San Francisco Marathon

Marathon, Half marathon, 5K in San Francisco, normally held in July. A hilly marathon course — Crosses the Golden Gate Bridge in both directions; substantial climbing and frequent fog.

The San Francisco Marathon at a glance

Distances	Marathon, Half marathon, 5K
Main distance	42.2 km (marathon)
Usually held	July
Course	Hilly
City	San Francisco, United States
Typical conditions	19.3°C high / 13.4°C low, rain on ~1% of days

Crosses the Golden Gate Bridge in both directions; substantial climbing and frequent fog.

Entering the San Francisco Marathon

Entry fees, closing dates and start times are set by the organiser and change every year, so they are not reproduced here — a stale deadline is worse than none. The organiser’s own site and its social channels are the authoritative source for the current year, and are where entry opens.

What is stable, and what this page covers: the month the race is held, what the course is like, the conditions you should expect, and how long a build-up the distance needs.

Weather at previous San Francisco Marathon races

Across the last ten years, San Francisco in July has averaged a daily high of 19.3°C and a low of 13.4°C, with at least a millimetre of rain on about 1% of days.

These are recorded observations for the race month averaged over ten years, not a forecast and not a single past race day — race dates move, so one day’s figures would mislead. Source: Open-Meteo historical archive.

How to prepare for the San Francisco Marathon

How long to train

Build for 16 to 20 weeks from a base you already hold rather than from nothing. For marathon the block should peak at a longest run of 30–32 km, reached at least two weeks before race day so there is time to taper. Three weeks of taper is standard: cut volume by roughly a third each week while keeping some race-pace work so the legs stay sharp.

Training for this course

There is real climbing here, so train the descents as much as the climbs. Downhill running is what wrecks quads late in a race, and the only protection is having done it in training. Add one hilly long run a week and expect to be 20–40 seconds per kilometre slower than your flat pace for the same effort.

Conditions in July

Conditions are usually good for racing: highs average 19.3°C and lows 13.4°C in July, which is close to ideal for marathon running. Dress for the temperature about ten degrees warmer than it actually is, since you will warm up within two kilometres.

Fuelling

Over 42 km you will need 30–60 g of carbohydrate an hour from early on, not once you feel empty. Rehearse the exact products in training — the gut trains like anything else — and check in advance which brand is handed out on course, because switching to an unfamiliar one mid-race is a common and avoidable mistake.

Race week

Sleep matters most two nights before, not the night before, so protect that one. Keep eating normally with a modest tilt toward carbohydrate, lay out kit the night before, and do nothing new: no new shoes, no new breakfast, no new socks. Plan to arrive at the start with time to spare — marathon fields move slowly through bag drop and security.

Distances and where the race is run

Marathon — 42.2 km
Half marathon — 21.1 km
5K — 5 km

The pin marks San Francisco city centre, the area the San Francisco Marathon starts and finishes in. This is not the course line: the route is set by the organiser and changes between editions, so the official course map for the current year is theirs to publish. The routes below are for training on the same roads.

Train on these roads: 10K routes in San Francisco · long runs in San Francisco · GPS art routes

Other races in San Francisco

Bay to Breakers — 12K, May

Full San Francisco race calendar