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Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers

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Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon

Deadwood, SD
Sunday, June 7, 2026


  5 Stars from 5 Reviews

Course Description
The point-to-point Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon course starts in Rochford at apprximately 5,600 feet. The first 1.5 miles are on paved road and the course turns onto the Mickelson Trail.

The next 12 miles of the course are a mixture of gentle uphill and flat terrain. The course gains nearly 1,000 feet in elevation during this stretch.

After the midway point, the course consists of mostly downhill and flat sections with a hill at approximately mile 19 which will challenge runners. The finish is at the Engine House at the Deadwood Trailhead at just below 4,600 feet.

June Other Marathons in June Other Marathons in South Dakota Marathons near Deadwood, SD



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Race Information

Race Dates

2027: TBD
2026: Sunday, June 7, 2026

Course Information

Profile: Very Hilly
Type: Point to Point
Surface: Trail

Boston Qualifier?: Yes
World Marathon Major Qualifier?: No

Race Day Weather

Mean Temp.: 65°F (18°C)
Average High: 79°F (26°C)
Average Low: 50° F (10°C)




PR Score & Course Score

PR Score: 92.09
Course Score: 92.69

Race Size

2026: No Results
2025: 237 Finishers
2024: 220 Finishers
2023: 206 Finishers
2022: 192 Finishers
2021: 285 Finishers

BQ Percentages

2026: N/A
2025: 0.4%
2024: 2.3%
2023: 2.9%
2022: 4.7%
2021: 2.8%

Miscellaneous Information

Pace Groups?: No

Weather Averages for Last 14 Years


Race Day Temperatures

High: 73°F  (23°C)
Low: 50°F  (10°C)

Race Start Conditions

62°F  (17°C)
Humidity: 61%

Clear
NW 6 mph

PR Score

91.23

Course Score

92.33






Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon Rankings, Course Speed & Boston Qualifier Statistics

The Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon was the 237th largest marathon in the U.S. in 2025 based on the number of finishers. In 2024, it ranked as the 227th largest marathon in the U.S..

In 2025, 0.4% of Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon finishers achieved Boston Marathon qualifying times. In 2024, 2.3% of finishers qualified for Boston.

Based on its percentage of Boston Qualifiers (BQs), the Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon ranked 444th among marathons in the U.S. in 2025 and 393rd in 2024. In South Dakota, it ranked 6th in 2025 and 5th in 2024. These rankings provide a useful benchmark for runners comparing Boston Marathon qualifying potential across different races.

The Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon has a Course Score of 92.69, ranking it as the 449th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 6th fastest marathon course in South Dakota.

Typical race-time temperature and humidity levels are slightly above the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. Combined with the course profile, this gives the Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon a PR Score of 92.09. The PR Score ranks the Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon as the 447th best marathon in the U.S. for running a Personal Record (PR) and the 6th best marathon for a PR in South Dakota.

Together, these rankings provide a quick snapshot of how the Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon compares with other marathons in the U.S. and South Dakota for speed, PR potential, Boston Marathon qualifying success, and overall participation.

Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon Marathon Rankings Summary
Course Speed449th fastest marathon course in the U.S.
Ranked 6th fastest marathon course in South Dakota
Top 98% Nationally#6 of 6 in South Dakota
PR Potential447th best marathon for a Personal Record in the U.S.
Ranked 6th best marathon for a PR in South Dakota
Top 97% Nationally#6 of 6 in South Dakota
Boston Qualifier Rate444th highest BQ percentage in the U.S.
Ranked 6th highest BQ percentage in South Dakota
Based on 2025 Boston Marathon qualifying results
Top 93% Nationally#6 of 6 in South Dakota
Race Size237th largest marathon in the U.S.
Ranked 2nd largest marathon in South Dakota
Based on 2025 results
Top 40% Nationally#2 of 6 in South Dakota

Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.



Elevation Chart


Max Elevation: 6225 feet (1897m)
Min Elevation: 4544 feet (1385m)

Elevation Gain: 1159 feet (353m)
Elevation Loss: 1949 feet (594m)


Deadwood-Mickelson

Course updated 05/13/2026




Hotel & VRBO Accommodations for the Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon

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Compare the Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Marathon to other Marathons

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Comparison Tool

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Race Reviews


5.0
Based on 5 reviews
Write Your Own Review

Gorgeous course!

Full Review:

Beautiful scenery, great running surface, lots of aid stations, friendly, helpful volunteers, finishes in a historic old west town!

Race Tips:

On a rails to trails course, first half of the marathon is slightly uphill, second half is slightly downhill. The crushed limestone horse is great to run on, but you can get little pebbles in your shoes so short gaiters might come in handy.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

It's a tourist town so lots of lodging available. Lots of useful information on the website or there's volunteers at the expo to answer your questions.
Reviewed by MW About 2026

Full Review:

Reviewed by Ds About 2017

Full Review:

Race Day: June 1, 2014. I loved this marathon from beginning to end! The scenery is wonderful and the trail is easy on your knees. The only thing I would like changed is to have the buses drop off runners a later or so they don't have to wait an hour and half before the start. Besides that, I think this is an awesomely run event.

Race Tips:

Bring a fanny pack that can hold your gel packs and a poncho. It rained for a couple of hours while I was on the trail, and a poncho would have been nice to use. The rained kept the temperatures down which made the run that more enjoyable.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

If you want to save some money, look to get a hotel in Sturgis or Lead. The drive to Deadwood is less than 20 minutes to the rodeo where you have to meet the buses to take you to the start line. There is plenty of parking.
Reviewed by Michael About 2014

Full Review:

I liked the scenery. This is a beautiful place to visit and the summer crowd had not hit yet. I didn't like that the downhill caused my knee to be sore for days. I didn't like that all refreshments were gone by time I came in-@6 hour mark.

You cannot fins a restaurant without walking through a casino-planned intentionally. Deadwood has a lot of history and interesting places but, they are becoming overrun by the "Las Vegas comes to Deadwood" theme.

Race Tips:

Train for long hills-after talking with several friends we decided that using a treadmill workout with a gradual incline increase over a total of 1 1/2 to 2 hours would be a great training tool for the uphill part.

We were concerned about it being warm-so if you can, train for a warm race (70 to low or mid 80's).

I would NOT recommend the 1/2-it has too many runners for the course-my 3 friends that ran the half did not have the same experience I had even though we ran the same course-they were unable to enjoy the scenery because of the crowds.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

Lots of campgrounds, cabins that run 1/2 or less then half the cost offered at the host hotel.

The pasta dinner was poorly planned-people were waiting 45-1 hour and longer for their meal. For some reason they grossly underestimated the # of people interested-probably should have had it set up to pay ahead of time-then they would have had some solid #'s to work
Reviewed by NGB About 2012

Full Review:

What a beautiful run it was. Ran it in 2012. I realized while running how blessed I was to get to run the historic rail line and see the Black Hills. It was a small run and no crowds cheering - it was just a wonderful relaxing marathon.

Race Tips:

The first half is a slow grade climb - so make sure you are doing some hill work. Bring music!

Travel/Logistics Tips:

We stayed at the Deadwood Mountain Grand and loved it. The staff was wonderful. My mom was with me and we didn't bring her scooter. They made sure we had a wheelchair at all times during our stay. And it was only a few blocks from the finish line. Highly recommend.
Reviewed by PS About 2012