The Marathon Motel is located on Hwy 90, half a mile west of the community of Marathon, Texas. Marathon is one of a handful of communities located in an area of Southwest Texas known as the Big Bend region, and is considered the north "Gateway" to Big Bend National Park.The motel was established circa 1940 by a Mr. Hampton. Like so many small motels and motor-courts built during that period, they endured a variety of economic conditions, and owners. The 1960s brought the introduction of "chain" hotels and motels.