Buffalo Marathon & Half Marathon

Course highlights

From the starting line on Delaware Ave, the course for the marathon takes runners along what organizers describe as a “fast, flat and scenic” route through the heart of the city, along Dar Drive through LaSalle Park and Buffalo Naval Park, part of Frederick Law Olmstead’s famous linear parks along the city’s lakefront areas. City fathers call Buffalo the “city of trees” for its abundance of municipal parks, and the Olmstead linear parks (also seen in other cities such as Atlanta) form the centerpiece of its city park system, made up of 6 major parks and 8 parkway/roadways. Along the marathon race course, runners are also treated to views of Conway Park, Seymour Knox Plaza and the city’s HSBC Arena, before returning to the finish line at the Buffalo Convention Center. As for changes in elevation, the course for the marathon features only minimal hills. The course crosses two harbors so runners should expect some rises and falls in elevation over these stretches, but outside of these areas the race is largely fast and flat, as organizers attest.