City of Trees Marathon & Half Marathon

Saturday, October 14, 2023 • Boise, ID • Course Map

As its name suggests, the City of Trees Marathon & Half Marathon takes participants on a tour of Boise’s most beautiful and historic neighborhoods, along tree-lined trails, through a number of city parks and across the Boise River.

It’s part of a series of races hosted in Boise throughout the year by the City of Trees Marathon Association, which also includes the Fit For Life Half Marathon and several 5K’s and 10K’s — in a city that’s been voted by TripAdvisor as among the nation’s best places to run.

Runners in both the full and the half marathon will follow an out-and-back course that starts and finishes at Parkcenter Park just off Parkcenter Boulevard.

From there, the course heads out onto the trail for nearly the entire race, heading west and north during the first half of the race and then crossing over the river between miles 8 and 9, at Bernadine Quinn Riverside Park, before heading onto the trail on the other side of the river and heading all the way back in to Parkcenter Park for the race finish.

What can you expect along the course? Plentiful views of the Boise River flowing by for just about the entire race, plus a gradual downhill from the start to the half-way point in the first half of the race, followed by a very gradual uphill in the second half.

The elevation change from the start to the half-way point is about 80 feet over the course of six miles; you’ll regain those same 80 feet from the mid-way point all the way back to the finish in the second half of the race.

Both routes are USATF-certified, and the full marathon is a Boston Marathon Qualifier.

Race Weather & Climate

Nestled along the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, at an elevation of about 2,730 feet above sea level, Boise typically sees cool (and sometimes cold) weather conditions in October, which usually brings less an an inch of rain and occasional snow.

On race day (Oct. 14), the average low is 42ºF and the average high is 66ºF.

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the City of Trees Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

8:00 AM – full marathon
9:00 AM – half marathon

Fees

$44 – $60 for the half marathon
$68 – $88 for the full marathon

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2023 running of Boise’s City of Trees Marathon or Half Marathon race, register online at RunSignUp.com here.

Official Race Website

cityoftreesmarathon.com

Comments

Ever run in the City of Trees Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, as well as anything you learned about the race that you think other runners/walkers should know.