The Jams Marathon.
The Cedar Valley's preeminent road-to-coffee endurance event.
Photograph: Cedar Valley Marathon Authority.
A 26.2-mile point-to-point.
Founded in 2025, The Jams Marathon is a USATF-uncertified 26.2-mile road and trail course traversing the Cedar Valley Nature Trail from Marion, Iowa to the city of Urbana, terminating at the JAMs Coffee Bar.
The race is run annually on the final Saturday of September. Field is limited to 500 runners.
- DATE
- Saturday, 26 September 2026
- GUN TIME
- 5:00 AM
- START
- Lowe Park, Marion
- FINISH
- JAMs Coffee Bar, Urbana
- DISTANCE
- 26.2 miles (42.195 km)
- FIELD LIMIT
- 500 runners
- 2025 COURSE RECORD
- 5:11:00 (J. Penning)
- ENTRY
- $85
Marion to Urbana, on the trail.
Lowe Park
Marion's premier athletic park and the official assembly point for the 2026 race. Free parking. Bib pickup opens at 4:00 AM.
Cedar Valley Nature Trail
Paved and crushed limestone. Tree-lined, gently rolling, and almost entirely closed to motor vehicles. The Race Committee considers it the finest racing surface in eastern Iowa.
JAMs Coffee Bar
Urbana, Iowa. Open to the public on race day. Recovery beverages available for purchase from the proprietor at standard menu pricing.
Total elevation gain: 180 feet (approx.). Schematic; not to scale.
Saturday, 26 September 2026.
| TIME | EVENT |
|---|---|
| 4:00 AM | Bib pickup opens (Lowe Park parking lot) |
| 4:45 AM | National Anthem |
| 5:00 AM | Gun time |
| 5:30 AM – 1:00 PM | Course aid stations operational |
| 10:00 AM | Finish line opens (JAMs Coffee Bar) |
| 12:30 PM | Awards ceremony |
| 1:30 PM | Course closes |
A field of one.
The inaugural Jams Marathon was contested on Saturday, 27 September 2025 under cool, dry conditions.
A field of one runner completed the course. James Penning of Cedar Rapids set the inaugural course record at 5 hours, 11 minutes, finishing to a crowd estimated at three.
The 2026 race will be contested under the assumption that this record can be broken.
| PL | BIB | NAME | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3228 | James Penning | 5:11:00 |
Sole finisher. Course record.
The Race Committee.
The Jams Marathon is administered by an all-volunteer five-member Race Committee, which meets quarterly to set policy, certify results, and oversee course integrity.
Field is filling fast.
Confirm your place in the 2026 Jams Marathon. Field is limited to 500 runners.
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