Vermont City Marathon course: the new 2027 two-loop route

The Vermont City Marathon is on Sunday, May 30, 2027, over Memorial Day weekend, with the first start at 7:10 a.m. at Waterfront Park in Burlington. The course is new for 2027: still two loops, starting and finishing in Waterfront Park and staying inside Burlington, but redesigned to remove the at-grade Amtrak rail crossing and the repeated crossover at Main Street and Pine Street, and to untwist the old figure-eight layout. Waves are also new, assigned by predicted finish time.

The race says the map will be finalized in spring 2027, so treat the route below as the race's preliminary plan.

M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon

Burlington, VT

Race day

Sunday, May 30, 2027

33weeks to go · 231 days

Distances: Marathon · Half marathon · Relay

Verified Oct 11, 2026 from runvermont.org

Miles	Leg	What to know
0 to 7.0	Start on Lake Street to the Skate Park exchange	The first loop. Half marathoners split off briefly at Lakewood Estates, around mile 4. Leddy Park sits by the mile 5 marker.
7.0 to 13.2	Skate Park to the Main Street exchange	Back toward downtown and the Church Street Marketplace. Two-person relay teams swap at Main Street: one lap each.
13.2 to 19.7	Main Street to the Skate Park	The second loop. The race says the field spreads out here.
19.7 to 23.0	Skate Park to Austin Drive	Along the Burlington Bike Path, with Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks in view. Mile 10 of each loop is on Austin Drive near Queen City Park Road.
23.0 to 26.2	Austin Drive to the finish	A downhill finish toward Union Station, into Waterfront Park from the south.

Source: RunVermont race page, 2027 press release, preliminary 2027 course map and relay team pages. Checked 11 October 2026.

Elevation and Boston: what the race says so far

The race says the new course keeps a net-zero elevation: the start is next to Waterfront Park and the finish is in it. It says the course has been and will be USATF certified and a Boston qualifier, that it meets the 2027 Boston standards for elevation drop with no B.A.A. adjustment, and that it sends results to the B.A.A. directly.

Two things are not final yet. The 2027 course certificate is still to come, and the B.A.A. accepts qualifying times only from certified courses. The race also warns that its Strava maps will be updated after certification and that their elevation profiles are not completely accurate, so we do not quote a climb figure.

What	Time
Race-morning packet pick-up, Info Tent	5:00 to 6:00 a.m.
Announcements and national anthem	7:00 a.m.
Wheelchair athletes	7:10 a.m.
Wave A	7:15 a.m.
Wave B	7:20 a.m.
Wave C	7:25 a.m.
First half marathoners finish	8:25 a.m.
First marathoners and relay teams finish	9:30 a.m.
Course officially closes	1:55 p.m.

Source: RunVermont pre-race logistics page. Checked 11 October 2026.

How to pace the Vermont City Marathon

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

Run the first loop as the warm-up for the second. You will see every stretch twice, so the first lap is where you learn the turns. Hold goal pace or a touch slower to the Main Street exchange at mile 13.2.
Use the wave you are given. Waves go by predicted finish time, five minutes apart, so the opening miles should be less crowded than in past years. Do not chase people from the wave ahead.
Bank nothing for the finish, then use it. With a net-zero course the last 3.2 miles from Austin Drive run downhill toward Union Station. That is the place to pick it up if you have it.
If you are near the time limit, know the two cutoffs. After 10:45 a.m., runners just past 13.1 miles on Main Street may be sent to the finish; after 12:45 p.m., runners just past 20 miles may be sent into Waterfront Park at the ECHO circle. The 6 hour 30 minute limit is 14:52 per mile.

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Packet pick-up, gear and race-day logistics

Packet pick-up: Friday, May 28, 1:00 to 7:00 p.m., and Saturday, May 29, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the expo at the DoubleTree by Hilton Burlington, 870 Williston Road, South Burlington. There is also race-morning pick-up from 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. at the Info Tent.
Gear check: near the finish line in Waterfront Park. Attach your bib tear tag to a small bag. Unclaimed gear goes to the RunVermont office at 2:30 p.m.
Time limit: official timing runs until 6 hours 30 minutes after the 7:25 a.m. Wave C start. There is no early start.
Pacers: the race expects pace groups from 3:30 to 5:30.
Age: 16 or older for the marathon, 13 or older for the half.
Aid stations: the race's on-course page still shows 2026 details. In 2026 every aid station had water and lemon-lime Gatorade.

Runsy is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Vermont City Marathon. Course facts come from the race's own pages.

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Fair questions

When is the 2027 Vermont City Marathon?

Sunday, May 30, 2027, over Memorial Day weekend. The first start is the wheelchair start at 7:10 a.m., then Waves A, B and C at 7:15, 7:20 and 7:25 a.m., all at Waterfront Park in Burlington.

What is the Vermont City Marathon course?

A new two-loop course for 2027 that starts and finishes in Waterfront Park and stays inside Burlington. It passes the Church Street Marketplace and runs along the Burlington Bike Path with views of Lake Champlain. The race redesigned it to remove the at-grade Amtrak crossing and the repeated Main Street and Pine Street crossover. The map is preliminary until spring 2027.

Is the Vermont City Marathon a Boston qualifier?

The race says it has been and will be USATF certified and a Boston qualifier, with no B.A.A. elevation adjustment, and that it sends results to the B.A.A. The 2027 course certificate is still to come, and the B.A.A. accepts times only from certified courses.

Is the Vermont City Marathon course hilly?

The race says the new course keeps a net-zero elevation, with a downhill finish toward Union Station. It also warns that its Strava elevation profiles are not completely accurate until certification, so we do not quote a climb figure.

What is the time limit?

Six hours 30 minutes from the 7:25 a.m. Wave C start, about 14:52 per mile. After 10:45 a.m., runners just past 13.1 miles may be sent to the finish, and after 12:45 p.m. runners just past 20 miles may be sent into Waterfront Park. There is no early start.

Where is packet pick-up?

At the expo at the DoubleTree by Hilton Burlington, 870 Williston Road, South Burlington: Friday, May 28, 1:00 to 7:00 p.m., and Saturday, May 29, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Race-morning pick-up runs 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. at the Info Tent.

When should I start training for the Vermont City Marathon?

Our marathon plans run 12, 16 or 20 weeks. For Sunday, May 30, 2027, a 20-week plan starts on Monday, January 11, 2027, a 16-week plan on Monday, February 8, and a 12-week plan on Monday, March 8. The plan above dates the weeks for you.