Marathon Participant Time Limit: 6.5 Hours
Runners, joggers and walkers are all welcomed to participate in the Marathon, Half Marathon and 5-Person Relay. Although the marathon race is mainly put on for racers, we applaud all those who set out to complete the marathon or half marathon distance, regardless of the pace. The race is permitted through the city of Dallas and we use officers from the Dallas Police Department to monitor traffic along the route to keep the runners safe. Our City of Dallas Permit requires us to reopen the public streets we run on to vehicular traffic after a certain time period, and thus the need for a time limit.
The Marathon course opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 2:30 p.m.
This is a pace of 14:50 (min:sec) per mile for the marathon. For your own safety, we strongly discourage you from participating in this event if you cannot maintain a pace of 14:50 (min:sec) per mile as all course support shuts down based on a roving schedule based on this pace.
If participants choose to continue running after 2:30 p.m., they do so at their own risk and will be required by the Dallas Police Department to move to available sidewalks and obey traffic signals and laws along the course.
No times are recorded after 2:30 p.m. Finisher medallions and completion certificates will be awarded only to those who finish within the official time span.
Medical Aid closes at 2:30 p.m. at the finish line. If problems are experienced after this time, please contact your personal physician or proceed to the nearest emergency room.
Race Course Closing Schedule
The race course is closed to all traffic, and then re-opened based on a “ROVING” schedule, which means the course will officially re-open (to vehicular traffic) behind the participants based on a pace of 14:50 (min:sec) per mile. Crews drive in trucks at a pace approximately equal to 15 minutes per mile to pick up trash and supplies from the aid stations along the course.
14:50 (min:sec) Pace
Any person moving at a pace slower than 14:50 (min:sec) per mile is strongly encouraged to discontinue. Officials with the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon and related parties take no responsibility for participants after the course reopens. All participants on the course after it reopens are required by law to follow all traffic rules, including using the sidewalks, cross walks, obeying cross walk signs, and not crossing streets while the traffic lights are red. In addition, once the race course closes and the streets reopen, all medical aid provided by the marathon is no longer accessible.
Course Time Limit FAQs
Why is the course only open 6.5 hours?
A number of services related to the marathon are available on a limited basis and our City of Dallas Permit requires that we reopen the streets to vehicular traffic based on a 6.5 hour time limit.
I am just a little slower than the pace of 14:50 per mile, and I want to stay on the street to avoid the sidewalk curbs. Why can’t I?
Because the streets are under the jurisdiction of the City of Dallas and they have laws against pedestrians traveling in the street.
Can I start early then?
No, for two main reasons: the streets are not officially turned over to the race participants until the 8:00 a.m. start, and the official timing system is not turned on until the 8:00 a.m. start. Any person whose chip does not register as crossing the various timing mats along the course (including the start mat at 8:00 a.m.) will be disqualified.
