Jacob Wells 3 Bridges Marathon

The course and the three bridges

The course is almost entirely on the Arkansas River Trail. It runs a 19-mile loop to the east and then a 7-mile loop to the west, passing back through the start and finish line at mile 19.²

Runners cross the Big Dam Bridge at miles 1 and 18, the Clinton Presidential Bridge at mile 9, and the Two Rivers Bridge at miles 19 and 26.² The organizers describe the route as mostly flat except for the three bridges, and mostly paved trail.²

Every mile is marked, and aid stations average nearly one per mile.¹ Medical staff from Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services are at the start and finish and patrol the course.¹

If upstream flooding blocks the route, the race policies say an alternate, uncertified marathon course will be used.⁵

Time limits and the early start

The regular start has a 6-hour time limit.¹ An early start at 5:00 a.m. is offered for runners who expect to take between six and eight hours, and it carries an 8-hour limit.¹

The organizers ask anyone expecting to need more than six hours to take the early start, and say those runners may otherwise be removed from the course.¹ The reverse also applies: early starters who finish significantly faster than six hours may be disqualified.¹

Packet pickup, parking and getting to the start

For the 2026 race, packet pickup is on Friday, December 4, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Rock City Running in the Market Place Shopping Center, 11121 N Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock.¹ Packets can also be picked up on race morning at the start and finish area from 4:30 a.m.¹

Regular starters and spectators park at TAG Church, 11120 Cantrell Road, and ride a trolley to the start line.⁶ The parking page asks runners to be on a trolley by 6:15 a.m.⁶ Early starters park near the boat dock at River Mountain Park instead.⁶

There is no host hotel, no hotel within walking distance of the parking lots, and the race shuttles do not pick up from hotels.¹

A clothing drop at mile 2 carries discarded layers back to the finish line.¹ The organizers warn that December in Arkansas could be 20 degrees or 70 degrees on race morning.¹

What runners get

Every finisher gets a medal at the finish line.¹ The race shirt is a long-sleeve unisex technical shirt.¹ After the race there is food and drink for runners, friends and family.¹

Awards go to the top three men and women overall and in the master, grand master and senior divisions, and to the top five men and women in five-year age groups from 19 and under through 75 and over.¹

Rules and registration policies

• Strollers, rollerblades, skates, unauthorized vehicles and pets are prohibited.¹
• Registrations cannot be deferred.⁵
• A 2026 entry could be transferred to another runner through RunSignup for a $20 fee until November 6, 2026, with no exceptions after that date.⁵
• There is no race-day registration. Late registration is offered at packet pickup.⁴

Who Jacob Wells was

Jacob Wells founded the race and directed the first one on December 28, 2013.³ According to the race's history page, he logged more than 20,000 miles and completed 154 marathons in 11 years.³

Wells collapsed at mile 19 of the Midsouth Marathon in Wynne, Arkansas, on November 1, 2014, and his death came seven weeks before the second 3 Bridges Marathon.³ A group of his closest running friends stepped in so the race would go on, and it has been held every year since.³

The history page points runners to his favorite spot on the course: the peninsula near mile 22.5, where the Two Rivers Bridge comes into view across the water and Pinnacle Mountain appears in the distance.³