2027 Atlanta Marathon - Mar 7

2027 Atlanta Marathon - Mar 7 Countdown

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Race Information

Race2027 Atlanta Marathon - Mar 7
CityAtlanta
Date2027-03-07 at 07:15
Time Limit6 hours 30 min
Cutoff pace9:15/km
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Official SiteAtlanta Track Club

Race Day Weather

Average Temperature10.5°C / 51°F
Humidity81%
Wind16.1 km/h
Rain Chance34%
Typical ConditionsCool, humid early-March mornings - race-week daily means cluster near 10.9 C, with a 20-year spread of 3.9 C to 17.1 C and a one-in-three chance of a wet day

What to Prepare: Dress for a cold start and a mild finish. Across the 20 years of race-week data behind the climate table below, the daily mean sits at 10.9°C but has ranged from 3.9°C to 17.1°C, with a record low of -8.3°C in 2009 and a record high of 26.1°C in 2006. The median apparent temperature is only 7.2°C - wind takes real bite out of the thermometer here. Median humidity is 81% and roughly one race week in three brings rain, so a throwaway long-sleeve plus a light cap handles more outcomes than heavy layers do.

Based on historical averages for race week. Use our Weather Score Calculator and What to Wear Guide for personalized advice.

Wind Impact on Race Day

Wind at 16.1 km/h can affect your marathon pace by 5-15 seconds per kilometer. Headwinds slow you down exponentially — a 20 km/h wind costs more than twice a 10 km/h wind.

Calculate your wind-adjusted pace →

Race-Week Climate

Based on 20 years of race-week weather (2005-2024), MERRA-2 reanalysis

Cooler Typical Warmer
Temperature 3.9°C 10.9°C 17.1°C
Dew point -0.7°C 7°C 14.9°C
Wet-day chance: 34% Runnability: 72/100

Data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), NASA Langley Research Center

Course Profile

Course TypeDowntown city course - 2027 route not yet published
TerrainRoad, 100% paved on the certified 2026 course; short repeated climbs, very little sustained flat
ProfileAtlanta Track Club is running an entirely new downtown course in 2027 and, as of late July 2026, has published nothing about it beyond the words "New Date. New Course. New Feel. More information coming soon!" There is no route map, no mile list and no official elevation figure for 2027 - so any specific street or landmark you see attributed to the 2027 course has been carried over from the retired one. What can be said about the terrain comes from the course this race actually ran through 2026, and the single most useful number is on its USATF certificate (code GA26002MNS): start 302 m, finish 304 m, lowest point 269 m, highest point 327 m. The whole marathon lived inside a 58-metre band and ended two metres above where it began. That is the honest shape of Atlanta - not a course with big climbs, but a course with almost no flat, ridden in short repeated bumps on the southern edge of the Appalachian piedmont. The hills that decided races were specific and short: the pitch out of Piedmont Park at mile 8.3, the overpass climb at mile 12.1, and Berne hill inside Grant Park at mile 20.7. Expect that character to survive the redesign even though the streets will not. One caveat matters more than any of this for anyone chasing a Boston time: a USATF certificate is void the moment the course changes, so the 2027 route needs its own new certification.
Boston QualifierYes — Check your BQ time

Course Analysis

New Date, New Course - and Nothing Announced Yet

Atlanta Track Club has committed to a clean break for 2027, and so far that commitment is genuinely all it has published. The official 2027 page says exactly one thing about the race itself - "New Date. New Course. New Feel. More information coming soon!" - alongside a date (March 6-7, 2027) and a location (Downtown Atlanta). No map, no mile list, no elevation figure. Treat any specific 2027 street or landmark you read elsewhere as carried over from the retired course.

The new date is measurable even though the course is not. Sunday March 7 is the latest this race has been held in seven editions: February 28 in 2021, February 27 in 2022, February 26 in 2023, February 25 in 2024, March 2 in 2025 and March 1 in 2026. That is five to ten days later than every recent edition, which nudges the whole weekend toward a slightly warmer, wetter slice of Atlanta spring. The weekend shape is unchanged - 5K and youth events Saturday, marathon and half marathon together Sunday.

The genuinely counter-intuitive thing about this weekend is where the fast runners are. The half marathon hosted the USATF Half Marathon Championships in both 2025 and 2026, with national-team places on the line. The marathon's own official prize table for 2026 read first $500, second $250, third $125. So this is a big-city participation marathon with a national championship half bolted onto it: 2,954 people finished the 2026 marathon, the winning times were 2:34:47 (Samuel Stresemann) and 2:39:05 (Grace Clements), and the median finish was 4:45:16. If you want a deep race, enter the half. If you want a city marathon with room to breathe at the front, enter the full.

Entry is a six-rung ladder rather than a price. Officially: $130 for the first 500 marathon entrants (the page hero says "first 1,000" — the site contradicts itself; we cite the cost table), then $150 through May 29, $170 through September 25, $190 through December 30, $210 through March 4 and $220 at the expo. There is no closing date - "Spots available until the race sells out" - and both the 2025 and 2026 editions sold out across every distance, so the ladder is the deadline. The race is also an Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Rankings qualifying race. One naming note: the 2027 event is branded Atlanta Marathon Weekend, without the Publix title that has run since 2010; Atlanta Track Club has not published any statement about the sponsorship itself.

Miles 1-13 on the Retired 2026 Course: Piedmont Park and the Nelson Bridge

Atlanta Track Club is replacing this route for 2027 and has released no details of the new one. What follows is the 2026 course exactly as documented in the official turn-by-turn and race reports. Read it as a terrain reference for what a hilly downtown Atlanta marathon asks of you - not as the 2027 line.

The 2026 race started on Northside Drive outside Hall C of the Georgia World Congress Center, beside Mercedes-Benz Stadium and The Home Depot Backyard, where the event has been based since 2024. Marathoners and half marathoners ran the first 12.5 miles together: east on Marietta Street, north on Piedmont Avenue at 1.7, out through Jackson Street and Irwin at 3.2 and 3.5, then a long loop through the Euclid and Moreland Avenue blocks at 4.8 and 5.1, back west on Freedom Parkway, north on North Highland at 5.7 and west on Virginia Avenue at 6.6 - the intersection the Virginia-Highland neighbourhood is named for - before entering Piedmont Park through the Park Drive gate at 7.7.

Mile 8.3 is where the race actually got decided. The official turn-by-turn reads "Exit Park at 12th Street 8.3", and that short steep pitch out of the park broke both national-championship fields in 2025. Atlanta Track Club's own report: "The steep uphill climb exiting the park at mile eight ... allowed Hurley and Roe to reel in Kelati, overtaking her", and then "at the same spot on the course where Roe and Hurley caught Kelati - exiting Piedmont Park - the men's chase pack caught up." If a hill sorts out professionals, it will sort out your pacing plan too.

Mile 12.1 - the Nelson Street pedestrian bridge - carried more meaning than any other point on the course. Four separate things converged there. It was the second decisive climb: ATC's 2025 report notes that "As the trio climbed a hill on an overpass just past the 12-mile mark, Maier made a move." It was the split, with half marathoners running on to finish on Backyard Way at 13.1 while marathoners peeled off at the Mercedes-Benz Gate at 12.6 and climbed a wide sidewalk and curved ramp onto the bridge. The 13-mile marker sat on the bridge's east end, which made the bridge the physical location of the 11:10 a.m. cutoff. And it was where the 2026 national championship came apart: after a race officer was struck by a car a block away and the intersection was left unstaffed, ATC's minute-by-minute review records that at 8:20 a.m. "Motorcycle, pace car and four (4) women's USATF Half Marathon competitors incorrectly turn left ... They do not go straight onto the footbridge."

Thirteen aid stations served the 2026 course, at miles 2.2, 4, 6.2, 8.1, 9.7, 11.5, 12.8, 14.4, 16.3, 18.2, 20, 22.1 and 24, all with water, PowerAde and portable toilets. Honey Stinger gels came at miles 6, 9.7, 14.4, 18.3 and 20, bananas at 6 and 14. Note the two longest carries: the opening 2.2 miles, and everything after mile 24.

Miles 13-26.2 on the Retired 2026 Course: Berne Hill and a 58-Metre Band

As above - this is the 2026 marathon-only second half, documented for terrain reference. The 2027 route has not been published.

Off the footbridge the marathon dropped into the Atlanta University Center blocks, west on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at 13.4 and through Pascal, Mitchell, James Brawley, Greensferry and Spellman Lane between 13.9 and 14.7, then north on Peters into Castleberry Hill at 15. Peters became Trinity at 16.1, and miles 16 to 18 threaded the state Capitol blocks - Pryor at 16.4, Fulton at 17.1, Capitol at 17.4, Pollard at 17.5.

Mile 20.7 is the one to plan for. The course entered Grant Park at 20.1 and the turn-by-turn instruction reads, verbatim, "Turn Right ((NW) while heading up Berne hill." A climb at 20.7, on park paths, is arriving exactly where a marathon usually starts costing money. From there the route left the park at 21.09, ran Memorial Drive from 21.9, turned north on Capitol Avenue at 22.7 and Capitol Square at 22.75, and came home through Decatur Street, Marietta, Peachtree, Trinity and Peters before turning onto Northside Drive at 25.6 and finishing on Backyard Way.

The most useful elevation fact for this race is not a climbing total - it is a range. The USATF certificate for the 2026 course, code GA26002MNS, records the elevation as start 302 m, finish 304 m, lowest 269 m, highest 327 m. The entire marathon lived inside a 58-metre band and finished two metres above its start, with a straight-line start-to-finish separation of 290 m and a drop of -0.05 m/km on a 100% paved surface. No cumulative-gain figure was ever published by the organiser. That range is the better guide anyway: Atlanta does not hit you with one long mountain, it never lets you settle, and the bumps land at miles 8.3, 12.1 and 20.7 rather than being spread evenly.

Grant Park at roughly the 20-mile mark also has a harder history, and it is the single most consequential thing on this page for anyone chasing a qualifying time. See the section below.

Cutoff Arithmetic, the Boston Qualifying Trap and Race-Week Weather

Every cutoff number below is the 2026 published set - Atlanta Track Club has not released 2027 cutoffs. The 6:30 limit has been stable for years and is the safe planning assumption; the 12.5-mile checkpoint, however, is a feature of the retired course geometry and should be expected to move with the new route.

The cutoff clock does not start when you do. Atlanta Track Club states a 6-hour 30-minute marathon limit and adds that "All course closure times are based off the start line closure time of 7:55 a.m." Check it: 7:55 plus 6:30 is 2:25 p.m., which is exactly the published Marathon Course Closes time. So the limit is anchored to the 7:55 start-line closure, not to your own gun time.

The official shorthand is three minutes optimistic. ATC glosses the limit as "15 minute per mile", but 15:00 per mile over 26.2 miles is 6 hours 33 minutes - it lands you at 2:28 p.m., three minutes after the course shuts. The real average the limit demands is 14:53 per mile (9:15 per km). If you are pacing anywhere near the back, build the plan on that number, not the advertised one. A pace band keyed to 14:53 per mile removes the guesswork.

And the intermediate cutoff hides the real trap. Marathoners must reach the 12.5-mile split by 11:10 a.m. From 7:55 that allows 3 hours 15 minutes for 12.5 miles, or 15:36 per mile (9:42 per km) - more relaxed than the overall limit. But the remaining 13.7 miles then also get 3 hours 15 minutes, which is 14:14 per mile (8:51 per km). Anyone who scrapes through the split has to run roughly 1:22 per mile faster over the second half - the half that contains Berne hill at 20.7 and has no aid station after mile 24. The cutoff you can see is not the one that catches people.

One honest gap: Atlanta Track Club does not state whether a runner who crossed the line at 7:15 is judged on a net 6:30 (which would be 1:45 p.m.) or simply on the 2:25 p.m. course closure. Both figures are official; the reconciliation between them is not. If you expect to be near either limit, ask the club directly rather than trusting an inference.

The Boston qualifying situation needs two separate warnings. First, history: the 2025 marathon was measured short. In an official statement, ATC chief executive Rich Kenah wrote that the race came up "short of the full 26.2 mile distance by 554 feet (168 meters)" because of "unexpected race-week road construction that led to a series of misplaced turnaround cones in Grant Park (~20 mile mark)", that finish times were affected "by anywhere from 36 to 87 seconds", and - decisively - that "the marathon course will not be officially certified for this year's event." A qualifying time has to be run on a certified course, so nothing from 2025 can be used for Boston. ATC said it was "taking immediate steps to adjust our course verification processes"; it has not published what those steps are.

Second, the live risk: the 2026 certificate GA26002MNS carries its own kill switch - "If any changes are made to the course, this certification becomes void, and the course must then be recertified." A brand-new 2027 route voids it by definition. If you are entering specifically to qualify, confirm the new certification code before you pay, and check your target against the Boston qualifying calculator.

Weather is a humidity-and-rain problem, not a heat problem. The 20-year race-week record gives a daily mean of 10.9°C with a typical range of 3.9°C to 17.1°C, median humidity of 81%, median wind of 16.1 km/h and a 34% chance of a wet day. The median apparent temperature, 7.2°C, sits well below the actual temperature, so the start is usually colder than the number suggests while the closing miles can feel muggy. Extremes exist in both directions: -8.3°C in 2009, 26.1°C in 2006. Run the numbers for your own kit with the what to wear tool, and adjust an hilly-course target with the hill race adjuster.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2027 Atlanta Marathon and what time does it start?

The marathon is on Sunday, March 7, 2027, the second day of a March 6-7 weekend; the 5K and youth events run on Saturday, March 6. The start time has not been published yet. Atlanta Track Club's 2027 page lists only the date and the location (Downtown Atlanta), with the note "More information coming soon!" For reference, the 2026 marathon and half marathon started together at 7:15 a.m. ET, but that is last year's schedule, not a 2027 announcement.

What is the new 2027 course, and when will it be announced?

Nobody outside the organisation knows yet. The only official statement is "New Date. New Course. New Feel. More information coming soon!", plus the location Downtown Atlanta. There is no published map, mile list or elevation figure, and no announced date for the reveal. Descriptions of specific 2027 streets or landmarks circulating online are carried over from the retired course. For historical context, the 2024 to 2026 editions started and finished at The Home Depot Backyard beside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the 2026 route ran through Piedmont Park, the Atlanta University Center, the Capitol blocks and Grant Park.

How much does entry cost and when does the price go up?

The marathon uses a six-step ladder: $130 for the first 500 entrants, $150 through May 29, $170 through September 25, $190 through December 30, $210 through March 4 and $220 at the expo. The half marathon runs $90 to $145 and the 5K $35 to $55 on the same schedule. There is no entry deadline and no qualifying standard - "Spots available until the race sells out" - but the 2025 and 2026 editions both sold out across all distances, so the practical deadline is whichever comes first, the next price step or the last bib. Entry is through Atlanta Track Club, and there are no guaranteed entries at the expo.

Can I use an Atlanta Marathon time to qualify for Boston?

Normally yes, but 2027 comes with a caveat and 2025 comes with a hard no. The 2026 course held USATF certification GA26002MNS, valid to 2036 - but that certificate states that "If any changes are made to the course, this certification becomes void, and the course must then be recertified", and 2027 is an entirely new course. Confirm the new certification code before entering if a qualifier is your goal. Separately, the 2025 edition cannot be used at all: Atlanta Track Club announced that misplaced turnaround cones in Grant Park left the race 554 feet (168 metres) short and that "the marathon course will not be officially certified for this year's event", with finish times affected by 36 to 87 seconds. Check your target against the Boston qualifying calculator.

What are the cutoff times, and where is the intermediate checkpoint?

The marathon limit is 6 hours 30 minutes, and marathoners must reach the 12.5-mile split by 11:10 a.m. to continue. Both are measured from the 7:55 a.m. start-line closure, not from your own start - 7:55 plus 6:30 gives the published 2:25 p.m. course closure. Two numbers matter more than the headline: the true average the limit demands is 14:53 per mile, not the 15:00 per mile the club quotes as shorthand, and the stretch after the split is tighter than the stretch before it, at about 14:14 per mile against 15:36. Plan the second half harder than the first. The half marathon limit is 3 hours 30 minutes and the 5K limit is 1 hour 15 minutes. All of these are the 2026 published figures; 2027 cutoffs have not been released, and the checkpoint location in particular is tied to the old course and will likely change.

Why do the elite fields run the half marathon rather than the marathon?

Because the half is a national championship and the marathon is not. Atlanta hosted the USATF Half Marathon Championships in 2025 and again in 2026, which brings professional fields and national-team selection to the Sunday half. The marathon's published prize money for 2026 was $500 for the win, $250 for second and $125 for third - a community-race purse. The result is a marathon you can race for position: the 2026 winning times were 2:34:47 and 2:39:05, only 34 of 2,954 finishers broke three hours, and the median finish was 4:45:16.

What is the weather like in Atlanta in early March?

Cool and humid rather than hot. Across 20 years of race-week data the daily mean is 10.9°C, with a typical range of 3.9°C to 17.1°C, median humidity of 81%, median wind of 16.1 km/h and a 34% chance of a wet day. The median apparent temperature is only 7.2°C, so the start usually feels colder than the thermometer reads while the late miles can feel muggy. The record extremes for this window are -8.3°C in 2009 and 26.1°C in 2006. Note that March 7 is the latest date this race has used in seven editions, which shifts it marginally warmer than the late-February editions. A throwaway long-sleeve for the corral plus a light cap covers most of it - the what to wear tool will size it to your own pace.

How hilly is it really, and can I run a personal best there?

The organiser has never published a cumulative climbing figure, and any number you see quoted is third-party GPS data for a course that is now retired. The official measurement that does exist is the USATF certificate for the 2026 route: lowest point 269 m, highest 327 m - a 58-metre band, with start and finish two metres apart. So the difficulty is not one big climb, it is the absence of flat, plus three specific pitches that historically bit at miles 8.3, 12.1 and 20.7. It is a poor choice for a flat-course personal best and a good choice for a city marathon you will remember. Since the 2027 route is new and unpublished, treat all of this as terrain expectation rather than a profile - and use the hill race adjuster to translate a flat-course goal into a realistic target.

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