Heatwave Half Marathon - Orlando 2026

Downtown Orlando is the venue for a U.S. Olympic Team Trials marathon, where American runners compete for berths in the Summer Olympics marathon. This is a full marathon, not a half marathon, with distinct men's and women's races. Entry is restricted to athletes who have met strict qualifying times on USATF-certified courses: 2:18:00 for the men's marathon, 1:03:00 for the men's half, 2:37:00 for the women's marathon, and 1:12:00 for the women's half. The event draws top U.S. distance runners to Orlando's streets before a substantial audience, with approximately 100,000 spectators downtown and a national broadcast on NBC and Peacock reaching 1.6 million viewers. Orlando organizes the event in partnership with Orange County, Track Shack Events, the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, USA Track & Field, and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The field is selective but not small: 227 men qualified. The women's field was notably smaller than at the previous Trials, following an eight-minute tightening of the marathon standard. The men's race was competitive at the front, with Conner Mantz winning in 2:09:05, followed by Clayton Young one second later, and Leonard Korir in third at 2:09:57.