RunRace USA › Fly a Course › San Francisco Marathon

The course, in 3D

San Francisco Marathon

San Francisco, CA · Sunday, July 25, 2027

San Francisco Marathon official site →registration and course details
Race day
Sunday, July 25, 2027
Climb
1850 fttotal ascent
Race-week weather
56°F to 65°Ften-year normals, 0% of days wet

Fly the course

All 26.2 miles through a model of San Francisco built from OpenStreetMap: real building footprints, heights and roof shapes, the water, and the course line itself. Scrub it, switch cameras, or let it play.

Route statusa community trace of the current course; the official certified course is on the race's site. Direct no-login GPX from goandrace.com's SF Marathon 2026 course page (race1 = full). Downloaded via curl: 1,006 trackpoints, haversine total 42.74 km / 26.56 mi. Starts 37.7953,-122.3937 (Embarcadero at Market) and ends 37.7925,-122.3910 (Embarcadero at Howard), matching the official current-course description.

Course line a community trace of the current course; the official certified course is on the race's site. Direct no-login GPX from goandrace.com's SF Marathon 2026 course page (race1 = full). Downloaded via curl: 1,006 trackpoints, haversine total 42.74 km / 26.56 mi. Starts 37.7953,-122.3937 (Embarcadero at Market) and ends 37.7925,-122.3910 (Embarcadero at Howard), matching the official current-course description. Buildings, roads, parks and shorelines are OpenStreetMap, ODbL, so building coverage varies block to block. Public-domain USGS/USDA aerial imagery and USGS 3DEP terrain are served as static site assets; no paid map API runs in the browser. This is photographic terrain with modeled architecture, not photogrammetry. Bridge approaches, elevations and facade details remain approximate. The organizer's published route is the reference.

Accuracy check: drawn line is within 0.9% of the certified 26.2 miles; no part of the line passes through a building; 87% of it sits on a mapped road; closest it ever comes to a building wall is 0.5 m.

Note on bridge grades: Where a course crosses a bridge, the elevation now follows the deck rather than the ground underneath it. A terrain model contains no bridges, so it used to sample the riverbed and report a gorge the runner never descends. Decks are held level between their abutments and never allowed to sag below them; a genuine climb across a long span, like the Golden Gate approach, is left exactly as measured. The camber of a long suspension deck is not modelled, so a bridge that really does rise toward mid-span may read slightly flatter here than it feels.

The elevation profile

-60 -10 40 90 140 190 240 290 340 Mile 0.0 to 0.2: -0.1% Mile 0.2 to 0.4: +0.7% Mile 0.4 to 0.6: +0.2% Mile 0.6 to 0.8: +0.1% Mile 0.8 to 1.0: -0.3% Mile 1.0 to 1.2: +0.4% Mile 1.2 to 1.4: +0.7% Mile 1.4 to 1.6: -0.1% Mile 1.6 to 1.8: +0.5% Mile 1.8 to 2.0: -0.8% Mile 2.0 to 2.2: +0.8% Mile 2.2 to 2.4: +1.3% Mile 2.4 to 2.6: +0.1% Mile 2.6 to 2.8: -2.6% Mile 2.8 to 3.0: -0.0% Mile 3.0 to 3.2: +0.0% Mile 3.2 to 3.4: -0.8% Mile 3.4 to 3.6: +0.6% Mile 3.6 to 3.8: +0.1% Mile 3.8 to 4.0: -0.1% Mile 4.0 to 4.2: -0.1% Mile 4.2 to 4.4: +0.6% Mile 4.4 to 4.6: -0.4% Mile 4.6 to 4.8: -0.1% Mile 4.8 to 5.0: -0.3% Mile 5.0 to 5.2: +3.7% Mile 5.2 to 5.4: -2.4% Mile 5.4 to 5.6: +2.9% Mile 5.6 to 5.8: -2.0% Mile 5.8 to 6.0: +4.9% Mile 6.0 to 6.2: +1.0% Mile 6.2 to 6.4: -1.1% Mile 6.4 to 6.6: +5.9% Mile 6.6 to 6.8: +0.5% Mile 6.8 to 7.0: +0.3% Mile 7.0 to 7.2: +0.4% Mile 7.2 to 7.4: +0.5% Mile 7.4 to 7.6: +0.4% Mile 7.6 to 7.8: +0.4% Mile 7.8 to 8.0: +0.4% Mile 8.0 to 8.2: -2.2% Mile 8.2 to 8.4: +1.8% Mile 8.4 to 8.6: +1.6% Mile 8.6 to 8.8: +1.1% Mile 8.8 to 9.0: -2.0% Mile 9.0 to 9.2: +5.0% Mile 9.2 to 9.4: -5.8% Mile 9.4 to 9.6: +0.4% Mile 9.6 to 9.8: +1.2% Mile 9.8 to 10.0: -1.8% Mile 10.0 to 10.2: -3.2% Mile 10.2 to 10.4: -3.9% Mile 10.4 to 10.6: +3.4% Mile 10.6 to 10.8: +0.8% Mile 10.8 to 11.0: +6.3% Mile 11.0 to 11.2: +5.7% Mile 11.2 to 11.4: +1.0% Mile 11.4 to 11.6: +0.2% Mile 11.6 to 11.8: -0.5% Mile 11.8 to 12.0: -0.4% Mile 12.0 to 12.2: -0.4% Mile 12.2 to 12.4: -0.4% Mile 12.4 to 12.6: -0.5% Mile 12.6 to 12.8: -0.4% Mile 12.8 to 13.0: -4.3% Mile 13.0 to 13.2: +2.5% Mile 13.2 to 13.4: +4.4% Mile 13.4 to 13.6: -0.2% Mile 13.6 to 13.8: -0.5% Mile 13.8 to 14.0: -8.4% Mile 14.0 to 14.2: -1.9% Mile 14.2 to 14.4: -0.8% Mile 14.4 to 14.6: -1.9% Mile 14.6 to 14.8: +4.2% Mile 14.8 to 15.0: +1.6% Mile 15.0 to 15.2: -0.3% Mile 15.2 to 15.4: +2.9% Mile 15.4 to 15.6: +1.6% Mile 15.6 to 15.8: -2.5% Mile 15.8 to 16.0: +0.9% Mile 16.0 to 16.2: +4.4% Mile 16.2 to 16.4: +2.9% Mile 16.4 to 16.6: -1.3% Mile 16.6 to 16.8: +2.0% Mile 16.8 to 17.0: -0.8% Mile 17.0 to 17.2: +0.9% Mile 17.2 to 17.4: +0.5% Mile 17.4 to 17.6: -1.3% Mile 17.6 to 17.8: -0.4% Mile 17.8 to 18.0: -1.1% Mile 18.0 to 18.2: -1.1% Mile 18.2 to 18.4: +0.4% Mile 18.4 to 18.6: +1.3% Mile 18.6 to 18.8: -0.4% Mile 18.8 to 19.0: +0.5% Mile 19.0 to 19.2: -0.3% Mile 19.2 to 19.4: +1.9% Mile 19.4 to 19.6: -0.2% Mile 19.6 to 19.8: -0.0% Mile 19.8 to 20.0: +1.2% Mile 20.0 to 20.2: -2.6% Mile 20.2 to 20.4: -6.0% Mile 20.4 to 20.6: -0.1% Mile 20.6 to 20.8: +1.3% Mile 20.8 to 21.0: -3.0% Mile 21.0 to 21.2: -2.1% Mile 21.2 to 21.4: -1.7% Mile 21.4 to 21.6: -1.3% Mile 21.6 to 21.8: -1.3% Mile 21.8 to 22.0: -0.5% Mile 22.0 to 22.2: +3.4% Mile 22.2 to 22.4: -1.5% Mile 22.4 to 22.6: -1.7% Mile 22.6 to 22.8: -0.3% Mile 22.8 to 23.0: +0.8% Mile 23.0 to 23.2: +0.7% Mile 23.2 to 23.4: -1.2% Mile 23.4 to 23.6: +1.0% Mile 23.6 to 23.8: -2.4% Mile 23.8 to 24.0: -0.4% Mile 24.0 to 24.2: -0.1% Mile 24.2 to 24.4: -0.1% Mile 24.4 to 24.6: +0.3% Mile 24.6 to 24.8: -0.3% Mile 24.8 to 25.0: +1.8% Mile 25.0 to 25.2: -1.1% Mile 25.2 to 25.4: +0.8% Mile 25.4 to 25.6: +0.1% Mile 25.6 to 25.8: -0.2% Mile 25.8 to 26.0: -0.3% Mile 26.0 to 26.2: -0.1% 5 10 15 20 25 mile +253 ft +149 ft
steep up up flat down steep down

1850 feet of total climb across the 26.2, between 10 and 290 feet of elevation. The biggest climb runs from mile 10.65 to 11.44, 253 feet up. Click the profile to jump the flythrough to that mile.

Mile by mile

Every mile of the course on the same vertical scale, so they compare at a glance. Net is what the mile does to your elevation; steepest fifth is the sharpest continuous fifth of a mile inside it, the same unit the colour strip above uses.

MileShapeNetElevation Steepest fifthStreets
1-2 ft9 ft+0.4%The Embarcadero
2-5 ft3 ft-0.8%Jefferson Street, The Embarcadero
3+7 ft11 ft-3.2%Marina Boulevard, Van Ness Avenue, McDowell Road Southwest
4-2 ft9 ft-0.8%Marina Boulevard, Mason Street
5-2 ft7 ft+0.7%Mason Street
6+77 ft82 ft+4.9%Marine Drive, Long Avenue
7+146 ft235 ft+7.6%Golden Gate Bridge, Lincoln Boulevard, Battery East Road
8+28 ft264 ft+0.5%Golden Gate Bridge
9-65 ft199 ft-3.3%Alexander Avenue, Redwood Highway, Golden Gate Bridge
10-74 ft120 ft-7.5%East Road, Alexander Avenue
11+34 ft160 ft+8.2%East Road, Moore Road, Center Road
12+88 ft251 ft+6.1%Golden Gate Bridge, Redwood Highway
13-84 ft166 ft-5.6%Golden Gate Bridge
14-8 ft156 ft-8.1%Lincoln Boulevard, Merchant Road
15+7 ft153 ft+4.2%Lincoln Boulevard, El Camino del Mar, 27th Avenue
16+29 ft180 ft-3.6%27th Avenue, Fulton Street, Crossover Drive
17+85 ft269 ft+4.4%Blue Heron Lake Drive, Transverse Drive, Crossover Drive
18-24 ft244 ft-2.1%Blue Heron Lake Drive East, Blue Heron Lake Drive, Martin Luther King Junior Drive
19+6 ft249 ft+1.3%
20+36 ft284 ft+2.1%Haight Street
21-159 ft127 ft-7.5%Haight Street, Buchanan Street, Hermann Street
22-98 ft21 ft-4.0%16th Street, Guerrero Street, Hermann Street
23+5 ft27 ft+3.4%16th Street, 17th Street, Wisconsin Street
24-14 ft13 ft-2.4%19th Street, Illinois Street, Indiana Street
25+2 ft15 ft+1.8%Terry A. Francois Boulevard, 3rd Street
26-1 ft9 ft-1.1%The Embarcadero, King Street

The course on a map

1 5 10 13 15 20 25 26

More like this

Fly another course

Every marathon course we have modelled in 3D.

San Francisco Marathon planning

Open the complete race guide: course, hotels, expo, spectators and the city.

Course geometry a community trace of the current course; the official certified course is on the race's site. City geometry is OpenStreetMap, ODbL. Weather normals are ten years of Open-Meteo reanalysis around race day at the start line. Confirm dates and registration on the official site. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it fast.