Memphis's Biggest Half: 6,800+ Runners, Freezing Starts, and a Course That Rewards Smart Pacing

The St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon is a point-to-point road race through the heart of Memphis — past the St. Jude campus, through historic neighborhoods, finishing at AutoZone Park — that draws nearly 7,000 finishers and doubles as the largest single-day fundraising event for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Median finishers have come in right around 2:21–2:22 across the two most recent editions, on a flat course that opens on B.B. King Blvd. near Beale Street and delivers a predictable challenge in the back miles.

By the numbers

The field has been remarkably stable: 6,791 finishers in 2024, 6,843 in 2025 — essentially flat year over year, with women making up the majority at roughly 3,840–3,868 finishers each time. The overall median has barely moved, ticking from 2:21:01 to 2:22:24, and the gender medians tell a similar story of consistency: men at 2:12:04–2:12:52, women at 2:27:41–2:29:38. The top-quarter cutoff has held at just over 2:02 both years, and the top-10% threshold sits around 1:49.

How the course runs

The course profile is flat — net elevation change of just +5 ft over 13.1 miles. There are a couple of modest grade changes worth knowing: a 51 ft climb between miles 2.2 and 3.4 (averaging 0.8%) and a 61 ft descent from miles 3.8 to 5.7 (averaging 0.6%), followed by another 51 ft descent from miles 6.2 to 7.1 (averaging 1.1%). None of these are significant hills — they're gentle undulations on an otherwise level course.

What the 2025 fade curve does show is a clear pattern of deceleration through the second half:

The field runs its first 10K at a controlled 10:24–10:35/mi, then the pace erodes steadily through miles 8–13, closing at 12:47/mi — nearly two and a half minutes per mile slower than the opening segment. The lesson is straightforward: resist the temptation to bank time early on this flat course, because the back four miles are where races unravel.

Pacing patterns

Back-half slowdown is the norm at every mass-participation half marathon, and Memphis is no exception — but the numbers here are pronounced. In both 2025 and 2024, 99% of finishers ran positive splits, with an average second-half slowdown of 17.9% (2025) and 18.3% (2024). Only 65 runners in 2025 and 50 in 2024 managed negative splits across fields of nearly 6,800. For context, that's less than 1% of finishers each year. Anyone targeting a specific time should treat the opening miles as a ceiling, not a floor.

The weather question

December in Memphis runs cold. The 2024 start was ~33°F with winds around 6 mph; 2025 was even sharper at ~35°F with mist, 93% humidity, and near-calm winds. Despite the colder and damper conditions in 2025, the median finish time barely changed — suggesting the field has adapted to racing in winter conditions, or that the cold is simply the baseline expectation here. Runners planning for December 5, 2026 should expect similar temperatures and dress accordingly for a cold, potentially damp morning.

What it takes

Winning times have varied meaningfully by year: the men's mark ranged from 1:08:51 (2023) to 1:21:10 (2025), and the women's from 1:19:51 (2025) to 1:24:31 (2023). Madisyn Dominy has won the women's race in both 2024 and 2025, the only repeat champion in the listed editions. For the broader field, breaking 1:49:54 puts a runner in the top 10%; 2:02:15 reaches the top quarter.

What to watch

The field size has plateaued near 6,800 — whether 2026 sees meaningful growth or holds steady is worth tracking, particularly given the race's fundraising profile. The women's side has a clear defending champion in Dominy; whether she lines up for a third title is the headline competitive question. On the pacing front, only about 1% of the field has run negative splits in either recent edition — that number, and what conditions might shift it, is a quiet subplot worth watching on race morning.