Is August a good month for a Marathon?
It is one of the thinnest months of the year for the Marathon. August carries 14, against 71 in April. Expect to book earlier and travel further, and start from the states below rather than from a date.
Race calendar · August 2027
Marathons in August 2027
14 marathons across the US in August 2027, sorted by date. Which weekends are busiest, what the fields actually run, entry fees, and where each one starts.
Running a 26.2 in August means accepting summer on its own terms. Heat and humidity define race day across most of the country, and the calendar reflects that: options are few, fields tend to be small, and the events that do run often seek out regions where elevation or geography softens the conditions.
Wisconsin anchors the month, with races spread across the northern part of the state where summer temperatures are more forgiving than in the South or the Plains. Colorado and California each add a race in settings where altitude or coastal air can take the edge off. This is not the place to chase a PR unless the course and conditions align; it is the place to test yourself before fall racing begins.
If August fits your schedule, commit early and plan your pacing around heat, not a clock. Build your hydration strategy before the starting gun, not after.
What the field actually runs
August Marathons, By the Numbers
4:34:39Median finish time
2:49:07Median winning time
52Median field size
12August marathons with published 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 Nov 12, 2026.
When in August
The August Race Weekends
Marathons are not spread evenly across August. Here is how the calendar actually falls, weekend by weekend, which is the part worth knowing before you book a trip or plan a taper around one.
By the numbers
The Biggest Field
The largest field of any August Marathon, from the most recent published results.
August Marathons by State
Marathons by City in August
The Next Marathons in August
14 total Sun, Aug 1, 2027Bound for Boston Marathon & Half Marathon - Denver Denver, CORegistration opens Dec 1From $75Details Sat, Aug 7, 2027Haulin Aspen Bend, ORFrom $85Details Sat, Aug 14, 2027Run S'more 24 Nashotah, WIFrom $85Details Sat, Aug 14, 2027Dark Horse Trail Series (26.2 - 13.1 - 10k) Mill Spring, NCFrom $50Details Sat, Aug 14, 2027Redwood (Summer) Trail Run Oakland, CAFrom $80Details Sat, Aug 14, 2027Paavo Nurmi Marathon Hurley, WIFrom $65Details Sun, Aug 15, 2027Bound for Boston Marathon & Half Marathon - Minneapolis Richfield, MNFrom $75Details Sat, Aug 21, 2027Moonlight on the Falls - Marathon, Half Marathon, Quarter Marathon, and Distance Challenge Davis, WVFrom $113Details Sat, Aug 21, 2027RUN ROCKAWAY BEACH NYC END OF SUMMER MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & 5K Rockaway BEACH, NYFrom $95Details Sun, Aug 22, 2027Anchorage RunFest Anchorage, AKRegistration opens Dec 1From $80Details Sun, Aug 22, 2027Bound for Boston Marathon & Half Marathon - Milwaukee Menomonee Falls, WIRegistration closedFrom $75Details Sun, Aug 22, 2027Wausau Marathon Wausau, WIFrom $70Details
Common Questions About Running an August Marathon
Is August too hot to run a marathon in the United States?
For most of the country, August is the hardest month to race 26.2 miles. Heat and humidity slow everyone down and raise the stakes around hydration and pacing. The races that survive this month tend to be in the upper Midwest, the mountains, or shaded environments where conditions are meaningfully cooler than in southern or low-elevation cities.
What should I wear and how should I pace an August marathon?
Wear as little as legally allowed, favor light and sweat-wicking fabrics, and consider a cap or visor for sun exposure. On pacing, start well behind any goal time and treat the first half as heat management, not racing. Slowing early is almost always faster than blowing up in miles sixteen through twenty when the sun is highest.
Are there cooler or higher-elevation August marathons worth traveling to?
Yes. Denver sits above five thousand feet, where thinner air brings its own challenge but temperatures are often lower than at sea level. The northern Wisconsin races benefit from Great Lakes geography. Mountain courses in North Carolina and West Virginia put runners in tree cover and elevation that open road courses cannot offer.
How far out should I start training for an August marathon?
A standard marathon build runs roughly sixteen to twenty weeks, which puts the start of a serious August training block in April or early May. That means your highest-mileage weeks fall in June and July, the hottest part of the year. Build your long runs with heat acclimatization in mind, and treat any run over two hours in July as race-specific preparation rather than pure fitness work.
When in August are most marathons held?
The busiest weekend is August 14 and August 15, with 5 of them, 4 of those on Saturday, August 14. Every one of them is on a Saturday or a Sunday.
What is a good Marathon time?
Across the 12 of these August marathons with published results from past editions, the median finisher ran 4:34:39, and the median winning time was 2:49:07. So anything under 4:34:39 puts you in the faster half of a typical field. That is the middle of these RunSignup fields, walkers and charity entrants included, not a national average.
How big is a typical August Marathon field?
The median one finished 52 runners, across the 12 of these August marathons with published results from past editions. Most are far smaller than the big-city events people picture, which means less crowding at the start and a friendlier field, with a last recorded finisher at 7:21:21.
Are there trail marathons in August?
Yes, 3 races around the United States get you off the pavement: 3 are trail races.