Kansas City Marathon

The Kansas City Marathon is a 26.2 mi race run the 3rd Saturday of every October in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, first held in 1979. It is the second largest marathon in Missouri, with 1227 finishers in 2019. An official time from the Kansas City Marathon can be used to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

It includes a 5K, 10K and half-marathon in addition to the traditional marathon race.

History
The marathon was first held in 1979 as the Macy's Marathon.

In 2005, the marathon was just under 0.4 mi short.

The 2020 in-person edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all registrants given the option of transferring their entry to 2021, or entering a charity running program and obtaining a partial refund.

Course
While the course varies from year to year, it generally involves running from Crown Center through downtown, turning to Midtown to Westport. From Westport it continues on to the Plaza out to Waldo, returning to the 18th and Vine district and ending on Main Street by Pershing.

Qualification
Runners must be at least 16 years old to run the full marathon and at least 14 years old to run the half marathon.