Charlotte Marathon 2026

Packet pickup is at the 2026 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Health and Wellness Expo presented by Fleet Feet at the Charlotte Convention Center on Friday, November 13th. The expo is free and open to friends and family. Note: expo hours were not published on the official events page as of this check.

• Race day is Saturday, November 14, 2026; all races start at 525 S. Tryon St. (between Brooklyn Village Avenue and Levine Avenue of the Arts), with corrals opening at 6:30 a.m.
• The 2026 race is sold out — over 13,250 runners across marathon, half marathon, and Chick-fil-A 5K, the earliest sellout in event history; a waitlist is open for all three distances.
• The Charlotte Sports Foundation acquired the race in January 2026; Novant Health remains title sponsor and the event supports Hemby Children's Hospital.
• New for 2026: the first-ever prize purse for top-qualifying runners (top male/female marathon and half marathon finishers, plus fastest Charlotte residents).
• The marathon starts in Uptown and winds through Charlotte neighborhoods — Eastover, Myers Park, South End, NoDa, and Plaza Midwood — before turning back toward Uptown.

Sources: charlottesports.org, charlottesports.org, charlottenewsroom.com, runningusa.org

A rolling-to-hilly road course through Charlotte, North Carolina, largely an out-and-back layout starting and finishing in Uptown Charlotte near Truist Park, with the start on South Tryon Street. The route winds through Uptown and neighborhoods including Myers Park, Dilworth, NoDa, Plaza Midwood and South End along Tryon, Fourth, Morehead, College and Mint Streets. Elevation profiles show roughly 1,200-1,250 feet of total ascent; there are few truly flat stretches, so pacing strategy matters.