Races in Texas: 2026–27 Race Dates & Hotel Planning

Texas has very different race weekends. A downtown Houston marathon with an expo at the convention center takes different planning from a Fort Worth race based at Will Rogers Memorial Center or a Galveston run along the coast. If you choose a hotel by city name alone, you can end up on the wrong side of road closures or miles from the actual start.

Use this page in two steps: first compare the verified race weekends and practical hotel areas below; then browse the broader Texas race listings. Event details are checked against official organizers where linked, while the statewide race list is imported and may need rechecking before you book.

Start here: which Texas race destination fits your trip?

Start with the race venue and the finish line, not a generalized “downtown hotel” search. A visitor traveling for a marathon needs reliable athlete access early in the morning and a manageable post-finish trip. Someone participating in a 5K, trail run, triathlon or cycling event might instead need parking near a park, beach or outlying recreation area.

Race destination	Race-weekend hotel priority	Watch out for
Houston	Downtown blocks connecting the marathon start area, finish area and George R. Brown Convention Center.	Race-day street closures and hotels that are close on a map but difficult to access by car.
Dallas	Downtown Dallas near City Hall Plaza and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.	Confusing Dallas with Fort Worth, or assuming a road crossing remains open during the race.
San Antonio	Hemisfair and nearby downtown/Convention Center hotels for the San Antonio Marathon.	River Walk listings that are pleasant for sightseeing but less convenient for race-morning access.
Austin	The Congress Avenue corridor for the marathon, balanced against the Palmer Event Center expo.	Traffic and bridge crossings when getting from the south shore to the downtown start.
Fort Worth	The Cultural District/Will Rogers area for the Cowtown races.	Assuming downtown Fort Worth hotels are beside the actual start venue.
Galveston	The eastern Seawall/Stewart Beach area for the Galveston Marathon.	Beachfront versus historic-downtown locations and how you will reach the start.

These are location-planning recommendations, not endorsements of specific hotels or claims that race-weekend rooms are available.

If your race is outside these major cities, use the specific venue address on the organizer’s site. A listing that says “Austin” can refer to an event well outside central Austin. Our race hotel distance guide explains why a short straight-line distance is not always a short race-morning journey.

Six confirmed Texas race weekends to plan around

The events below are deliberately selected because an organizer or tourism authority publishes a specific upcoming race date and a useful geographic anchor. Dates, pickup procedures and course routing can change. Follow the official source link before registering or booking nonrefundable accommodations.

Event and date	Confirmed race location / logistics	What to check before booking
San Antonio Marathon Sunday, December 6, 2026 Official weekend schedule	Starts and finishes at Hemisfair. Expo is at the Henry B. González Convention Center, December 4–5.	Check which side of Hemisfair your hotel entrance is on, and the marathon road-closure map.
BMW Dallas Marathon Sunday, December 13, 2026 Official participant information	Start and finish at Dallas City Hall Plaza, Marilla and South Akard. Packet pickup is December 11–12 at Kay Bailey Hutchison Dallas Convention Center.	A hotel between City Hall and the convention center can simplify both packet pickup and the finish; verify permitted walking routes.
Chevron Houston Marathon Sunday, January 17, 2027 Official 2027 schedule	Start at Congress and Fannin. Finish is around Lamar and Crawford; expo and athlete facilities use George R. Brown Convention Center.	Choose between proximity to the start corrals and the post-race return route. The 2027 athlete guide is still being finalized.
Ascension Seton Austin Marathon Sunday, February 14, 2027 Official course information	Marathon and half start at 2nd and Congress and finish at 9th and Congress. The expo/packet pickup is at Palmer Event Center.	Do not book solely by expo distance. Check downtown pedestrian access and race-day closures across Congress Avenue.
Galveston Marathon Sunday, February 21, 2027 Visit Galveston’s event listing	Venue listed at Stewart Beach, 515 Seawall Boulevard; the course highlights the beach and Seawall.	Compare east-end Seawall hotels with Historic Downtown, allowing for parking and the trip to Stewart Beach.
The Cowtown Marathon, Fort Worth Sunday, February 28, 2027 Official 2027 race schedule	Sunday marathon/half events are based at Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 W. Lancaster Avenue. Friday/Saturday packet pickup is held at the same complex.	The Cultural District may be more practical than downtown; check expo pickup hours before choosing your arrival day.

Dates and geographic anchors were checked against the linked official sources on October 18, 2026. The table is editorially selected, not a complete Texas race calendar.

A useful booking distinction: many races have a separate expo venue. A hotel near packet pickup is not automatically convenient for the early start or the post-race walk. Mark at least three points on your map: hotel entrance, actual runner start, and finish/reunion exit. For city races, also mark the packet-pickup venue.

Where to stay in six Texas race cities

Houston: pick a downtown route, not just a downtown ZIP code

For the January 2027 Houston race, the organizer lists the start at Congress and Fannin and the expo at George R. Brown Convention Center. These are both downtown, but not the same intersection. The finish-area return journey can matter more than the drive into the city on Saturday. Before choosing between west-downtown and convention-center-area accommodations, map the actual foot route from your hotel to the relevant corral approach, and from Lamar/Crawford back to the hotel after the race.

The official race-weekend schedule identifies event times, and the athlete guide page notes that the 2027 edition of the detailed runner guide has not yet been released. Do not use prior-year closure patterns as confirmed 2027 walking routes.

Dallas: City Hall Plaza and the convention center are different destinations

The December 2026 Dallas weekend brings both the start/finish and packet pickup into Downtown Dallas. The event identifies City Hall Plaza at Marilla and South Akard for the start/finish and Kay Bailey Hutchison Dallas Convention Center for the expo. A hotel that is an easy walk to both may be worth more than a marginally cheaper property requiring a rideshare when streets are barricaded.

Dallas and Fort Worth are separate race destinations. A hotel search for “Dallas–Fort Worth” can surface properties far from the Dallas Marathon course. Compare the exact start-line address, not just the metropolitan area.

San Antonio: Hemisfair first, sightseeing second

For the December 2026 San Antonio Marathon, Hemisfair is the start and finish anchor. Staying near Hemisfair or the southern downtown convention-center area can reduce race-morning uncertainty. The River Walk has hotels across a wider area than its name suggests, so a scenic address does not automatically mean a quick walk to the corral.

Check the official street-closures page before choosing a parking garage or arranging spectator pickups. Ask your hotel whether its car entrance or valet route is affected, not just whether pedestrians can walk through.

Austin: Congress Avenue for the race; Palmer for the expo

Austin’s 2027 marathon uses 2nd and Congress as the marathon/half starting point and 9th and Congress as the finish. Packet pickup is at the Palmer Event Center, across the river from the downtown race corridor. If you are staying north of the river, walkability to Congress may be more important than expo proximity. If you stay around South Congress or the river’s south bank, check how you will cross on race morning.

The official packet-pickup page gives Friday/Saturday hours at Palmer, and our Austin race-weekend city guide provides additional lodging and arrival considerations. Confirm current route diagrams before relying on a specific bridge or car pickup.

Fort Worth: Cowtown is based at Will Rogers, not central Dallas

The Cowtown’s finish-area logistics and expo center on Will Rogers Memorial Center, on West Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. That makes nearby lodging practical for both packet pickup and race morning. Hotels in Downtown Fort Worth can still be good options, but measure the journey to West Lancaster rather than assuming “Fort Worth downtown” means adjacent to the start.

Sunday packet pickup is not offered in the currently posted 2027 expo information, so a race-day-only arrival is a poor plan for an out-of-town runner who still needs their bib.

Galveston: plan around Stewart Beach, not just the island

The February 2027 Galveston Marathon is listed at Stewart Beach, 515 Seawall Boulevard, on the island’s east end. Properties on or near the eastern Seawall may simplify the early start. Historic Downtown/the Strand can offer a different trip experience, but check the driving or walking connection to the start and where event parking is allowed.

Because coastal races may have weather or routing changes, check the organizer’s most recent guidance before a prepaid booking, especially when traveling over the causeway on race morning.

Three race-weekend hotel scenarios

Scenario 1: Flying in for a major city marathon

You arrive Friday, collect your bib Saturday, and race Sunday. Book a room based on the finish-to-hotel and start-to-hotel pedestrian routes, then treat the expo as a separate trip. If your finish is likely to be well after standard checkout, arrange late checkout, luggage storage, or a further hotel night in advance. The marathon hotel late-checkout guide includes a calculation and printable checklist for exactly this situation.

Scenario 2: Driving to a trail race outside a major metro

An event described as “Austin area” might be 30 or more miles outside Downtown Austin. In that case, book around the race’s actual trailhead or permitted parking site, and check whether the course start is accessible before sunrise. Fueling, cell service, parking capacity and any shuttle cutoff may affect your choice more than having restaurants around the hotel. Do not use a city-name shortcut to estimate distance.

Scenario 3: Traveling with family who want to watch

Choose a hotel that supports both your athlete pickup/reunion plan and the family’s independent movements. For a downtown marathon, the best hotel for spectators may be close to the official finish and transit rather than a random mile marker. Decide on a specific meeting location that remains outside barriers, and identify a fallback if rideshare pickup is restricted.

Texas race-hotel booking checklist

Before you pay for a nonrefundable room, work through this checklist. It is deliberately built around what race travelers need to verify, rather than generic hotel amenities.

Race identity: organizer’s official event name, year and status. Do not rely on an imported listing as the only source of truth.
Exact addresses: start, finish, expo/packet pickup, parking and shuttle location if any.
Travel time: actual walking or transit route, not a straight-line map distance, including road closures.
Schedule: bib pickup deadline, start corral/assigned wave and when streets close.
Hotel access: confirm late arrival, early-morning exit from the building and whether parking-garage exits are blocked.
After the finish: luggage storage, confirmed checkout time, shower access and the return route if your race ends late.
Change protection: whether the reservation is refundable and the exact cancellation cutoff in local hotel time.
Flight and airport: realistic travel after finishing; avoid assuming traffic and airport check-in will be normal on race day.
Registration and lodging: independently confirm both your race entry and your room, since a race listing does not guarantee hotel availability.

For a broader framework, see how to book race-weekend hotels without getting burned, common first-marathon hotel mistakes, and our marathon race and hotel directory.

Browse the Texas race directory

The searchable statewide directory below includes automatically imported race records. It is useful for finding more events and linking to individual race hotel pages, but the data can include duplicate city spellings, events that change dates, and activities that are not traditional running races. Verify the actual date, location and registration status with the organizer before registering or paying for lodging.

How to use the list: choose a city, open an event, verify its venue and official link, then use that race page’s hotel search. The visible list covers a limited selection of imported upcoming entries; for a broader search use Browse All Races and filter by location.

Planning to race in Texas? We track 1,070 upcoming races across 135 cities shown below — with hotel options near every start line.

1,070 Upcoming Races

135 Cities Shown

Showing the next 300 races. Browse all 1,070 upcoming races in Texas →

San Antonio 31 Houston 22 Fort Worth 13 El Paso 12 Austin 11 Waco 6 Katy 6 Temple 6 Dallas 6 Mcallen 6 Weslaco 5 Tyler 5 New Braunfels 4 Cedar Park 4 Longview 4 Beaumont 4 Sugar Land 4 Del Valle 3 Garland 3 Plano 3 Spring 3 Celina 3 Prosper 3 Lewisville 2 Gatesville 2 Galveston 2 Selma 2 Nacogdoches 2 Grand Prairie 2 Stephenville 2 Mckinney 2 Quitman 2 Denton 2 Pharr 2 Mission 2 Hutto 2 Corpus Christi 2 Lake Jackson 2 Arlington 2 Midland 2 Marble Falls 2 Pflugerville 2 Irving 2 Keller 2 Pleasanton 1 Odessa 1 Burleson 1 Coppell 1 Deer Park 1 Lufkin 1 Westlake 1 Mansfield 1 Flower Mound 1 Cat Spring 1 Kilgore 1 Amarillo 1 Boerne 1 Iowa Park 1 Baytown 1 Hondo 1 San Angelo 1 ARGYLE 1 Woodway 1 Mineral Wells 1 Azle 1 San Felipe 1 Killeen 1 Bluff Dale 1 Dripping Springs 1 Graham 1 Tomball 1 Saint Jo 1 Friendswood 1 Jacksonville 1 San Juan 1 North Richland Hills 1 Conroe 1 Bryan 1 Lubbock 1 Mathis 1 Huntsville 1 Corsicana 1 Angleton 1 Spicewood 1 Carrollton 1 Canyon Lake 1 Cypress 1 Florence 1 Montgomery 1 McKinney 1 Mesquite 1 Warda 1 Salado 1 China Spring 1 Colleyville 1 Grulla 1 Hillsboro 1 Orange 1 Plainview 1 La Porte 1 Kerrville 1 Shiner 1 Cleburne 1 Pittsburg 1 Sugarland 1 The Colony 1 Bastrop 1 Uvalde 1 Belton 1 Granbury 1 Milam 1 Edinburg 1 Clifton 1 Athens 1 Rockwall 1 Lindale 1 Pearland 1 Richmond 1 Little Elm 1 Victoria 1 Kingwood 1 The Woodlands 1 Bremond 1 Waxahachie 1 Bulverde 1 Frisco 1 Texarkana 1 Round Rock 1 Midlothian 1 Paris 1 Weatherford 1 Sachse 1 Decatur 1 Brownwood 1 Laredo 1

San Antonio 31 races

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Races in Texas: 2026–27 Race Dates & Hotel Planning

Start here: which Texas race destination fits your trip?

Six confirmed Texas race weekends to plan around

Where to stay in six Texas race cities

Houston: pick a downtown route, not just a downtown ZIP code

Dallas: City Hall Plaza and the convention center are different destinations

San Antonio: Hemisfair first, sightseeing second

Austin: Congress Avenue for the race; Palmer for the expo

Fort Worth: Cowtown is based at Will Rogers, not central Dallas

Galveston: plan around Stewart Beach, not just the island

Three race-weekend hotel scenarios

Scenario 1: Flying in for a major city marathon

Scenario 2: Driving to a trail race outside a major metro

Scenario 3: Traveling with family who want to watch

Texas race-hotel booking checklist

Browse the Texas race directory

San Antonio 31 races

Houston 22 races

Fort Worth 13 races

El Paso 12 races

Austin 11 races

Waco 6 races

Katy 6 races

Temple 6 races

Dallas 6 races

Mcallen 6 races

Weslaco 5 races

Tyler 5 races

New Braunfels 4 races

Cedar Park 4 races

Longview 4 races

Beaumont 4 races

Sugar Land 4 races

Del Valle 3 races

Garland 3 races

Plano 3 races

Spring 3 races

Celina 3 races

Prosper 3 races

Lewisville 2 races

Gatesville 2 races

Galveston 2 races

Selma 2 races

Nacogdoches 2 races

Grand Prairie 2 races

Stephenville 2 races

Mckinney 2 races

Quitman 2 races

Denton 2 races

Pharr 2 races

Mission 2 races

Hutto 2 races

Corpus Christi 2 races

Lake Jackson 2 races

Arlington 2 races

Midland 2 races

Marble Falls 2 races

Pflugerville 2 races

Irving 2 races

Keller 2 races

Pleasanton 1 race

Odessa 1 race

Burleson 1 race

Coppell 1 race

Deer Park 1 race

Lufkin 1 race

Westlake 1 race

Mansfield 1 race

Flower Mound 1 race

Cat Spring 1 race

Kilgore 1 race

Amarillo 1 race

Boerne 1 race

Iowa Park 1 race

Baytown 1 race

Hondo 1 race

San Angelo 1 race

ARGYLE 1 race

Woodway 1 race

Mineral Wells 1 race