My marathons

Missoula Marathon

Start 06:006:00 AM Missoula
Missoula
Missoula. Photograph by Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Race day
The 2027 race
Start
06:006:00 AM
Distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
Marathon · Half marathon · 5K
Entry fee
US$115
For the 2027 race
Time limit
7 h 30 min

The course

The Missoula Marathon is a point-to-point course that starts in Frenchtown, runs through the countryside and finishes in historic downtown Missoula, with one hill at the halfway point.

  • From Frenchtown into downtown MissoulaPoint to point from Frenchtown to downtown, flat and certified, with a hill at halfway.
  • A 6:00 am start reached by busBuses from the Adams Center run 4:15 to 5:00 am; no parking or drop-off at the start.
  • Two enforced cut-offs and a 1:30 pm closeCut-offs at 9:20 and 10:32 am, based on 17.2 minutes per mile; the course closes at 1:30 pm.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryFrom Frenchtown into downtown MissoulaPoint to point from Frenchtown to downtown, flat and certified, with a hill at halfway.

The organiser calls the course flat, fast and USATF certified (course MT22003MF), and a Boston Qualifier. It adds that “the marathon course does have a hill at the halfway point”. The race begins with a scenic route through the countryside and finishes in downtown Missoula.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsA 6:00 am start reached by busBuses from the Adams Center run 4:15 to 5:00 am; no parking or drop-off at the start.

Bus transportation to the start line is part of the entry. The main pickup is at the Adams Center at the University of Montana, and the organiser advises loading one of the earlier buses. A second marathon bus load has been offered at the Hilton Garden Inn on North Reserve. Runners with a disability may drive to the start with a pass from the bib checking table.

Sourced

km 18.7 to 42.2TacticsTwo enforced cut-offs and a 1:30 pm closeCut-offs at 9:20 and 10:32 am, based on 17.2 minutes per mile; the course closes at 1:30 pm.

Runners beyond the required time at either check point are shuttled to the finish or have to turn in their bib. The marathon limit is 7.5 hours, so a runner still on course after 1:30 pm is asked to move to the sidewalk, and the bib is removed with no official time. The race lists pacers from 3:00 to 5:00.

Sourced

Race weekend

Bib pickup at Caras Park Pavilion, 123 Carousel Dr

Friday 25 June Bib pickup

  1. 16:004:00 PM–20:008:00 PM

    Runner Expo and packet pickup Caras Park Pavilion, 123 Carousel Dr. Marathon and half marathon packets must be collected at the expo. The expo is busiest from opening until 6:00 pm.

Saturday 26 June Last bib day

  1. 08:008:00 AM–16:004:00 PM

    Runner Expo and packet pickup Caras Park Pavilion, 123 Carousel Dr. There is no packet pickup on race day. Late arrivals can collect a race number and gear bag at the Missoula Airport from 5:30 pm until the last flight.
Other races (2)

  1. 08:008:00 AM

    Tony Banovich 5K start

  2. 10:0010:00 AM

    Missoula Kids Marathon start Clark Fork River Trail, downtown Missoula

Bib in hand?A number belt holds it without pins through your race top. Clip it on tonight.

Number belt on AmazonAmazon partner link

Sunday 27 June Race day

  1. 04:154:15 AM–05:005:00 AM

    Marathon buses to the start Adams Center, University of Montana. There is no parking and no drop-off at the start; bus transport is part of the entry.

  2. 06:006:00 AM

    Marathon start Frenchtown, MT. The marathon is a point-to-point course finishing in downtown Missoula.

  3. Time not published

    Course closes Both the half and the marathon courses officially close at 1:30 pm, a 7.5 hour limit for the marathon. Aid stations close and streets reopen on that basis. 7:30 limit: 10:39/km for 42.195 km7:30 limit: 17:09/mi for 26.2 mi
Cut-offs and other races (4)

  1. 05:555:55 AM

    Marathon wheelchair and handcycle start

  2. 07:007:00 AM

    Half marathon start

  3. Time not published

    Cut-off at mile 11.63 (aid station 6) 3 hours 20 minutes in, 9:20 am. Runners beyond it are shuttled to the finish or turn in their bib. 3:20 limit: 10:41/km for 18.7 km3:20 limit: 17:12/mi for 11.6 mi

  4. Time not published

    Cut-off at mile 15.8 (aid station 8) 4 hours 32 minutes in, 10:32 am. Cut-offs are based on 17.2 minutes per mile. 4:32 limit: 10:42/km for 25.4 km4:32 limit: 17:14/mi for 15.8 mi

Times as published by the organiser, in Missoula time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Missoula time

Entry

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Missoula, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
A small balm stick
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
A pack of blister plasters
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Questions about the Missoula Marathon

When is the Missoula Marathon 2027?
Sunday 27 June 2027. The start is at 6:00 AM.
How do I enter the Missoula Marathon?
Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: US$115 (for the 2027 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
What is the time limit at the Missoula Marathon?
Runners have 7 h 30 min to finish.
Where does the Missoula Marathon start?
Start: Frenchtown, MT.
Runner talk Questions, tips and race reports from other runners about the course and the city.

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