I ran this marathon in February 2002. The race continues to be held. However, the course and venue have changed.
This race has continued to exist since the beginning of the century. 2021 was missed for COVID. I can not find any historical information on the first years of the race in the 20th century.
Fort Worth, Texas, is west of Dallas. The two cities together make one large metropolis. Dallas is the oil, banking, and insurance town, and Fort Worth is the cow town with the end-of-trail stockyards.
Initially one of the forts on the Texas frontier after the Mexican War in 1849, it was a weigh point on the Chisom Trail. By 1876, the railroads were completed to Fort Worth, making it the center of the Texas cattle trade. For fans of the TV show Yellowstone, Fort Worth is where the Duttons started their journey to Oregon in 1889.
Now, Fort Worth is the fifth largest city in Texas and the 12th largest in the United States, with a population of just under 1 million.
When I ran, the race started and finished at the stockyards north of downtown. In 2011, the organizers moved the start venue to the downtown area.
My course headed south and around town through subdivisions. The new course circles the city, hitting suburbs in all directions with a trip through the stockyards. I don’t recall any difficult hills on the course.
Still the last weekend in February, the event goes across two days with a 5km and 10km on Saturday and a marathon, half-marathon, and 50km on Sunday. The Sunday races all start at 7 am.
The half-marathon diverts at mile 10, and the 50 km adds extra distance after mile 22.
Getting to Fort Worth is an easy flight into DFW, a major American Airlines hub. Area hotels are plentiful as was parking near the stockyards. With the venue change closer to midtown, hotels and getting to the race may be more difficult and costly.
Texas’s weather varies in February, and the wind and temperature could be high. I recall parts of the course along the Trinity River exposed to direct sunlight, which made for a difficult finish.
I don’t recall issues with runner congestion. In 2002, there were about 600 in the marathon, along with a half-marathon. Now, the three Sunday races have about 8500 participants, which is small for a big city event.
My 2002 medal was basic but a good size for the time. I wonder if today’s bling is bigger with current pricing of more than $175.