It's time for the annual Austin Marathon. Here's how to navigate the city this weekend

Skye Seipp, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read

If you're planning to drive through the city this weekend, make sure to plan around the Austin Marathon that takes place on Sunday.

The marathon begins downtown at Second Street and Congress Avenue and goes around the city in what essentially looks like a 2-year-old's drawing of the state of Texas before ending at Ninth and Congress.

Contestants start the race by running south to Ben White Boulevard before heading back north to West Cesar Chavez Street and then going west along Lake Austin Boulevard to Enfield Road.

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The runners go back toward the Capitol area before heading north on Guadalupe Street past the University of Texas to 45th Street and then turning south to Dean Keeton Street, which they use to cross Interstate 35. This begins the last half of the race, where contestants zigzag through East Austin before ending up on East Cesar Chavez to head back downtown and finish the marathon.

That's a lot to remember, so it's probably easiest if you check Google Maps or Waze before leaving to see how the marathon is affecting traffic.

In addition, the marathon organizers remind drivers that it's best to assume you can't cross the course with a vehicle. While Austin police will be out at major crossings, they will only allow vehicles to pass when there are no runners present.

Some road closures began Friday, others will start on Saturday and the rest will start to close early Sunday morning.

These roads will close starting Friday:

  • E. Ninth St. between Congress Ave. and Brazos St. (beginning at 9 a.m.)

  • Congress Ave. between Ninth St. and 10th St. (beginning at 4 p.m.)

  • Congress Ave. between Seventh St. and 11th St. (beginning at 7 p.m.)

These roads will close starting Saturday:

  • Congress Ave. between Cesar Chavez St. and 11th St. (beginning at 4 a.m.)

  • Second St. through 7th St., and 11th St., will stay open

You can check out the full traffic guide, which includes maps and times for all the road closures here.

How to get around Austin on Sunday

The marathon's website offers these additional tips for travel:

  • Use Ben White Boulevard, U.S. 290 and RM 2222/Koenig Lane: These roads are unobstructed for eastbound and westbound travel.

  • Use 45th Street: It will be open westbound between Red River and Guadalupe streets.

  • Use MoPac Boulevard, Lamar Boulevard and I-35: These roads are unobstructed for northbound and southbound travel.

  • Park strategically: If your trip starts or ends near a section of the course, sometimes the best option might be to park on the more accessible side of the course and walk.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Marathon this weekend means these roads will be closed