Home — Catskills Mountain Marathon

» Updated June 29th, 2026 by G. Martin, Race Director

Weather note: the forecast is calling for rain on race morning. The race will be held rain or shine, as it has been every year. Please dress for the conditions and use caution on the fire-road descent if it’s wet. The race would only be delayed or cancelled for lightning or a road closure by the county. Any change will be posted here and emailed to all registered runners.

The Race

The Catskills Mountain Marathon is a 26.2-mile marathon on road and fire road, held the second Sunday of July. The course starts and finishes in the village of Phoenicia and climbs over the Slide Mountain and Panther Mountain fire roads before returning along the Esopus Creek. The race starts at 6:30 AM to avoid the worst of the July heat.

This is a difficult course. Most of the climbing — about 3,840 feet — comes between miles 8 and 14. We do not recommend it as a first marathon. Runners should have completed at least one hilly road or trail marathon before entering.

Date	Sunday, July 12, 2026
Start	6:30 AM — Main Street lot, Phoenicia, NY
Distance	26.2 miles (USATF-certified)
Elevation	+3,840 ft / −3,840 ft
Cutoff	7 hours 30 minutes
Entry Fee	$45 before June 1; $60 thereafter
Field Size	Capped at 240 runners

Registration closed May 27 at capacity (240 runners).
See registration page for bib transfer info. Next year’s race opens March 1, 2027.

A Note on Registration

Registration is handled through this website only. We do not list the race on RunSignup, MarathonGuide, or other race calendar sites, so if you see a listing elsewhere, it is not ours. The field is capped at 240 runners and generally fills by late May, mostly with returning runners.

Course Overview

The course heads west out of Phoenicia along Woodland Valley Road, climbing gradually beside the creek to the left turn onto the Slide Mountain fire road near mile 8. The turn is marked and marshaled, but it is easy to miss, so pay attention through there. The high point comes around mile 14, at about 2,890 feet, followed by a long gravel descent back to the village. Bug spray is recommended — the Woodland Valley stretch can be buggy in July.

Fig. 1 — Course overview. See The Course for turn-by-turn.

Course change for 2026: the bridge on Woodland Valley Road is under repair, so miles 22 and 23 will detour onto a parallel dirt road. Total distance and elevation are unchanged. See the course page for details.

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Sponsors & Supporters

Phoenicia Diner Mountain Gear Outfitters Esopus Creel Woodstock Brewing Ulster Savings Bank Catskill Mountain Pizza