Plan ahead: These roads will be closed for the Kansas City marathon
Major roads within the city limits of Kansas City will close for some time Saturday, Oct. 18. Morning commuters will need to be on the lookout for runners, joggers and walkers.
The Garmin KC Marathon returns to the Kansas City streets from 7 a.m to 2 p.m. Saturday, and routes for the day’s 5K, 10K, half-marathon and full marathon races will require street closures through the Country Club Plaza, midtown and downtown Kansas City. There are new routes for returning runners to learn.
Long stretches of The Paseo, Broadway Boulevard and Ward Parkway will close as racers aim to set personal bests, so plan accordingly.
The Kansas City Police Department will provide traffic control and allow pedestrians and cars to cross the road when there are gaps between the runners and when it is safe, even in instances when the roads are closed. Road closures begin at 7 a.m. and will open periodically as runners pass each mile marker in 25-minute intervals starting around 7:20 a.m.
This year, the marathon starts and ends in front of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard, north of Frank A. Theis Park, but each route differs. Full marathon runners will go by the National World War I Museum & Memorial, the Country Club Plaza, Waldo, Westport, 18th & Vine and other neighborhoods.
Officials with the KC Marathon created a map instructing drivers who have to cross through the path of the marathon which roads are the bets to use to avoid prolonged traffic:
What is the KC Marathon route?
The 5K keeps runners away from the Plaza streets, as the route now goes through parts of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Troost Avenue, Oak Street, Brookside Boulevard and Main Street. The 10K briefly takes runners onto 47th Street within the Country Club Plaza and uses more of Ward Parkway instead of taking runners on Roanoke Parkway.
The half-marathon takes participants onto Broadway Boulevard through Mill Creek Parkway instead of Westport Road this year, and continues into Oak Street, The Paseo, 18th & Vine and Gillham Road. The full 26.2 mile marathon encompasses all routes.
The race guide says there is a six-hour time limit for the full marathon course. Participants must keep a 14-minute-per-mile pace to make the course deadline and if they have not reached mile 13 by 10:30 a.m., they will be directed to the half-marathon course to finish. If runners choose to finish the full marathon after the 10:30 a.m. cutoff time, they will be asked to move to the sidewalk and cannot run on the roads, since security and race support will be dismissed by the police department’s tail vehicle.
For more information, visit the Garmin KC Marathon website: sportkc.org/marathon.
Where can I park for the KC Marathon?
If you’re running the Garmin KC Marathon or hoping to catch a friend when they reach the finish line, free parking is available at the lots on UMKC’s Volker Campus and the Country Club Plaza, which are a few blocks from the starting point.
Nearly 3,000 spaces are available in the Cherry Street Garage and Rockhill Garage with additional lots throughout the campus. Parking is first come, first serve.
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
