Race-day weather · Saturday, April 24, 2027

Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon weather.

26 Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon race mornings since 2000, measured hour by hour: temperature, dew point, wind, rain, and what the weather cost runners. The forecast for the 2027 race goes live here on Apr 18, six days out.

111 Typical score
at the start The median race morning since 2000: 58°F air + 52°F dew point at 7:20am, across 26 race mornings at the Nashville International Airport weather station. Slight penalty: 0.5% to 1% slower.
Start · 7:20am11158° air · 52° dew point
+2 hours · 9:20am11664° air · 52° dew point
+4 hours · 11:20am12269° air · 53° dew point

The Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon course, mile by mile: the elevation, every climb, and how I’d run each stretch.

Your goal pace on a typical race morning

Built from the median race morning since 2000, averaged across the hours you’d be running. Where the weather costs time, each cell gives the adjusted finish time and the pace per mile to run instead. Six days out, the real forecast replaces it.

Goal on a cool dayAdjusted finish
2:456:18/mi2:46 to 2:476:19–6:21/mi0.5% to 1% slower · score 114
3:006:52/mi3:01 to 3:026:54–6:56/mi0.5% to 1% slower · score 114
3:157:26/mi3:16 to 3:177:28–7:31/mi0.5% to 1% slower · score 115
3:308:01/mi3:31 to 3:328:03–8:05/mi0.5% to 1% slower · score 115
3:458:35/mi3:46 to 3:478:37–8:40/mi0.5% to 1% slower · score 115
4:009:09/mi4:01 to 4:029:12–9:15/mi0.5% to 1% slower · score 116
4:3010:18/mi4:31 to 4:3310:21–10:24/mi0.5% to 1% slower · score 117
5:0011:27/mi5:01 to 5:0311:30–11:33/mi0.5% to 1% slower · score 117
How I’d race a typical year

Start 2 to 3 seconds per mile slower than goal through the first 10 miles. Drink early, because by the time you feel the heat the deficit is already there, and race the last 10K on feel.

Race week, start to finish: how I’d run the three-week taper, what to take in during the race, how much to slow down in heat and humidity, and what the four weeks after should look like.

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Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon weather history: every race morning since 2000

Every row in the table below is a measurement from the Nashville International Airport weather station, taken nearest 7:20am (today’s first-wave start) and again three hours later. Start times have moved over the years, so treat 7:20am as a clock time, not always the gun. Across 26 race mornings:

  • A typical 7:20am reading is 58°F with a 52°F dew point, a combined score of 111.
  • The warmest was 2017: 73°F with a 68°F dew point at 7:20am, a score of 141.
  • The most humid was 2017, with a 68°F dew point.
  • The coldest was 2021, at 34°F.
  • On 18 of 26 race mornings the 7:20am score was above 100, enough to call for a pace adjustment. Three hours later, 24 of 26 were.
  • The weather changed the race itself in 2017 (start moved up for heat; runners diverted), 2010 (storms: start moved up, marathoners diverted) and 2004 (start delayed by thunderstorms).
  • The windiest start was 2008: NW wind at 12 mph, gusting to 22.
  • Rain fell in the first 5 hours on 6 of 26 race mornings (1 more saw only a trace). The most rain measured was 1.44 inches, in 2013.
Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon weather by year · air / dew point (°F), combined score, wind and rain
YearDateAir / dew at 7:20amScoreAir / dew at 10:20amScoreWind at 7:20amRain
2026Apr 2565° / 61°12673° / 61°134NNE 5 mphDry
2025Apr 2667° / 62°12967° / 58°125NW 7 mphDry
2024Apr 2767° / 57°12471° / 58°129S 9 mphDry
2023Apr 2249° / 44°9356° / 46°102WNW 5 mphDry
2022Apr 2363° / 53°11676° / 54°130S 5 mphDry
2021Nov 20Moved to November (COVID-19)34° / 26°6052° / 24°76CalmDry
2020–Cancelled (COVID-19)
2019Apr 2745° / 40°8566° / 35°101S 5 mphDry
2018Apr 2850° / 46°9668° / 42°110S 5 mphDry
2017Apr 29Start moved up for heat; runners diverted73° / 68°14180° / 68°148SSE 9 mphDry
2016Apr 3065° / 60°12565° / 62°127N 3 mph0.12 in
2015Apr 2561° / 57°11866° / 61°127CalmDry
2014Apr 2649° / 45°9469° / 44°113CalmDry
2013Apr 2751° / 50°10154° / 54°107NE 9 mph1.44 in
2012Apr 2861° / 58°11974° / 62°136SSW 6 mphDry
2011Apr 3050° / 47°9771° / 47°118SE 3 mphDry
2010Apr 24Storms: start moved up, marathoners diverted63° / 60°12366° / 61°127SSE 12 mph0.20 in
2009Apr 2567° / 53°12077° / 52°129SSW 5 mphDry
2008Apr 2657° / 54°11156° / 52°108NW 12 mphgusts 220.05 in
2007Apr 2857° / 45°10265° / 48°113W 3 mphDry
2006Apr 2960° / 46°10671° / 48°119SE 7 mphDry
2005Apr 3055° / 52°10756° / 50°106N 7 mphDry
2004Apr 24Start delayed by thunderstorms63° / 61°12365° / 63°128ENE 9 mph0.02 in
2003Apr 2652° / 48°10052° / 48°100NNW 12 mphDry
2002Apr 2754° / 47°10160° / 50°110SE 9 mphTrace
2001Apr 2859° / 56°11572° / 58°130ENE 5 mphDry
2000Apr 2946° / 41°8756° / 45°101SSW 3 mphHeavy rain

Readings from the Nashville International Airport ASOS weather station (NOAA/FAA, via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet), the observation nearest each hour. Scores above 100 call for a pace adjustment. Rain is the total the station measured in the 5 hours after 7:20am. Download every hour as a CSV.

How the score works

Add the air temperature to the dew point, both in Fahrenheit. That combined score is closer to what your body feels than the temperature alone, because dew point decides whether your sweat can evaporate, and evaporating sweat is how you shed heat at race pace. The bands below are the same ones my heat pace calculator uses, and that page has the full chart and the physiology behind it.

Combined score → how much to slow down
  • 100 or lessNo pace adjustment
  • 101 – 1100% to 0.5% slower
  • 111 – 1200.5% to 1% slower
  • 121 – 1301% to 2% slower
  • 131 – 1402% to 3% slower
  • 141 – 1503% to 4.5% slower
  • 151 – 1604.5% to 6% slower
  • 161 – 1706% to 8% slower
  • 171 – 1808% to 10% slower
  • Above 180Hard running is not recommended

The bands are a coach's rule of thumb, not a lab measurement. Treat each range as a starting point and let effort make the final call.

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Other race-day weather pages

Twin Cities MarathonSunday, October 4, 202695Race day at the startNo adjustment needed Chicago MarathonSunday, October 11, 2026113Race day at the startSlight penalty: 0.5% to 1% slower Columbus MarathonSunday, October 18, 202664Forecast at the startNo adjustment needed Detroit MarathonSunday, October 18, 202672Forecast at the startNo adjustment needed Marine Corps MarathonSunday, October 25, 202694Typical startNo adjustment needed NYC MarathonSunday, November 1, 202683Typical startNo adjustment needed Philadelphia MarathonSunday, November 22, 202673Typical startNo adjustment needed California International MarathonSunday, December 6, 202683Typical startNo adjustment needed Honolulu MarathonSunday, December 13, 2026136Typical startReal penalty: 2% to 3% slower Houston MarathonSunday, January 17, 202784Typical startNo adjustment needed LA MarathonSunday, March 7, 202799Typical startNo adjustment needed Atlanta MarathonSunday, March 7, 202797Typical startNo adjustment needed Jersey City MarathonSunday, April 18, 202791Typical startNo adjustment needed Boston MarathonMonday, April 19, 202784Typical startNo adjustment needed Eugene MarathonSunday, April 25, 202789Typical startNo adjustment needed Big Sur MarathonSunday, April 25, 202796Typical startNo adjustment needed Flying Pig MarathonSunday, May 2, 2027102Typical startBarely a penalty: 0% to 0.5% slower Pittsburgh MarathonSunday, May 2, 202799Typical startNo adjustment needed OC MarathonSunday, May 2, 2027110Typical startBarely a penalty: 0% to 0.5% slower Colfax MarathonSunday, May 16, 202781Typical startNo adjustment needed Rock 'n' Roll San Diego MarathonSunday, June 6, 2027119Typical startSlight penalty: 0.5% to 1% slower Grandma's MarathonSaturday, June 19, 2027112Typical startSlight penalty: 0.5% to 1% slower San Francisco MarathonSunday, July 25, 2027109Typical startBarely a penalty: 0% to 0.5% slower

Course guides, mile by mile: Twin Cities Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Columbus Marathon, Detroit Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, NYC Marathon, Philadelphia Marathon, California International Marathon, Honolulu Marathon, Houston Marathon, LA Marathon, Jersey City Marathon, Boston Marathon, Eugene Marathon, Big Sur Marathon, Flying Pig Marathon, Pittsburgh Marathon, OC Marathon, Colfax Marathon, Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon, Grandma's Marathon, San Francisco Marathon. All race-day weather pages.

RunFitCoach is not affiliated with the St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon or its organizers. Observations from the Nashville International Airport ASOS station (NOAA/FAA) via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Data updated Saturday, October 17, 2026.

Heat is one variable. I plan for all of them.

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