UPDATED: White Rock Marathon changes course slightly

Runners will take more scenic trips through neighborhoods.

Photo by Sarah Blaskovich

The White Rock Marathon ending at Fair Park in 2011 was reallygoshdarn cold and wet. (Not that it was the venue's fault.)

DOWNTOWN DALLAS — The Dallas White Rock Marathon will start and finish near the Omni Dallas Hotel in downtown Dallas instead of at Fair Park this winter. In the 2000s, the race was hosted in Dallas' Victory Park near the American Airlines Center.

Organizers say the change in scenery will shine a spotlight on Dallas' new Arts District. “Moving the marathon course downtown allows us to partner with the city of Dallas to promote the city’s newest landmarks,” said Kevin Snyder, chairman of the DWRM board of directors, in a statement.

Aerin Scholz Bentley

A dedicated runner appears down but obviously not out in the 2008 race.

The marathon, half-marathon, and relay races will have new routes, though the full marathon will still run by White Rock Lake. New this year, it'll also run by Klyde Warren Park (formerly Deck Park) and the newly-christened Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.

The race has also been moved one weekend later to Sunday, December 9, 2012. The first weekend in December was already occupied with the Children's Medical Center Holiday Parade.

Pre- and post-race activities will be at the Dallas Convention Center.

Registration for The Rock opens June 1.

UPDATE: Slight changes have been made to the marathon routes. For the full marathon, the previous course on Mockingbird Lane has been partially re-routed through the M Streets neighborhood. Runners will take McCommas Boulevard and Ellsworth Avenue on the way to White Rock Lake instead of Mockingbird, which will "provide runners with scenic neighborhood views," according to a press release.

The half marathon course will also change a bit, with more time spent on Turtle Creek Boulevard. The half marathon course is still pending city approval.

The new map is below: