Fort Smith Marathon, Half Marathon & 5 Leg Marathon Relay

🏃‍♂️ Race Overview

The start/finish of the half and full marathon will be at the River Front Pavilion 100 N B St. Fort Smith, AR 72901.

🏅 Marathon

This course is both scenic and challenging and includes historic downtown, beautiful neighborhoods, paved trails, and rolling terrain with a few significant climbs and descents as well. Race date is Sunday, March 29, 2026 with race starting 7:00 am.

🏃‍♀️ Half-Marathon

Starts along the marathon route, but turns off around mile 7.5. The route meets up with the marathon route at mile 9 for the return to the finish.

👐 Marathon Relay

The Marathon course is broken into 5 relay legs.

• First leg: 5.4 miles with 260' elevation gain.
• Second leg: 4.8 miles with 114' elevation gain.
• Third leg: 4.5 miles with 262' elevation gain.
• Fourth leg: 6.3 miles with 237' elevation gain.
• Last leg: 5.5 miles with 237' elevation gain.

These distances and elevation gains are approximate and may change slightly as we work on the logistics of setting up relay stations.

A relay team can consist of two to five people.

📋 Race Guidelines

• Age Requirement: 16 or over for Marathon.
• Age Requirement: 12 or over for Half Marathon.
• Course Time Limit: 8 Hour course time limit.

🔄 Switching Races

• Switch Policy: Participants may switch between races. The registration fee is based on the current price.
• Credit: The registration fee already paid will be credited toward the new registration.
• Online Requirement: All switches must be completed online.

🔄 Transfers

• Transfer Option: After registering, some individuals decide they are unable to participate for some reason. These individuals may opt to transfer their registration to another individual.
• Refund Policy: Fort Smith Marathon does not offer refunds for any reason.
• Deadline: Deadline to transfer is March 15th.
• Conditions: Participants who deferred an entry from the previous year’s race may NOT transfer their registration to another individual.

📆 Deferrals

• Deferral Option: If you are registered for this year’s race and wish to defer to the 2026 race, Fort Smith Marathon provide registrants a discount code for the following year for 50% of their original registration fees paid.
• Non-Transferable: Deferral codes are not transferable.
• No Deferrals: No deferrals after March 1st.
• Email Requirement: Deferrals must be received via an email to the Race Director prior to March 1st.

⚠️ Cancellation Policy

• Safety First: The Fort Smith Marathon wants to provide a safe environment for all participants and volunteers.
• Weather Conditions: If weather conditions present a danger to participants, the Fort Smith Marathon maintains the right to cancel or modify the race.
• Acts of God: Extreme weather conditions will be recognized as “an act of God” and will not result in the refunding of the race registration fees or future race credits.
• Participant Responsibility: Fort Smith Marathon asserts that each participant assumes a personal responsibility when entering a running/walking event and accepts the potential risks.

For more information, visit the official race page: Fort Smith Marathon, Half Marathon & 5 Leg Marathon Relay.