Oakland Marathon course: route, Bay Bridge and race day

The race does not publish an elevation profile on its marathon page, so the numbers come from the USA Track and Field certificate it names there, CA24048TEB, issued for the 2025 race and valid until the end of 2034. The certificate puts the start and the finish at 3.05 m (about 10 ft) above sea level, and that is also the lowest point on the course. The highest point is 57.91 m (about 190 ft). That is a net drop of 0 m and a range of 54.86 m (about 180 ft) for the whole course.

A certificate gives the start, finish, lowest and highest points, not the total climb, and it does not say where the high point is. It describes the course as several out-and-back sections, all of it paved. The race's own course overview describes the miles coming off the Bay Bridge as downhill. The race also lists the course as World Athletics certified, No. USA-2025-61.

For qualifiers: the B.A.A. accepts qualifying times only from certified courses, and it adjusts times only from courses with a net downhill of 1,500 ft (457.2 m) or more, so an Oakland time goes in as run. The standards are on our Boston qualifying times and New York City Marathon qualifying times pages, and the BQ Course Index compares other certified courses.

This section is Runsy's advice, not the race's. It is how we would run this course from the facts above.

• Miles 1 to 10: settle, don't bank. The marathon and half marathon share a 7:00 a.m. start on Lake Merritt Blvd. Line up by the sign closest to your expected finish time and let the first mile be a little slow rather than weaving.
• Use the repeat corners as split checks. Several aid stations sit on the same corner twice: Grand Ave and El Embarcadero at 2.5 and 6.5, Monte Vista Blvd and Piedmont Ave at 4 and 5.25, Henry St and 5th St at 12 and 23.5, Burma Rd and Maritime St at 14.25 and 21.25. Note your watch the first time past and you have a ready check the second time.
• Miles 11 to 20, the bridge: run by effort. The course tops out at 57.91 m against a 3.05 m start, and the race calls the miles coming off the Bay Bridge downhill, so the way out climbs. Let pace drift a few seconds on the way up and keep the effort even. GU comes at 14.25 on the way out.
• Miles 21 to the finish: use the downhill, then hold. Let the descent off the bridge carry you without pressing; the miles past Jack London Square back to the lake are where an even effort pays. GU comes at 21.25 and 24.5.
• Fuel on a schedule you have practised. Every aid station has water and electrolytes. Gels come at 6.5, 14.25, 21.25 and 24.5, and two of the three gel flavours carry 20 mg of caffeine. Try them in long runs first.
• Rehearse a Sunday 7:00 a.m. start. Do your last few long runs on Sunday mornings from 7:00, with breakfast timed the way it will be on race day, and put a long, steady climb in some of them for the bridge.

Turn a goal time into splits with the marathon pace chart, or sanity-check the goal with the race time predictor.

From the race's marathon page, 2027 general schedule and FAQ, checked 11 October 2026. The race says aid station locations, pace groups and times are subject to change.

• Fluids: every aid station has water, electrolytes and portable restrooms. The on-course electrolyte is Voli Hydration, Sunset Strawberry Lemonade.
• Fuel: GU gels at miles 6.5, 14.25, 21.25 and 24.5, in Salted Watermelon and Vanilla Bean (20 mg caffeine each) and Strawberry Banana (caffeine free). GU Chews are on course too, and the race lists a new Sour Peach Energy station near mile 11.
• Pacers: pace groups from On Pace and Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders, for finish times from 3:00 to 6:00.
• Time limit: 7 hours, which the race puts at about a 16-minute pace from the gun start. Runners who fall behind may be redirected as the course reopens to traffic. Marathoners must be at least 18 on race day.
• Bibs and bags: bib pick-up is at the Oakland Marathon Health and Wellness Expo at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, Friday, March 19, 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 20, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Gear check opens there at 5:30 a.m. on race morning.
• Nursing families: a private lactation tent at the aid station near 3rd St and Washington, near miles 11 and 24.
• Headphones: the race encourages a headphone-free race so you can hear instructions from race staff.
• Last year: in 2026, the 17th edition, Ryuji Mano won in 2:30:58 and Andrea Deutsche in 2:52:56, and a record 11,000+ participants took part across all events.

Training for it: our intermediate marathon plans are the base the plan bridge above builds from. The 16-week beginner plan suits a first marathon, and the advanced plans suit runners chasing a qualifying time.

Runsy is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Oakland Marathon. Course facts come from the race's own pages and its USATF certificate.