Durham Debuts Garmin Marathon Durham With 6,000 Runners

Durham’s first-ever garmin marathon durham hits the streets this weekend, with 6,000 runners expected to race through the city from 46 states and 17 countries. The event gives Durham a rare chance to turn a single weekend into a citywide tourism push, with hotels, restaurants and small businesses positioned to feel the demand.

Marcus Manning said the race will have a significant economic impact. "We're excited to have the Garmin Marathon Series here in Durham, one of three destinations to have it," he said, adding, "The hotels, the restaurants, the small businesses, all play a role, and they're going to experience economic impact,"

CCB Plaza Thursday Night

Organizers will lead a Shake Out Run at CCB Plaza with the Crank Arm Run Club at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, with raffle prizes following the lighthearted, easygoing downtown run. The Expo runs until 7 p.m. Thursday, then continues Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Those events come before the main race, which starts at Durham Bulls Athletic Park and finishes at Brooks Field at Duke’s Wallace Wade stadium. Garmin International’s Director of Advertising Steve Lovell said Durham stood out after the company researched over 50 different cities. "We researched over 50 different cities, trying to figure out what would be good space, places to go, where could we launch the cities at, and Durham just came to mind," he said.

Durham Sports Commission Reach

The marathon lands in a city that already uses sports tourism as a revenue engine. The Durham Sports Commission said that in FY25, sports tourism had a $14.2 million total economic impact, while 48 events drew more than 93,000 spectators.

Manning also said the goal is not just to bring events in, but to keep them. "We're excited that we're able to recruit these events to Durham, but we're probably even more excited to be able to retain some of these events as well, and again, it takes a collective effort," he said. For Durham, this marathon is both a debut and a test of how much the city can absorb and convert into weekend business.