Cross Timbers Trail Run Marathon, Half Marathon, 50-Mile & 5-Mile

Saturday, March 4, 2023 • Gordonville, TX • Course Map

For experienced trail runners who are accustomed to running moderately challenging trails, the Cross Timbers Trail Run races are likely to be a perfect fit if you’re looking for a race with plenty of steep uphills and downhills as well as terrain that will test your skills and endurance.

This race event – which includes a full marathon, half marathon, five-mile and a 50-mile run – takes participants along what has been nicknamed the “toughest little trail in Texas,” the 14-mile Cross Timbers Trail, which lies along the southern shore of Lake Texoma on the state line between Texas and Oklahoma.

Participants need to be ready for a run that’s challenging but not overly taxing, the race’s organizers add, because the trail along the lake is narrow in many places, including some stretches that are rocky and occasionally hazardous.

In addition to the satisfaction of finishing this race, of course, the reward is the scenery along the lakeshore, as runners pass through the area’s blackjack oak forests and run high along rocky ledges that overlook the water, for vantage points that at times are truly breathtaking.

Though it’s not all natural beauty – there are quite a number of developed residential areas along the lake – the trail offers enough of an escape that you do feel like you’re getting away from it all along much of the course.

The race starts for all participants at the Cedar Bayou Resort & Marina, which lies just a few miles west from the trailhead at Juniper Point. The course follows the Cross Timbers Trail along a simple out-and-back route along the lake, and the cutoff time (which usually affects only those running the 50-mile race) is 5:00 PM.

The shore of Lake Texoma. (Photo by John Purget/flickr)

Race Weather & Climate

Located just a few miles south of the Cedar Bayou Resort on Lake Texoma, which lies just across the state line from Oklahoma, the town of Gordonville tends to see mild to cool conditions in the late winter, with occasional wet weather.

In March, temperatures average between 35°F and 58°F, while precipitation amounts average around 2.23 inches for the month. On the day of the race (Mar. 4), the average high is 59°F and the average low is 38°F.

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the Cross Timbers Trail Run Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

6:30 AM – 50-mile, full marathon
7:30 AM – half marathon
7:45 AM – 5-mile

Fees

See race website

Registration

To reserve your spot in any of the race distances at the late winter 2023 running of Lake Texoma’s Cross Timbers Trail Runs, visit the event website below.

Official Race Website

crosstimberstrailruns.com

Comments

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