Travel & Hotel

Flying into Raleigh-Durham

The closest airport is Raleigh-Durham International (RDU). It is located about a 10 minute drive from the hotel and about 15 minutes from the race site.

Getting to the Expo

For 2026, we expect to have the Expo at the Race Site again (like in 2025).  See https://tobaccoroadmarathon.com/expo for more information about the Expo.

Getting to the Race Site

Parking (ONLY if you have a Parking Pass)
See more information on https://tobaccoroadmarathon.com/parking.

Runner Drop Off
There will be a runner dropoff area near the USA Baseball entrance at 7445 Green Hope School Road Cary, NC 27519 on Green Hope School Road and Dunnellon Lane (at the Hilliard Forest neighborhood).  Volunteers will guide you to the race site.  We have a 7:00am start:  Please be dropped off by 5:30am to avoid traffic backups.  If you don't plan to arrive until 6:00am, you may be adding unnecessary stress to your day!

Note:  Runners have reported difficulty using ride-sharing transportation (like Uber or Lyft) at ~5:00am on a Sunday morning.  If you use one of these services, please be sure to book it in advance.

Bus Trasportation to the Race
Our buses are available to/from our remote lot at NetApp (7301 Kit Creek Rd, Durham, NC  27709) for runners, volunteers, and spectators from 4:00am until 2:30pm.  (Runners have priority.)  The NetApp, Inc. company has graciously offerred their parking lot for our use.  Please respect their property and don't leave any trash or other discarded items.  Note:  There are porta-potties and trash receptacles available in their parking lot.

Host Hotel

New this year (2026):  The Tobacco Road Marathon host hotel is the COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT RALEIGH CARY/PARKSIDE TOWN COMMONS at 1008 Parkside Matin Street, Cary, NC  27519.  Their direct number is 919-659-1250.  It is located just minutes from Research Triangle Park (RTP, NC) and 10 minutes from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.



Guests booking online 
The host hotel reservation link is below. This link may be used to make reservations until February 23, 2026. After this cutoff date passes, any requests for additional reservations at the discounted rate will be honored based on hotel availability. 
 
Book your group rate for Tobacco Road Marathon  The pricing starts at $169/night.
 
Guests booking by phone 
Guests may call the Front Desk at 919-659-1250 to book by requesting the Tobacco Road Marathon block. 

NOTE:  We DO NOT provide shuttles from the Host Hotel to the start/finish line. Please plan your own transportation to and from the hotel.  It is a 5 mile (~10 minute) drive.  If you want to avoid tolls on NC 540 and have a parking pass (or are being dropped off), take "Green Level Church Road" to the race site.  If you need to use our remote shuttle, that location is at a company called "NetApp" which is just 1.7 miles away (but NOT walkable in the early morning).

For 2026, the Host Hotel is NOT the location for our pre-race Expo and packet pickup held on Friday and Saturday.  The Race Site and Expo are ~10 minutes away driving.

Food/Entertainment/Shopping
The Courtyard is located next to Cary's "Parkside Town Commons" shopping area.  Walk-to food nearby includes Starbucks, Panera Bread, Chuy's Tex-Mex, Chick-Fil-A, Five Guys, Parkside Indian Grill, BB's Crispy Chicken, Tijuana Flats, Pokeworks, Potbelly, Jersey Mike's, DICED Salads, Nautical Bowls, Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, Mahana Fresh, Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, Wok on Fire, Sushi at the Park, Hickory Tavern, Flying Biscuit Cafe, Cinnaholic, Smoothie King, Cold Stone Creamery, crumbl cookies, and Rosecomb Beer Garden.

Walk-to entertainment includes the Raleigh Improv and Hooky Movies/Bowling/Food/Games.

Walk-to shopping includes Target, Harris Teeter (grocery), Hobby Lobby, and, no surprise, a Mattress Firm.

For Spectators staying with you
The race start/finish is 5 miles south of the hotel, about a 10 minute drive.  However, the Full Marathon's northern turn-around (at mile 8.3) is good place to see your runner, with plenty of parking at Herndon Park.  See https://tobaccoroadmarathon.com/maps for spectator locations.  (For Half Marathon spectators, the course goes the other way and does not go near the host hotel.)

Check Out
Standard check out time is 11am. Late check-outs may be available, but they are allocated to Marriott Bonvoy Elite customers first, so you may not know until you arrive if you can have a late checkout.  However, when you make your reservation, please have them note your request for a late checkout.