Summertime brings the annual running of the Missoula Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay & 5K, which gives runners a chance to run a high-elevation race through this city nestled in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana, at an elevation of 3,200 feet above sea level.
Missoula Marathon & Half Marathon
June 29, 2025
Missoula
Road
Ready to sign up?
1,000-10,000
Fast & Flat
Small Town
High: 78°
/ Low: 49°
Though the 13.1-mile half marathon has a different starting line from the full, 26.2-mile marathon, the two courses join shortly after the second mile marker in the half marathon and follow the same course for the remainder of the race, all the way to the finish line at the Higgins Avenue Bridge in downtown Missoula.
Run entirely on paved surfaces along city streets, the race course is described by organizers as relatively fast and flat, with plenty of trees and shade along the route. More than 3,900 runners crossed the finish line in the marathon and half marathon events combined in 2016, including an estimated 2,900 runners in the half marathon alone.
The early part of the race takes runners along a meandering route along Blue Mountain Road, from the start at the medical offices and winding along the Clark Fork River until it reaches the bridge across the river at River Pines Road.
From there, the course enters the increasingly intown and downtown neighborhoods of this city of 64,000, passing through the Orchard Homes neighborhood and along a long straightaway along South 4th Street.
The course then takes a turn southward at Beckwith Street and heads around Bonner Park before turning northward again on Hilda Avenue, on the way toward the finish across the Higgins Avenue Bridge.
Aid stations are distributed at roughly two-mile intervals for the first few miles of the half marathon course, and then at one-mile intervals in the second half of the race. Shuttle bus transport will be provided to take those running in the half marathon from the pickup point downtown to the starting line.
Overview
Summertime brings the annual running of the Missoula Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay & 5K, which gives runners a chance to run a high-elevation race through this city nestled in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana, at an elevation of 3,200 feet above sea level.
Course Description
Though the 13.1-mile half marathon has a different starting line from the full, 26.2-mile marathon, the two courses join shortly after the second mile marker in the half marathon and follow the same course for the remainder of the race, all the way to the finish line at the Higgins Avenue Bridge in downtown Missoula.
Run entirely on paved surfaces along city streets, the race course is described by organizers as relatively fast and flat, with plenty of trees and shade along the route. More than 3,900 runners crossed the finish line in the marathon and half marathon events combined in 2016, including an estimated 2,900 runners in the half marathon alone.
The early part of the race takes runners along a meandering route along Blue Mountain Road, from the start at the medical offices and winding along the Clark Fork River until it reaches the bridge across the river at River Pines Road.
From there, the course enters the increasingly intown and downtown neighborhoods of this city of 64,000, passing through the Orchard Homes neighborhood and along a long straightaway along South 4th Street.
The course then takes a turn southward at Beckwith Street and heads around Bonner Park before turning northward again on Hilda Avenue, on the way toward the finish across the Higgins Avenue Bridge.
Aid stations are distributed at roughly two-mile intervals for the first few miles of the half marathon course, and then at one-mile intervals in the second half of the race. Shuttle bus transport will be provided to take those running in the half marathon from the pickup point downtown to the starting line.
