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Course & Elevation
The Garmin Kansas City Marathon is a road marathon in Kansas City, Missouri, held on a Saturday in October and organised by the Kansas City Sports Commission. It starts at 7:00 am at Frank A. Theis Park beside the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and finishes there, running a 26.2-mile loop. A half marathon, a 10K and a 5K are held the same morning. The organisers list among the course highlights the World War I Museum & Memorial, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Union Station, the Country Club Plaza, T-Mobile Center, Waldo, Westport and 18th & Vine. The course is USATF-certified and the marathon is a Boston qualifier. The time limit is six hours, a pace of 14 minutes per mile, and runners who miss the split at about mile 13 at 10:30 am are directed onto the half marathon course. The 2026 race was the 40th running, with 11,189 runners across its four races from 49 states and 19 countries. From 2027 the race moves to the final weekend of October, so that runners have a better chance of cooler weather.
Weather
Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record
October in Kansas City is cool: average highs are around 20°C and lows around 8°C, with some rain on about 8 days of the month.
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The Race
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Fun Facts
- ▸ The race starts, takes place and finishes only in the state of Missouri.
- ▸ The 2026 race was the 40th running of the event.
- ▸ In 2027 the race moves to the last weekend of October, to give runners a better chance of cooler race-day temperatures.
- ▸ The 2026 field of 11,189 runners came from 49 states and 19 countries.
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