Tobacco Road Marathon
Tobacco Road Marathon race day weather
Cool start, gradual warming ahead
Runners will face a temperature increase from 45°F at the start to 56°F by the finish. Wind will be a non-factor, with light gusts peaking at 9 mph from the west. As the humidity hovers at 57%, athletes should maintain a conservative pace early on, especially during the headwinds from miles 2-3. The tailwind at mile 25 will offer a beneficial boost for the final stretch.
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Tobacco Road Marathon route and elevation
The Tobacco Road Marathon course has about 683 ft (208 m) of climbing and 684 ft (208 m) of descent, and finishes near the elevation it starts. It is hillier than 79% of the marathon courses racecast.io has mapped, measured by what the hills cost in time. The hardest mile is mile 23, with 76 ft (23 m) of climbing and a 1.4% average grade.
Biggest climbs
- Miles 11.7 to 14.1: climbs about 110 ft (34 m).
- Miles 16.7 to 17.8: climbs about 60 ft (19 m).
- Miles 21.6 to 24: climbs about 135 ft (40 m).
What the hills cost
- 3:30 on a flat course is about 3:32 here (2 minutes slower).
- 4:00 on a flat course is about 4:02 here (2 minutes slower).
- 4:30 on a flat course is about 4:33 here (3 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 | 68 ft | 35 ft | 8:12 | 9:23 | 10:33 |
| 2 | 44 ft | 26 ft | 8:05 | 9:14 | 10:24 |
| 3 | 4 ft | 38 ft | 7:49 | 8:55 | 10:02 |
| 4 | 9 ft | 39 ft | 7:49 | 8:56 | 10:03 |
| 5 | 2 ft | 58 ft | 7:43 | 8:50 | 9:55 |
| 6 | 45 ft | 0 ft | 8:18 | 9:29 | 10:41 |
| 7 | 0 ft | 41 ft | 7:47 | 8:54 | 10:00 |
| 8 | 37 ft | 7 ft | 8:11 | 9:21 | 10:31 |
| 9 | 20 ft | 59 ft | 7:47 | 8:54 | 10:01 |
| 10 | 35 ft | 7 ft | 8:10 | 9:20 | 10:30 |
| 11 | 11 ft | 18 ft | 7:55 | 9:02 | 10:10 |
| 12 | 27 ft | 22 ft | 7:58 | 9:07 | 10:15 |
| 13 | 37 ft | 13 ft | 8:08 | 9:17 | 10:28 |
| 14 | 58 ft | 1 ft | 8:25 | 9:37 | 10:49 |
| 15 | 6 ft | 31 ft | 7:50 | 8:58 | 10:04 |
| 16 | 0 ft | 66 ft | 7:41 | 8:47 | 9:53 |
| 17 | 29 ft | 19 ft | 8:01 | 9:09 | 10:19 |
| 18 | 36 ft | 19 ft | 8:05 | 9:14 | 10:23 |
| 19 | 4 ft | 47 ft | 7:46 | 8:53 | 9:59 |
| 20 | 53 ft | 1 ft | 8:22 | 9:34 | 10:46 |
| 21 | 10 ft | 45 ft | 7:48 | 8:55 | 10:02 |
| 22 | 31 ft | 15 ft | 8:04 | 9:13 | 10:22 |
| 23 | 76 ft | 0 ft | 8:35 | 9:48 | 11:01 |
| 24 | 29 ft | 4 ft | 8:08 | 9:18 | 10:29 |
| 25 | 10 ft | 37 ft | 7:50 | 8:57 | 10:03 |
| 26 | 39 ft | 80 ft | 7:47 | 8:54 | 10:01 |
| Last 0.2 | 8 ft | 6 ft | 1:46 | 2:01 | 2:16 |
Explore the Tobacco Road Marathon course with the weather and your pace along the route, or compare it with other races.
About the Tobacco Road Marathon
The Tobacco Road Marathon and Half Marathon are run in March in Cary, North Carolina, starting and finishing at Thomas Brooks Park, home of the USA Baseball National Training Complex. The marathon follows more than 20 miles of the American Tobacco Trail on a flat course with a downhill finish. It is a Boston Marathon qualifier, and the course records are 2:17:37 for men (Donnie Cowart, 2021) and 2:42:17 for women (Cassidy Heaton, 2024). Source
