The Phoenix Marathon runs from South Mountain to Steele Indian School Park on December 12, 2026. The Mesa Marathon, the February race from Usery Pass that used to carry the Phoenix Marathon name, runs downhill to Riverview Park on February 13, 2027. Dates, starts, buses, parking and prices, from each race's own pages.
Who runs them: both races are produced by Brooksee. Finish any distance at both and you earn the Desert Double medal.
The first one: the City of Phoenix announced the first Phoenix Marathon on its streets for Saturday, December 13, 2025, with more than 7,000 runners expected. That year finished near Phoenix Municipal Stadium; the 2026 course finishes at Steele Indian School Park.
The name: the race calls itself the Mesa Marathon, formerly known as the Phoenix Marathon. It says every race it ran from 2013 to 2020 sold out.
1 South Mountain Park Visitor Center, 10919 S. Central Ave., Phoenix · 2 Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix · 3 Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix · 4 Sloan Park, 2330 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Mesa · 5 Riverview Park, 2100 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Mesa. Pins from Maricopa County Assessor parcels. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Yes. The Phoenix Marathon is Saturday, December 12, 2026, with a marathon, half marathon and 10 Miler, plus a 5K on Friday evening, December 11. All four finish at Steele Indian School Park. The first Phoenix Marathon on the city's streets was run December 13, 2025.
Saturday, December 12, 2026. The marathon starts at 7:00 a.m., the half marathon at 7:15 a.m. and the 10 Miler at 8:00 a.m. The 5K is the night before, Friday, December 11, at 7:30 p.m.
The marathon starts at the South Mountain Park Visitor Center. The half marathon starts at El Reposo Park on Alta Vista Road, the 10 Miler at Central Avenue and Pioneer Street, and the 5K at Steele Indian School Park. Every distance finishes at Steele Indian School Park.
From South Mountain Park north on Central Avenue, then about 11 miles on the south bank of the Salt River trail, out east and back west. The course then turns north past the Arizona State Capitol, through downtown on the Washington and Central corridor, past ASU Downtown Phoenix around mile 20 and Hance Park at mile 23, north on 3rd Street, and loops through Steele Indian School Park to the finish.
The race does not publish elevation figures. Its course page notes one short climb at Hance Park, over the I-10 tunnel, around mile 23, and its pacers adjust each mile's pace to the elevation.
Free at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, the main parking for runners and spectators. Marathon runners must ride race buses from the Fairgrounds to South Mountain Park, and there is no parking at the starts or at the Steele Indian School Park finish. A free shuttle runs from the Fairgrounds to the Finish Festival.
In the pricing window that runs October 14 to December 11, 2026: marathon $199, half marathon $179, 10 Miler $114 and 5K $74, as posted on the race's registration page.
Saturday, February 13, 2027. The marathon, half marathon and 10K all start at 6:30 a.m., and the Kids 1K starts at noon. All finish at Riverview Park in Mesa.
The marathon has a net elevation loss of nearly 1,000 feet, starting on N. Usery Pass Road below the white Phoenix sign on Usery Mountain. The half marathon has a net loss of nearly 200 feet. Both are USATF sanctioned and certified.
In the pricing window that runs October 14, 2026 to January 5, 2027: marathon $189, half marathon $169, 10K $69 and the Mesa Kids 1K $10, as posted on the race's registration page.
The race says every one of its races from 2013 to 2020 sold out and that registration is limited. Its registration page does not post a 2027 cap.
At the expo on Friday, February 12, 2027, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at Sloan Park, entrance at the Home Plate Gate. Bring a photo ID or a copy of the confirmation email.
At the expo on Friday, December 11, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Phoenix Convention Center. Every distance must pick up there. There is no race-day pickup.
6 hours 33 minutes for both, based on a 15-minute-mile pace. Phoenix finishers must cross by 1:33 p.m.; in Mesa everyone must finish by 1:03 p.m.
A limited-series medal for finishing any distance at the Phoenix Marathon in December and any distance at the Mesa Marathon in February. Both races are produced by Brooksee.
From South Mountain to the canal paths in Mesa, the Valley is built for it. If you are weighing where to live, I can walk you through the areas near the places you would run most and what is on the market there.
Checked 27 October 2026. Phoenix Marathon dates, start times, starts, finish, course, time limits, aid stations, pacers, expo, parking, buses, road closures, gear check, finish and sanctioning: Phoenix Marathon race info and parking. Phoenix prices: Phoenix Marathon registration. The first Phoenix Marathon, December 13, 2025: City of Phoenix newsroom. Mesa Marathon date, start times, starts, course, elevation, time limits, aid stations, expo, buses, parking, road closures, Kids 1K, gear check, finish and sanctioning: Mesa Marathon race info. Mesa prices: Mesa Marathon registration. Former name, sell-outs and the Desert Double: mesamarathon.com. Map pins: Maricopa County Assessor parcels. Photo: South Mountain Park, Phoenix, near the marathon start, ksblack99, 2012 (public domain, Wikimedia Commons). Weather averages are left off: each race's own pages give two different average lows. The questions answered are ones people search on Google, each answered only from the pages above.
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