The course winds through Durham's urban core, passing the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and through the Duke University campus. Expect rolling hills throughout, with some trail sections mixed into what is otherwise a city route. The surroundings shift between historic architecture and open green space as the course moves across different parts of town.
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Going by the 2026 results, this is a big field, with a competitive front end and a big recreational middle.
Top 3: Zachary Kinne (1:05:50) · Eric Bell (1:14:55) · Jacob Wycuff (1:17:03)
Top 3: Taylor Healy (31:41) · Joseph Raza (34:00) · Stephen Pelkofer (34:01)
Top 3: Bryce Anderson (15:04) · John Tatter (15:15) · Jack Jeffrey (16:11)
Top 3: Lucas Brown (2:31:08) · Caleb Benzing (2:31:52) · Jedaiah Ruhl (2:41:10)
The Garmin Marathon Durham has been held every year since at least 2026. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.
Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 13.1 Miles results.
How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Oct 25, 2026.
Set a goal and get a pace band: every mile split on a card sized for your phone lock screen, so race morning needs no math.
Not sure what to aim for? The marathon pace chart lists the pace for every finish time.
Traveling for this race? The map shows hotels and rentals in and around Durham — pan or zoom to compare what's nearby.
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Almost certainly not. Half the 13.1 Miles field finished slower than 2:04:27, and the last recorded finisher came in around 3:49:41, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.
With 2,037 finishers there are runners at every pace, so you are never out on your own. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 13.1 Miles, that spread matters more than the winner's time.
The 13.1 Miles winner ran 1:05:50 while the median finisher took 2:04:27. That spread points to a mixed field, with a competitive front and a big recreational middle.
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