Why did race organizers decide to move from Victory Park to Fair Park for the 2010 race?
The Dallas White Rock Marathon has grown steadily over the last 40 years, and during that time, we’ve occasionally had to move to new locations to meet the growing number of race participants. For the last few years, our marathon has sold out earlier and earlier, and our waiting list has grown longer and longer.
After the 2009 race, the Board of Trustees met and decided after careful consideration to find a new location that would provide ample parking for participants, plenty of open space for expanded runner amenities, like the food tent and family meeting areas, and a larger area to help ease congestion at the start and finish line.
Why Fair Park?
Fair Park provides marathon participants with expanded parking options (including free parking on race day until 8AM), a larger start and finish location, and plenty of open space to accommodate the infrastructure necessary for a 22,000 participant race.
Fair Park is also one of the most historically significant parts of Dallas. The 30-structure complex constitutes the largest intact concentration of 1930s-era exposition buildings and public art remaining in the United States. It is also recognized as one of the most significant sites in the world for Art Deco architecture.
Today, Fair Park is a 277-acre venue containing one of the largest complexes of year-round cultural, entertainment, exhibit and sports facilities in the U.S. Southwest, including the recently renovated Esplanade Bellagio-style fountains, and museums such as the Women’s Museum and the Museum of Nature and Science.
How much will the move impact the full and half marathon courses?
We’re working with the city of Dallas to build our best full and half courses yet. The Dallas White Rock Marathon has always been a race built by runners for runners, so making sure that we’re constantly improving the runner experience in our marathon, half marathon and relay is a top priority. Both the half and full marathon courses will remain uniquely DWRM courses; they will not be replicas of other race courses that start and/or finish at Fair Park.
The full marathon course will not be drastically changed; rather it will be tweaked and improved over the course from Victory Park. It will still run through historic Dallas neighborhoods like Swiss Avenue, through beautiful tree lined areas in East Dallas, Highland Park and along Turtle Creek, and of course, will curve around White Rock Lake.
We’re very excited about the new half marathon course, which we believe will be the DWRM’s best half marathon course yet and will combine the best features of many popular Dallas races from the past and the present. We will release course details as soon as possible.
History of Fair Park
Site of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition, Fair Park boasts the world’s largest collection of Art Deco exhibit buildings, art and sculpture.
Before television – and long before the Internet – World Fairs were a means of introducing the public to new products, new technology and far away places.
In 1936, Texas celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Texas Republic with a world’s fair in Dallas. Texas’ history, economy, flora and fauna were portrayed in the building, statues and murals designed for the event – all constructed in Art Deco style.
Fair Park is the only intact and unaltered pre-1950s world fair site remaining in the United States – with an extraordinary collection of 1930s art and architecture.
Today, the 277-acre park and its cultural, educational and sports facilities play host to more than seven million annual visitors.