Course & Elevation

The Napa Valley Marathon is a USATF-certified point-to-point road marathon along the Silverado Trail from Calistoga to Napa, held on the first Sunday in March. It was first run in 1979, and the 2026 race was the 47th running. A half marathon and a 5K run on the same day. The marathon starts at 7:30 am on the Silverado Trail at Brannan Street in Calistoga, the half marathon at 7:00 am at Conn Creek, and all races finish at Vintage High School in north Napa. Buses to the start lines are included in the entry fee, and there is no parking at either start. The route runs south through the vineyards and wineries of the valley past St. Helena, Rutherford, Oakville and Yountville. The first 23 miles run along the Silverado Trail, and the course has only four turns, all in the final four miles. The organisers promote it as a fast, flat Boston qualifier. The cut-off is a strict six hours, a 13:44 per mile pace, and a shuttle bus waits at mile 22.7 to pick up runners who arrive after 12:45 pm; they receive a half marathon medal. The men's course record is 2:15:48, set by Garrett Corcoran in 2025, and the women's record is 2:39:37, set by Tera Yanko in 2012. In 2025 the race had its largest field to date, more than 6,000 runners across all events.

Course Facts

Distance 42.195 km
Elevation Gain ≈ 650 m
Surface road
Profile Rolling

Weather

Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record

12°C

Temperature

65%

Humidity

31%

Rain Chance

Early March in Napa Valley averages a high of about 18°C and a low of about 5°C, with some rain on roughly ten days of the month.

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