Best Winter Marathons 2026-2027 — 23 Picks Nov to Feb

From Bangkok's tropical heat to Mesa's desert downhill — 23 winter marathons Nov 2026 to Feb 2027 across Asia, Europe and the US, by date.

Late November through February is one of the most underrated stretches on the marathon calendar — most of the world's fastest open-entry courses run in this window, and the temperature range from Bangkok's 25 °C tropical morning to Mesa's 7 °C desert dawn means there's a winter race for every climate preference. Our 23 picks for 2026-2027 span the whole window — the seven anchors in chronological order: Bangkok (Nov 29) → Shanghai & Valencia (both Dec 6) → Xiamen (Jan 10) → Houston (Jan 17) → Mesa (Feb 13) → Osaka (Feb 28). Use our Training Start Date Calculator to plan backward from your chosen winter race, and our Weather Race Score to gauge how a given climate matches your goal pace.

How We Selected These Marathons

  • Race date November 2026 to February 2027
  • Cool to moderate racing temperatures (start 7-25 °C depending on latitude)
  • Flat to moderate course profile (most under 50 m elevation gain)
  • Either open registration or accessible international tier
  • Reliable post-fall-season timing for BQ backup attempts
  • International accessibility from major hubs

Our Top Picks

# Race DateAvg TempElevationCutoffBQ Course
1 Fukuoka Marathon November 8, 202614°C35 m7hYes
2 Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok November 29, 202627°C5 m7hYes
3 St. Jude Memphis Marathon December 5, 20267°C214 m6.5hYes
4 California International Marathon December 6, 20268°C202 m6hYes
5 San Antonio Marathon December 6, 20267°C277 m7hYes
6 Shanghai Marathon December 6, 20268°C25 m6.5hYes
7 Valencia Marathon December 6, 202612°C15 m5.5hYes
8 Dallas Marathon December 13, 20268°C257 m6.5hYes
9 Guangzhou Marathon December 13, 202615°C30 m6.25hYes
10 Honolulu Marathon December 13, 202623°C195 mNo limitYes
Show all 23 races
# Race DateAvg TempElevationCutoffBQ Course
11 Kunming Marathon December 13, 202612°C120 m6.5hYes
12 Rocket City Marathon December 13, 20266°C203 m7hYes
13 Tucson Marathon December 13, 202611°C89 m7.5hYes
14 Shenzhen Marathon December 20, 202617°C60 m6hYes
15 Taipei Marathon December 20, 202616°C40 m5.5hYes
16 Xiamen Marathon January 10, 202714°C40 m6.25hYes
17 Carlsbad Marathon January 17, 202713°C119 m6hYes
18 Houston Marathon January 17, 202710°C20 m6hYes
19 Miami Marathon January 31, 202720°C77 m7hYes
20 Surf City Marathon February 7, 202714°C113 m6.5hYes
21 Mesa Marathon February 13, 202712°C50 m6.5hYes
22 Seville Marathon February 21, 202711°C10 m6hYes
23 Osaka Marathon February 28, 20276°C21 m7hYes

Built from official course data for 349 races · as of July 7, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Why choose a winter marathon over a fall marathon?

Winter marathons give you extended training time (an extra 2-3 months beyond September's fall peak), easier entries (fewer of these are lottery-restricted than Berlin/Chicago/NYC), BQ-backup opportunity if a fall race didn't go to plan, and access to the world's fastest open-entry courses (Valencia, Houston, Mesa). The trade-off is training through summer heat — but a 12-week build through July-August has produced more PRs than any other window.

Which winter marathon is the fastest?

Valencia Marathon (first Sunday of December) is the fastest winter marathon globally — its 15 m elevation, 8-12 °C average, and sheltered city course have produced 5,000+ sub-3:00 finishers each year from 2023-2025, three years running. For US-based runners, Houston (January, 20 m flat) and Mesa (February, ~305 m net downhill) are the two fastest open-entry domestic options.

How do I train for a winter marathon after a fall race?

If using a winter race as a backup after a fall marathon, allow 4-6 weeks minimum between races. Maintain fitness with easy running for 2-3 weeks post-race, then do a 3-4 week mini-taper into the winter event. The Valencia-as-Berlin-backup and Houston-as-Chicago-backup pipelines are two of the most popular dual-race plays in the sport. Use our Recovery Planner to assess readiness.

How do tropical and desert winter marathons compare to cool-climate ones?

The temperature range across our 7 picks is wide. Bangkok (Nov 29, ~22-27 °C, humid) starts at 2 am to escape the worst heat and is best run for the experience, not a PR. Mesa (Feb 13, ~7-18 °C, dry desert) is one of the most consistent racing climates on Earth. Valencia, Houston, Xiamen, Osaka all fall in the 8-15 °C ideal-marathon-weather range. Use our Weather Race Score to convert ambient temperature into a pace-impact estimate.

Can I use a winter marathon to qualify for Boston?

Yes — Valencia, Houston, Mesa, and Osaka are all BQ-eligible certified courses. Mesa's net downhill stays under the 2027 +5:00 penalty threshold (1,500 ft / 457 m), so its BQ times are accepted at face value. Valencia and Houston are perennial top-10 BQ rate producers globally. All four fall well inside the 18-month BQ qualification window for the following year's Boston Marathon. Check your target with our Boston Qualifying Calculator.

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