BMW Dallas Marathon Festival - 2024
BMW Dallas Marathon Festival 2024: A Total of 12,794 marathon runners (half marathon, marathon, and ultra) crossed the finish line.
Date: December 15 2024
Temperature: 60 to 70 Fahrenheit, Cloudy & Dense Fog
Breaking Down the Numbers:
Link to BMW Dallas Marathon Dashboard
Half Marathon: With 9,145 runners, the Half Marathon was the most popular event. Participants maintained an average pace of 10:59 minutes per mile, showing the diversity of abilities among the runners.
Marathon: The full Marathon tested the endurance of 3,436 runners, who completed the challenging course at an average pace of 10:05 minutes per mile.
Ultra Marathon: An extraordinary feat, the Ultra Marathon was conquered by 213 runners. These participants maintained an impressive average pace of 10:16 minutes per mile, underscoring their dedication, stamina, and readiness to go the extra distance.
Average Pace by gender:
Female Runners: Women completed their races at an average pace of 11:18 minutes per mile.
Male Runners: Men had an average pace of 10:08 minutes per mile
How Running Pace Changed Across Distances
The average pace of runners varies across the different race distances, and it is interesting to see how athletes adjust their strategies based on the event. Below is a breakdown of the average paces for the Half Marathon, Marathon, and Ultra Marathon, categorized by gender and age group. This analysis provides insight into how the pacing shifts with distance and helps us understand the endurance required for each race.
Half Marathon Pace: For the Half Marathon (13.1 miles), participants typically slow down as the distance increases, but the pace remains relatively consistent across the gender groups.
Marathon Pace: The Marathon (26.2 miles) sees a more noticeable change in pacing, with the pace slowing down considerably as the race progresses.
In the Marathon, the pace increases across all groups as the distance progresses. Male runners maintain a faster pace compared to female runners across the entire race, but both groups experience a similar pace slow down as the distance lengthens.
Ultra Marathon Pace
The Ultra Marathon (50K) is the longest event of the festival, and runners slow down considerably as they pass through each checkpoint. Ultra Marathon runners experience a notable reduction in pace as the race progresses.
From the Half Marathon to the Ultra Marathon, pace changes across distances reflect the physiological demands of each race. Runners adjust their strategies as the distance increases, with slower paces becoming a natural part of the process. Notably, male runners generally maintain a faster pace than female runners, and those in the Master and Open categories show steadier paces across longer distances.
Age and Participation Breakdown
When breaking down the age groups of participants, we see the following trends in race entries:
Half Marathon:
The 25-35 age group made up the largest proportion of runners, with 24.33% of the total participants, or 3,105 runners.
The 35-45 age group followed closely, with 15.93% (2,033 runners).
Older age groups, such as 45-55 (11.68%) and More than 55 (7.21%), also had a strong presence, proving that running is a lifelong pursuit for many.
Marathon:
The 25-35 age group dominated the Marathon as well, with 10.26% of the runners, or 1,309 participants.
Older age groups showed a marked decrease in participation, with 5.80% of runners in the 35-45 group and 3.67% in the 45-55 group.
These numbers indicate that the Half Marathon remains the most accessible and popular event for all age groups, while the Marathon and Ultra Marathon attract a smaller but highly dedicated group of athletes, especially in the younger age brackets.
Participant Hometowns
The festival also drew a significant number of participants from across the state, with Dallas, TX leading the way, accounting for 26.86% of the total participants:
Dallas had the largest share with 3,437 runners, followed by Plano, TX with 636 runners (4.97%).
Other notable hometowns included Frisco, TX (4.46%), Fort Worth, TX (3.81%), and Mckinney, TX (2.81%).
The diversity in hometowns further highlights the appeal of this event beyond the immediate local community, with runners traveling from various cities to join the excitement.
Data Source: https://dallasmarathon.com/
