up on them, since miles 13 to 15 run mostly downhill and let you recover.
- Once you join the half marathon near mile 22, keep to the right side, which is the marathon's. Watch the aid stations there, where half marathoners sometimes cut over and stop in front of you.
- Toilet lines at the start were short around 6:10 a.m. for a 2024 runner and got long closer to the gun. Some runners skipped the line and stopped at a course toilet instead.
- Set a meeting spot off the finish island before the race. The island gets packed, and a 2024 runner said phones lost data there, so the tracking app was useless.
- A fence runs between the sidewalk and the corrals, so walking up the side toward the front can dead-end. A 2025 runner had to backtrack and squeeze forward through the pace groups.
- The first water stops get jammed, with runners stopping short at the tables. Carry enough to skip the early ones if they are crowded.
Richmond Marathon FAQ
When is the 2026 Richmond Marathon?
Is the Richmond Marathon a Boston Marathon Qualifier?
What is the time limit for the Richmond Marathon?
What will the weather be like for the 2026 Richmond Marathon?
What is the elevation gain of the Richmond Marathon?
Is the Richmond Marathon hilly?
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What was the hottest Richmond Marathon?
What was the windiest Richmond Marathon?
Richmond Marathon reviews and race reports
A rolling riverside course with one long, windy bridge climb at mile 16. It ends with a steep downhill finish.
The bridge back over the James — Runners single out the highway bridge back over the James around mile 16. It is a mile-long, gradual climb, exposed to the wind, and it feels endless. A few strong runners found it milder than its reputation.
Mile 7 and the river road — Mile 7 drops steeply down to the James, and the river road after it is the prettiest part of the course. Then the rolling starts, with climbs near mile 10 and mile 12 that caught runners off guard.
Brook Road and the half marathon merge — The long straight up Brook Road is thin on crowds. Around mile 22 the course joins the half marathon on a split road, which brings cheering runners but also half marathoners drifting into the marathon lane.
Neighborhood parties and the 5th Street drop — Spectators turn out with signs and costumes, and the Fauquier party neighborhood hands out beer. The race ends with a right turn onto 5th Street and a steep drop to the finish line.
Hit the wall at mile 21 but smashed my goal by 10 minutes!
Let me preface everything else by saying the Richmond Marathon ABSOLUTELY lives up to it's name "America's Friendliest Marathon". This was the best experience of my life. The coordination and the way it's all organized is chef's kiss - aside from the crowded bridge after you receive your metal. That was brutal.
Led the pack early, struggled with dehydration later on.
Gun goes off and so does the chorus of super shoes. My plan was pretty simple: aim for around 6:05 pace, but don’t dip under 6 minutes until mile 20, where I could full send the last 6. I settled into what felt like the right rhythm and tucked in with a pack, but pretty quickly realized I was moving a bit too fast. I eased off a few seconds and ended up in the group forming around the lead woman and her pacer.
Narrowly avoided a collision at mile 22 but still PR'd by 8 minutes
The start was electric, and I took off with the 3:25 group. Their 7:40 splits surprised me, but it aligned with my 3:22 plan so I figured I would stay with them for a bit. Aid stations were chaotic, so I pulled ahead after mile 4 to make fueling easier. I broke the race into fueling chunks, taking gels at miles 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 (caffeinated Maurten), and 22.
Overcame headwinds and hills to secure a surprising victory
Race day is exhilarating, and with ideal conditions, Richmond was no exception on Saturday morning. I had a great training block and was ready to run fast and compete for a spot on the podium after narrowly missing last year with a fourth place finish overall. My goal through the first ~9.5 miles was to remain controlled and find a state of flow.
Fought early pace urges, banked time for a strong finish
out of the gate i was getting passed a fair amount and was subconsciously trying to keep up with a lot of these people and those in front of me. it took about half a mile or so of reminding myself to slow a bit as i kept glancing at my watch to see a lap pace in the low 6:30s. i managed to slow down but found myself settling in to 6:4x miles, which i feared was a bit too fast. the first 10k flew by though, and i was feeling great and had a good amount of time banked against the pacing plan.