Marathon Compass
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Space Coast Marathon

Cocoa, FL · Sun, November 22, 2026 · 06:15

Marathon
BQ course
Pacers
open

Prime BQ course · forgiving course · low friction

Best forPrime BQ course9.0/10

Boston-qualifying course; see the BQ Finder for the effective application effect.

Course difficultyForgiving9.0/10

Flat, warm mornings.

Planning frictionLow friction9.6/10

Open registration · ~$260 all-in from South Florida.

Data confidenceVerified

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

Legacy Green Score 8.9/10 · method

Difficulty profile

Race-day climate (30-year normal)

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

Temp
62°F
Dew point
55°F
Precip
Elev gain
25 m
Field
1,500

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
$150
Travel cost (est.)
~$110
All-in
~$260
Register →

Oldest marathon in FL. NASA theme. Drivable from Miami. Flat.

About the Space Coast Marathon

The Space Coast Marathon is a marathon held in Cocoa, FL on November 22, 2026. With a Green Score of 8.9/10, it's one of the easier, more beginner-friendly US races. The course is flat (~3 ft of gain per mile). Typical race-day weather is a warm 62°F, dew point ~55°F (10-year normal). It is a Boston-qualifying course. Entry is around $150. 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)): 62°F with a dew point of 55°F. On the temperature-plus-dew-point scale used by our pace engine, that's 117 — a 1% pace penalty. Heat is a minor factor here in a typical year — a small early-pace cushion is enough.

100
130
150
117 — typical race morning at the Space Coast Marathon on the temp+dew scale (100 = no penalty · 130 = +2% · 150 = +4.5%)
Goal timeRealistic in typical conditionsHeat cost
3:303:32:06+2 min
4:004:02:24+2 min
4:304:32:42+3 min
5:005:03:00+3 min

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 Space Coast Marathon really costs

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

Entry fee
$150
Travel + 3 hotel nightsestimated from South Florida; your cost varies by home airport
~$110
All-in estimate
~$260

Registration for the Space Coast Marathon

Boston qualification status

Penalty-free Boston qualifierPenalty-free

Net descent of ~0 ft is well under the BAA's 1,500 ft adjustment threshold. Your clock time is your application time.

Computed under the BAA's downhill rules for the 2027 qualifying window (announced Sept 2025; verified July 2026): net start-to-finish descent of 1,500–2,999 ft adds 5:00, 3,000–5,999 ft adds 10:00, and 6,000 ft or more is not accepted. Net descent here is derived from our course elevation data — the BAA's official course designation controls. Sign in to see your projected finish graded against your age-group standard and the realistic acceptance cutoff.

See how every BQ course ranks in the BQ Course Finder →

Entry strategy

Entry is open — register before it sells out and the decision is made.

  1. Race dayNovember 22, 2026

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 (November 20, 2026 November 23, 2026).

Plan the day itself

When to wake up, when the corral closes, and the exact clock time Space Coast Marathon 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.