Dallas, Texas – New York, Boston, and Chicago are famous for their yearly marathon events. But, the BMW Dallas Marathon also attracts a lot of attention. Every year, many runners from different parts of the globe come to run in this event by the scenic White Rock Lake. This race is special because it helps runners qualify for the Olympic trials. Some, like Diana Moore, run the Ultra Marathon (50K) as a yearly ritual.
“I have run the Dallas Ultra Marathon every year since it started,” said Moore. “I think because I got in on that first year, I feel like now I have a streak and I can’t break it until it forces me to break because I don’t make it in time.”
This Sunday, she’ll tackle the challenging 50K race. Moore describes it as a series of ups and downs.
“You have highs and you have lows and you do it multiple times throughout the race,” said Moore. “You hit the wall, you get really low, and then eventually you kind of dig yourself out and you get back to another high, then you hit a low again.”
The BMW Dallas Marathon, originally the Dallas White Rock Marathon, began in 1971 and holds the title of Texas’s oldest marathon. Over the years, it’s grown to include more races, like the Ultra Marathon and a Half Marathon, which is now in its 20th year. The addition of new events reflects the growing interest in running and its related activities.
“A number of events have started adding an ultra marathon to their weekend lineup,” said Senior Director of Marketing and Partnership for runDallas, Jason Schuchard. “We added it a few years ago and it’s sold out almost every year.”
This year, the BMW Dallas Marathon has no more spaces left for its Half Marathon, Marathon, and Ultra Marathon events. However, there are still openings for the shorter races happening on Saturday night.
The Half Marathon can accommodate 10,000 runners, but the Ultra Marathon is limited to just 300 spots. The interest in ultra marathons is on the rise.
Ultrarunning.com noted that in 2023, there were 2,663 ultra marathon events with 82,459 runners participating. Out of these, 33,024 were trying an ultra-distance run for the first time. Ultra marathons can take place on trails or roads and range from 31 miles to 3,100 miles in length.
The course for the Dallas Ultra Marathon is on the road. This year, runDallas made some changes to the route to include more scenic views of downtown and reduce the number of turns, aiming to help runners achieve faster finish times.
To see what events are happening or to sign up head to rundallas.com.
