St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy
Music City’s marathon: a genuinely hilly, live-music course that rewards effort over a fast clock.
Last updated
- Where:
- Nashville, Tennessee
- When:
- Saturday, April 24, 2027
- Course:
- Hilly · rolling · point-to-point
- Best run as:
- Even pace
Course & elevation
Nashville is a hilly, rolling course despite a modest net drop. The elevation profile hides relentless climbs, with the steepest grades concentrated in the second half, roughly miles 18–23. It runs point-to-point from downtown Broadway out through Nashville’s neighborhoods to a stadium finish. This is an experience-and-effort course, not a PR speedway.
- Start → Finish
- 450 → 520 ft
- Net
- +70 ft
- Total gain
- ≈ 590 ft
Key moments
- Mile 1Start on Broadway amid the honky-tonks, then onto Music Row.
- Mile 6–10Rolling climbs through Belmont and the city’s hilly neighborhoods.
- Mile 18–23The toughest, steepest climbs of the day. Hold your effort steady and let the pace go.
- Mile 26.2Finish at Nissan Stadium across the river.
Pacing strategy
Treat this as a hilly course and pace by effort. Add time to a flat-course goal and don’t chase splits on the climbs. Stay controlled through the rolling first half so you can survive the relentless hills of miles 18–23.
Pacing by goal time
Checkpoint splits for four common goals at St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon. These are effort-even rather than pace-even: the paces shift with the course profile, so climbs are slower and descents faster by the amount the grade actually costs. For any other goal time, use the planner below.
| Checkpoint | Sub-3:00 | Sub-3:30 | Sub-4:00 | Sub-4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mile 3.1 | 20:586:39/mi | 24:287:45/mi | 27:578:51/mi | 31:279:58/mi |
| Mile 6.2 | 42:077:16/mi | 49:088:29/mi | 56:099:42/mi | 1:03:1110:54/mi |
| Mile 9.3 | 1:02:307:13/mi | 1:12:558:25/mi | 1:23:219:38/mi | 1:33:4610:50/mi |
| Mile 12.4 | 1:22:586:34/mi | 1:36:487:40/mi | 1:50:378:45/mi | 2:04:279:51/mi |
| Mile 15.5 | 1:43:227:08/mi | 2:00:358:19/mi | 2:17:499:30/mi | 2:35:0210:42/mi |
| Mile 18.6 | 2:04:577:12/mi | 2:25:468:24/mi | 2:46:369:36/mi | 3:07:2510:48/mi |
| Mile 21.7 | 2:25:436:39/mi | 2:50:017:45/mi | 3:14:188:52/mi | 3:38:359:58/mi |
| Mile 24.9 | 2:45:186:30/mi | 3:12:517:35/mi | 3:40:248:40/mi | 4:07:589:45/mi |
| Finish | 2:58:336:38/mi | 3:28:187:44/mi | 3:58:048:51/mi | 4:27:499:57/mi |
Splits assume even effort and are adjusted for this course's climbs and descents, which cost more than they give back. A model, not a promise: wind and heat move real splits around. See how the pacing model works.
Plan your mile splits
Turn your goal time into a mile-by-mile plan for St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon, built from this course's elevation. The even pace approach comes pre-selected, and grade-adjusted pacing evens out your effort across the climbs and descents.
Plan St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon splitsFueling & hydration
Aid stations roughly every 1.5–2 miles with water and sports drink, with bands between them. The hills and late-April warmth raise the workload, so fuel ahead of climbs and drink more than on a flat, cool course.
Weather
Late-April Nashville is often warm and humid (highs commonly in the low 70s°F with high humidity, and hotter years happen). Heat and humidity are the defining race-day risks.
What race morning has actually been like
The last 5 editions of St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon, measured at the start line rather than averaged across the month. Starts have run 39–66°F, averaging 56°F.
| Year | Date | Start | Dew pt | Wind | By late morning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Nov 20 | 39°F | 32°F | 6 mph | 49°F |
| 2022 | Apr 23 | 64°F | 61°F | 7 mph | 77°F |
| 2023 | Apr 22 | 47°F | 48°F | 3 mph | 60°F |
| 2024 | Apr 27 | 66°F | 60°F | 13 mph | 69°F |
| 2025 | Apr 26 | 63°F | 63°F | 8 mph | 70°F |
Dew point has reached 63°F (2025). Above about 60°F, sweat stops evaporating efficiently and most runners lose pace no matter what the thermometer says. It is the number to watch here, not the air temperature.
Dates derived from the race's published pattern (Variable late-April Saturday; editions below are the actual 2021-2025 dates (2021 postponed to Nov 20)), observations at Nashville, TN. Source: Open-Meteo historical reanalysis (ERA5), 7-11am local at the start line. Reanalysis is modelled from station observations, so treat it as a close record rather than an official one. See how race-morning weather is built.
Is St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Yes. The course actually finishes 70 ft higher than it starts, so no downhill adjustment applies, and nobody can accuse the time of being gravity-assisted.
This drop is our estimate rather than a figure from the course's certificate. If it sits near a threshold, confirm with the organizer.
Compare every course, how the downhill bands work, or work out your own target.
Dial in your pacing & fueling
New to how training builds toward a race like this? Start with Anatomy of a Running Plan, find your zones with the pace calculator, and plan race-day nutrition with the fueling calculator.
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- New York City MarathonNew York, New York · Nov 1, 2026Another flat course
- Honolulu MarathonHonolulu, Hawaii · Dec 13, 2026Another flat course
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