The course starts in Cocoa Village at Cocoa Riverfront Park. The full marathon course then runs along Indian River Drive until the turnaround and heads back towards Cocoa Village. The marathon course will then continue south along the river for the 2nd half of the course.Runners will head south on Rockledge Drive to the turnaround and finish back at Lee Wenner/Cocoa Riverfront Park.
The Space Coast Marathon was the 86th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 76th largest in 2022.
Last year 3.4% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 2.9% of runners qualified for Boston in 2022.
This gives the Space Coast Marathon the 383rd highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 397th highest percentage in 2022.
Its Course Score of 99.49 ranks it as the 101st fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 10th fastest course in Florida.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are above the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Space Coast Marathon a PR Score of 98.14. This PR Score ranks it as the 252nd fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 10th fastest in Florida.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Space Coast Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 41 feet (12m) Min Elevation: 3 feet (0m)
Phil R from CT's review of 2017 Space Coast Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
What a great marathon. Beautiful course, well stocked aid stations, well organized, great and enthusiastic volunteers. We got lucky with the weather in 2017. Mid-50's at the start with low humidity. The course runs right along the water through beach communities, so the scenery is nice the entire race.
Race Tips
Since the HM starts 30 minutes earlier and runs the second half of the marathon course, it was weird having to pass so many HM'ers the last 10K of my race. I had to shout "on your left" quite a bit so folks would give me room to pass. The course itself is flat and fast. Some folks mentioned hills, but it was pancake flat to this New Englander.
Negatives: Very quiet (few spectators). Full Marathon starts AFTER Half, which is dumb. The later start subjects you to hotter conditions. In 2016, the Sun baked the 2nd half of the marathon, causing many to cramp. Marathon should start much earlier to avoid the FL heat. (Half Marathon was ideal).
Race Tips
It may be late November, but be prepared for FL high temps & humidity
This is not a huge race so just give yourself time to park and enjoy pre-race festivities.
AG's review of 2016 Space Coast Marathon.
4 /
5 Stars
Review
I have run this course twice and will run it this year again (cuz getting to this course is convenient and love the beauty of the course) and I train on nothing but this course every single week.
I am always amazed at people who say it's flat. What course were they on? It's anything but flat. It is non-stop turning and winding as the road winds constantly. There are very few times it actually really flattens out and only for a few hundred meters at a time mixed in with all the ups and downs. You are constantly in dips, declines, and hills and inclines which are energy killers and some of these long steep hills are no joke as the first 10 miles or so have to go up and back over a place called "High Point" which is the highest point in central Florida's east coast. Don't underestimate this just because it's Florida. The fatigue from hills feels the same in Florida, lol.- and bad hills are bad hills no matter where they are. And the race is definitely going to be humid and warmer automatically in FL, which robs you of even more vital energy. These hills, once you look ahead and notice, are steep and......
loooong compared to ANY hills in any other state.
hillier than most marathons. I live here and train here daily and don't think it's honest or fair to market this course to people as flat. Doooon't get me wrong. I still love it and it is totally beautiful. I still love this marathon very much, but I think most runners are shoe gazing and don't even get how blatantly and totally hilly this course is. The first half is worse as it has some steep sections but the second half is very sneaky because it has loooong gradual inclines for miles that most people are obliviousto-but they wonder why they feel like dying while running it. So you go miles down on the second half and then do almost nothing but constant gradual climbing for the last 6-7 miles. I have run and driven this course for years studying it carefully and training on it- and it blows my mind how even my friends think its flat. But they tell me they were dying at certain points and when I ask them where.....without a doubt, it was on those long grueling hills they were on while they were staring at their shoes. Don't get me wrong, I will still keep coming back to this marathon, it's very well managed and beautiful. I recommend it highly. But if you want a PR or BQ, just get ready for constant winding and almost endless climbing and descending. Don't shy away from this marathon, but I thought it was unfair how they market and sell the race as fast and flat. There are tons of much faster and truly flat races all over if you seek speed. I just wanted people to be able to at least know this before mistakenly believing they are paying and planning for a flat marathon.
Race Tips
Get ready for hills. Train for hills. There are endless hills.
