Marathon Compass
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Aramco Houston Half

Houston, TX · Sun, January 17, 2027 · 07:01

Half marathon
Pacers
lottery

Great first half · forgiving course · some friction

Best forGreat first half9.7/10

A forgiving debut distance.

Course difficultyForgiving10.0/10

Flat, cool race morning.

Planning frictionSome friction7.5/10

Lottery (~55% accepted) · ~$695 all-in from South Florida.

Data confidenceVerified

Date verified at the official source; course and climate data on file.

Legacy Green Score 9/10 · method

Difficulty profile

Race-day climate (30-year normal)

At the start line and start hour · NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals

Temp
50°F
Dew point
40°F
Precip
Elev gain
25 m
Field
13,000

Can you qualify here?

Projected at race day for M 18-34, from your 4:00:00 marathon + training runway.

Training plans for this race

Cost & registration

Entry
$155
Travel cost (est.)
~$540
All-in
~$695

Registration / lottery closes Tue, July 21, 2026

Register →

USATF Half Champs occasionally. Flat. Cool January.

About the Aramco Houston Half

The Aramco Houston Half is a half marathon held in Houston, TX on January 17, 2027. With a Green Score of 9/10, it's one of the easier, more beginner-friendly US races. The course is flat (~6 ft of gain per mile). Typical race-day weather is a cool 50°F, dew point ~40°F (10-year normal). Entry is around $155. Marathon Compass rates every race across terrain, climate, logistics, travel, and field size so you can find the one that fits you — and build a training plan tuned to your fitness.

Race-morning weather, quantified

Typical start-line conditions (30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020)): 50°F with a dew point of 40°F. On the temperature-plus-dew-point scale used by our pace engine, that's 90 — a 0% pace penalty. Heat should not be a factor at the Aramco Houston Half in a typical year — race your fitness.

100
130
150
90 — typical race morning at the Aramco Houston Half on the temp+dew scale (100 = no penalty · 130 = +2% · 150 = +4.5%)

Method: temp°F + dew°F lookup from the heat-adjustment chart our training plans use daily. Sign in to see this adjustment applied to your own projected finish.

What the Aramco Houston Half really costs

First marathons cost more than the entry fee — budget the whole weekend before you commit.

Entry fee
$155
Travel + 3 hotel nightsestimated from South Florida; your cost varies by home airport
~$540
All-in estimate
~$695

Registration for the Aramco Houston Half

Entry strategy

Entry is by lottery with roughly 55% historical acceptance — plan like you might not get in.

  1. Lottery entry deadlineJuly 21, 2026
  2. Registration closesJuly 21, 2026
  3. Lottery results announcedAugust 4, 2026in 12d
  4. Race dayJanuary 17, 2027

Plan B: if entry doesn't go your way, Publix Gasparilla Half Marathon (February 21, 2027, open entry, Green Score 9.1) or Life Time Miami Half (January 31, 2027, open entry, Green Score 8.9) keeps the same training block on schedule.

Where to stay

Stay within walking distance of the start corrals — a 6am rideshare on race morning is a gamble. Book a refundable rate now and forget about it; inventory tightens in the final month. The links below are pre-filled for race weekend (January 15, 2027 January 18, 2027).

Plan the day itself

When to wake up, when the corral closes, and the exact clock time Aramco Houston Half spectators should be at each split for your goal pace — plus a link you can send to whoever's coming to watch.

Build your race-day timeline →

Compare head-to-head

Race and date verified against the official race source on 2026-07-17. Race-morning climate from Open-Meteo — 10-year history at the start line and start hour. Race fees, dates, and rules change often — report incorrect information.