Thousands of runners are expected to take over the streets of Fort Worth this weekend during the Cowtown Marathon.
Events are scheduled for Feb. 23-25. Last year’s marathon was the 57th largest marathon in the United States, according to Find My Marathon.
The race will shut down numerous streets between downtown and the Westcliff neighborhood, including some streets that run through TCU's campus.
This year, the marathon offers various races tailored to accommodate participants of all ages and running abilities.
Saturday’s races include the 10k, the Adult 5K and the Kids 5K. Sunday will focus on the ultra-marathon, marathon and half-marathon races.
Distances range from 13.1 miles in the half marathon to 26.2 in the classic marathon and 31.1 in the ultra-marathon.
There’s also the Cowtown Challenge, which includes a Saturday run and a Sunday run.
"This race was created for those runners who want to challenge themselves to complete two races either virtually or in-person," according to the Cowtown Marathon website.
By competing in marathons, runners can qualify for the Boston Marathon. According to Find My Marathon, “Last year, 5.9% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon, and 5.4% of runners qualified for Boston in 2022.”
Beyond just the race, the event offers programming aimed at helping children make healthy choices. Established in 2009, children's activities for life and fitness promotes a lifelong love of fitness, among to help tens of thousands of children, according to the Cowtown Marathon.
“In the past 13 years, we have awarded over 50,000 financial grants and pairs of running shoes,” according to the website.