06/09/2026
Shout out to everyone who took on one of the 5 toughest marathons in America—you rocked it! 💪🏃♂️🏃♀️Be proud—you earned every mile! 🎉
CASPER RUNNERS THIS WEEKEND FACED ONE OF THE 5 TOUGHEST MARATHON COURSES IN AMERICA!
With race day behind us, runners in the Casper Marathon this weekend took on one of the five toughest marathons in the entire country. A new analysis from GamblingSites.com ranked every state's flagship marathon by difficulty and placed the Casper Marathon at #5 out of 50 — ahead of the New York City Marathon ( #22), the Boston Marathon ( #42), and the Chicago Marathon ( #49). The study, which scored races on elevation gain, average finish times, finish rates, and field size, gave Casper a difficulty score of 75.8, putting it in the top 10% nationally.
The data paints a clear picture of why this race earns its reputation:
650 feet of elevation gain at 5,310 feet of altitude, with open-plains wind and thin air adding to the toll
A 91% finish rate — nearly 1 in 10 starters don't make it to the line
An average finish time of 4:35:00, slower than 38 of the 50 marathons ranked
One of the smallest fields of any state flagship marathon in the US
June race-day temperatures that have been known to push past 90°F with zero cloud cover
What also makes the ranking notable for Casper is the comparison to neighbouring states. The Casper Marathon's difficulty score (75.8) is more than double that of every bordering state's flagship race. Montana's Missoula Marathon (34.2), Colorado's Denver Marathon (36.7), South Dakota's Brookings Marathon (28.5), and Nebraska's Lincoln Marathon (36.3) don't come close.
The course, which starts at an elevation of 5,310 feet, front-loads its biggest climbs into the first half with little shade or shelter from the open-plains wind. The second half follows the North Platte River Parkway, where conditions ease but exposed stretches and June temperatures, which have been known to push past 90°F, continue to test the field.
Founded in 2002 by local running group the Windy City Striders, the Casper Marathon has grown into one of the most respected courses in the country. It remains one of the smallest state flagship marathons in America, and one of the hardest.
https://www.gamblingsites.com/blog/us-marathon-difficulty-ranking/
