Marathon Race-Day Guides

New York, New York

Five boroughs, five bridges, and a deceptively tough finish in Central Park.

Chicago, Illinois

Pancake-flat, crowd-lined, and one of the fastest marathons on earth.

Berlin, Germany

The flattest, fastest Major — home of the marathon world record.

London, United Kingdom

Flat, fast, and famous for huge crowds and world records.

Tokyo, Japan

Flat, immaculately organized, and increasingly a record-chasing course.

Boston, Massachusetts

A net-downhill course that punishes anyone who banks time early.

Sydney, Australia

The newest World Marathon Major — rolling, scenic, and finishing at the Opera House.

Honolulu, Hawaii

A pre-dawn start, tropical heat, and Diamond Head — pace for the conditions, not the clock.

Orlando, Florida

Flat and festive, running through four theme parks — a celebration more than a time trial.

Los Angeles, California

The “Stadium to the Sea” route — rolling hills early, a net drop toward the coast.

Arlington, Virginia & Washington, D.C.

“The People’s Marathon” — rolling hills, monuments, and a final climb to the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Flat to gently rolling, cool November air, and a fast out-and-back second half.

Sacramento, California

Net-downhill and famously fast — a favorite for Boston qualifiers and PRs.

Houston, Texas

Flat, fast, and cool — one of the best PR and Boston-qualifying courses in the US.

Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota

“The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon” — scenic and rolling, with a tough uphill finish.

Duluth, Minnesota

A fast, scenic point-to-point along Lake Superior with a gentle net descent.

Indianapolis, Indiana

Flat, fast, and cold — a quietly excellent PR and Boston-qualifying course.

San Francisco, California

A hilly, scenic city tour that runs out and back across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Austin, Texas

A genuinely hilly Texas capital course — uphill through the first 17 miles, then a long drop to the Capitol finish.

Columbus, Ohio

A flat, well-organized city tour with mile markers dedicated to children’s-hospital patient champions.

Portland, Oregon

A mostly flat fall tour of Portland with Willamette River crossings and bridge climbs.

St. George, Utah

A big net-downhill point-to-point through red-rock country — fast, but the descents demand respect.

Detroit, Michigan

An international marathon that crosses into Canada over the Ambassador Bridge and returns through the only underwater mile in the sport.

Richmond, Virginia

“America’s Friendliest Marathon” — rolling miles and a fast downhill finish to the river.

Big Sur, California

One of the most beautiful — and hilly — marathons in the world. Run it for the experience, not a PR.

Cleveland, Ohio

A gently rolling downtown-and-lakefront loop along the shore of Lake Erie.

Cincinnati, Ohio

A hilly, festive loop with an early river crossing and a long mid-course climb known as “the Climb.”

Nashville, Tennessee

Music City’s marathon — a genuinely hilly, live-music course that rewards effort over a fast clock.

Eugene, Oregon

Flat, fast, and finishing on the Hayward Field track in the heart of Tracktown USA.

Miami, Florida

A flat single loop over the causeways to South Beach and back — fast, but humidity is the real test.

Virginia Beach, Virginia

A flat, fast oceanfront course that finishes on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk by the King Neptune statue.

Dallas, Texas

Texas’s oldest marathon — a rolling downtown-to-White-Rock-Lake loop in cool December air.

Long Beach, California

A flat, fast fall course along the Long Beach waterfront and bike paths.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The “Run to Remember” — a moving, rolling course honoring the 168 lives lost in the 1995 bombing.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

A bridge-crossing city tour with a genuine mid-race climb — strength over speed.

Scranton, Pennsylvania

A net-downhill point-to-point that has long been a Boston-qualifying machine.

Burlington, Vermont

A scenic Lake Champlain course with a famous mid-race hill and a festive Burlington atmosphere.

Denver, Colorado

Denver’s only marathon — flat and fast on paper, but run a mile above sea level.

Las Vegas, Nevada

An aggressive net-downhill plunge off the Spring Mountains into the Las Vegas valley — fast times, brutal quads.

Ogden, Utah

A scenic net-downhill Boston qualifier that drops gently through the Wasatch into historic Ogden.

Charlotte, North Carolina

A rolling tour of Charlotte’s neighborhoods with cool November air and a steady set of climbs.

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth’s signature race — rolling city miles past the historic Stockyards and along the Trinity Trails.

Mesa, Arizona

A fast net-downhill desert course with cool February mornings — a PR-hunter’s favorite.

Cary, North Carolina

A flat, fast course run mostly on the American Tobacco Trail — a converted rail bed with a downhill finish.

Jacksonville Beach, Florida

A flat, fast Boston-qualifying coastal course — and the only U.S. marathon devoted entirely to finishing breast cancer.

Hartford, Connecticut

A flat-to-gently-rolling fall loop through Hartford and along the Connecticut River.

Fargo, North Dakota

“Flat and friendly” across the North Dakota plains, with a finish inside the Fargodome.

Kansas City, Missouri

A genuinely hilly city loop past the Country Club Plaza and the National WWI Museum — run it by effort, not splits.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A lakefront marathon organized by the Badgerland Striders, with more than 40% of the course hugging Lake Michigan and two Hoan Bridge climbs.

Ventura, California

A fast net-downhill point-to-point from Ojai to the Ventura coast — a BQ machine.

Huntington Beach, California

A flat, fast Pacific Coast Highway course along the Huntington Beach shoreline.

Corning, New York

A gentle net-downhill point-to-point through the Finger Lakes — a beloved BQ and PR course.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

One of the flattest, fastest courses in the country — a pancake-flat oceanfront loop built for PRs.

Lowell, Massachusetts

A flat, fast double-loop along the Merrimack River — a no-frills Boston-qualifying favorite.

Buffalo, New York

A flat, fast late-spring course along the Buffalo waterfront — a solid BQ option.

Albany, New York

A fast, scenic net-downhill point-to-point along riverside bike paths — a reliable BQ course.

Santa Rosa, California

A flat, fast wine-country course with long stretches on a smooth bike trail.