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Best marathons per state- Best marathons per state
Best marathons per state
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You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Necessary Necessary. There were spectators along every inch of the course. Lots of music, people of every ethnic variety. The finish was fantastic, especially the last two to three miles in Central Park.
New Yorkers saw our medals and were extremely friendly. This race is a model for every large race. The crowds are great. Running through Central Park and the crowds at the end are thrills. Although it is one of the largest, the race is very well managed. The expo is great but crowded. The crowds are great, and the support is excellent. The negatives are the logistics of the bus ride to the start and the long wait — usually in cold weather.
Do not try to run a PR here. You are usually tired by the time the race starts. Race date: first Sunday in November usually Back to Top. George Marathon has been deluged with entries ever since. In actuality, the course features some challenging uphills and is not by any means an easy course.
Scenery is awesome early in the morning as the sun rises. Logistics are a negative — a long drive to the start and a very cold wait. George Marathon offers a scenic run. Participants are furnished a ride to the high point start of the marathon. Fires are started so runners are protected from the chilly air.
The predominately downhill run does not have steep enough declines to cause leg discomfort. After the race, there is a barrage of goodies and drinks available. The awards are both unique and attractive. As you rapidly wind your way down the runners- only country highway, the sky lightens with glorious hues of color before the sun pops over the mountains. Long shadows form across the valley floor as you wind ever down, and the sun plays on the colorful opposing canyon walls.
Although there is a serious hill at about mile eight, and a few gentle rises to go over, this is a fast, elevation-loss course and one of the most popular Boston qualifiers. A beautiful — but tough — marathon whose course was seriously damaged by the storms of early , Big Sur is the top-rated marathon in The Ultimate Guide to Marathons.
Big Sur is a perennial favorite of numerous runners because of its breathtaking scenery and attention to detail along the course — a tuxedoed pianist playing classical music on a grand piano, for example. Answer: Location, Location, Location. This answer rings true for many marathons, and Big Sur is a prime example. Winds can reach 40 to 50 mph at Hurricane Point, around mile Traffic control is perfect. Highway 1 is shut down for the race, and only race vehicles are allowed on the course.
The pasta dinner has a huge variety of pasta with several sauces. A flock of doves is unleashed at the start. The only letdown was that the finish was anticlimactic after such a fabulous course. The race is a little pricey, but worth it. The support is excellent, even though it is a point-to-point course on an isolated highway. One possible negative: the weather is either great or very bad. Over the past 20 years, Chicago has been through a raft of changes in management and style.
The past several years the race has stabilized and is again rising toward the top of the pack among major marathons in North America. What about Chicago clicks with our panel of itinerant marathoners? Today, the race has finally blossomed and performs from good to excellent in all categories. It allows for a great view of the city, its attractions, and its varied neighborhoods. Weather, however, is a big question mark, with a good potential for strong winds.
On the flip side, however, on a good day, Chicago is a PR course. Although truly a megarace, Chicago is still small enough to allow marathoners to run well from the start. This is the best value per dollar of any of the great races. It has a great registration and expo. There was everything a runner would need and aid stations with plenty of fluids. With such a crowd, there is great control of the start and finish area. Traffic control is excellent.
Race date: Mid October Back to Top. Surely one of the best-organized races in the country, Marine Corps has a lot going for it, in spite of the potential for terrible East Coast fall weather. It is no accident that both Oprah and vice president Al Gore picked it as the site for their inaugural marathons. The weather can be a factor, as this marathon is run during the last half of October.
The organization of the race is excellent, but what else would you expect from the Marine Corps? There is adequate housing, but make your hotel reservations early. There is no official pasta party, but there are plenty of places to eat. The course is fairly easy and includes mile markers and plenty of aid stations.
Spectators line most of the course. Contact: Marine Corps Marathon, P. Race date: Late October Back to Top.
This is another race that has had nearly as many course incarnations as years of existence. For such a liberal-leaning city, San Francisco does not exactly bend over backward to accommodate a race that fills the tourist coffers on race weekend.
What the race has going for it is an encyclopedia of spectacular views — and a start on the far side of the Golden Gate Bridge. A visiting runner can safely expect a cool 60s , foggy start, and a warm 70s , sunny finish. It runs through and finishes in Golden Gate Park. Despite its obvious attractions, San Francisco remains a fairly small race. This is not a PR course, but the scenery makes up for it.
What can be more memorable? The weather is normally good for a summer marathon, and the city is a great place to visit. The course has a few tough hills, but the craziness and exuberance of the runners usually makes you forget the hills!
Race date: July Back to Top. Runners who love this race love it in a big way. Two panel members rate it among their Top 3.
The crowd support is excellent, and I set my PR! The city and crowds are very friendly and supportive. The logistics are very easy — I walked to the start line from the hotel! Exotic scenery for a marathon usually involves some travel beyond flying into a major city. The first half takes place in the desert surrounding the volcano, then climbs to the summit through the rain forest in the second half. There are no spectators, and the water stations for the first half are carried in on horseback.
The volunteers spend the night in the desert and are as dedicated as any in the country. The shirts are a unique Hawaiian design, and local artists make the awards.
Postrace refreshments are generous, and the results are posted immediately. There is no expo, there are no mile markers, no spectators, and the course is difficult, but the scenery is absolutely the best!
It is not, however, for the faint of heart. The lava is brittle, jagged, and broken up by short expanses of sand — not ordinary sand, but very slippery stuff.
At mile The humidity and heat are very high, but you are soothed by wild orchids, wild ginger, and huge palms. Race date: Last weekend in July Back to Top. This is a great vacation marathon with a pasta dinner before and an awards celebration and dance after the race. The course is as flat as a pancake. The fact that the Island is a resort area adds to the fun, she reports, and although there is no expo, the pasta party and dance are very well done.
She adds that the two-loop course is rolling with one challenging hill. Most of the course is closed to vehicular traffic, and the course is very runner-friendly.
There are great places to stay, right on the island. Food, food, and more food. Running along the Atlantic Ocean in the bright sunshine sure makes the running pain more bearable, especially with the many aid stations.
Only wish I were faster and could have won one of those age group awards, a proud pelican. Running in Hawaii was a thrill. Approaching Diamond Head with the Pacific as a frame was a beautiful sight. Humidity was high, as there were periods of rain during the marathon.
Refreshments, finisher medallions, and the general atmosphere at the finish of this marathon are excellent. The large number of Japanese walkers at the back of the pack magnifies the race size. When I ran Honolulu in , I went for two days and stayed a week. The race begins well before dawn, thereby avoiding the midday heat. The race is well run and offers every amenity imaginable.
Accommodations are reasonable, considering the location. This is the perfect race for those attempting to do a marathon in every state.
It greatly overshadows the neighboring Maui Marathon. Oriented toward the satisfaction of ordinary runners rather than just the elite. Markers and splits are at every mile.
The course runs from downtown Dallas out to a mile open loop around White Rock Lake and then finishes back at the start. But the course is fairly flat and fast. The weather is normally cool to cold, and the crowds are my friends and family.
The postrace activities are great! I have always wondered if those volunteers at about mile 22 ever got a runner to take one of the beers they offer. The Rock always has great T-shirts, and you see them at races all over the U. The race is an easy place to get to and from and has a great expo. Race date: Mid December Back to Top. It can be cool in New England this time of year, so the toasty-warm high school gym at the start is appreciated. The women from just 15 states have improved over the last 10 years, which is still more than the average.
Men have slowed down on average more than women. And even the ones who have improved have improved less than women. And the states with the least are Idaho, Wyoming, and Alaska.
Full rankings by number of participants. These numbers look different when we look at the number of participants as a proportion of the state population. The 'state' with the highest percentage of people strapping on their running shoes to complete marathons is Washington DC. Here we see that the states with the biggest proportion of runners are DC, Hawaii, and Vermont.
Full rankings by the rate of participation. The states that have the biggest increase in participation are South Carolina, Delaware, and Rhode Island.
They have more than doubled their participation in the last decade. On the other hand, participation in 24 states has declined. It has declined most in Oregon, Alaska and New Mexico. Full rankings - change in participation. It is also interesting to note the gender distribution of the participants by state. Florida and Illinois are the states with most female marathon runners. In these states, there are actually more female than male marathoners. The state with the lowest proportion of women is Nebraska - This is actually higher than the world's average of female participation.
Full rankings by gender distribution. The state with the youngest participants, on average, is Massachusetts and they are also the fastest. But still, the second and third fastest states are not among the youngest. We see that even though age does play a role in the average finish time, it's only one of many factors.
Full rankings by average age. There is a significant difference between the average age of male and female participants. In general female races are younger. And the youngest ones are again from Massachusetts. Full rankings by average age - women. Men are on average 5 years older than women on a state by state basis. The youngest men are also from Massachusetts, but they are with an average age of Full rankings by average age - men. The average ages of the participants have changed over the last 10 years.
In Massachusetts, the average age has declined by 5 years, and in Alaska, it has increased by 8. Full rankings by the change in average age. Click on the name of the state to see each report. Massachusetts 1 - the fastest state. Massachusetts is the fastest state in the US, and it has both the fastest men and the fastest women in the US. Being the fastest state in the country is not preventing runners from slowing down through the years though. Over the last 10 years, the runners from Massachusetts have slowed down on average by 13 minutes 5.
Women have slowed down slightly more than men here. Massachusetts is 4 by the proportion of women in Massachusetts is 2 by the change in average age. The average age of Massachusetts marathon runners has fallen by 5 years. Women's average age has decreased more than that of men.
The average age of women has decreased by 5. In Massachusetts, there is a sharp increase in participants under 40 years old. And it's interesting to note, that there is a shrinking in the proportion of the participants in their 40s. All other age groups have slowed down. Where the numbers don't always explain everything, we can look at the people on the ground to add some context. As you know well, for more than a century, the Boston Marathon has been a unifying and motivating event in the Massachusetts community.
Finishers of the Boston Marathon are celebrated and recognized in communities across the state and our participants give back to their local communities. In recent years, more than 4, Massachusetts residents have participated in the Boston Marathon each year, with tens of thousands more participating in the B.
The exposure to elite competitions and fast runners is definitely one reason as to why Massachusetts is a fast place to be. As experienced marathoners know, qualifying for the Boston Marathon continues to be a highly competitive endeavor. Our neighbors and communities train through all conditions to make it to our starting line in April and we are continually awed by their accomplishment and achievements.
Training and racing in Massachusetts is not for the faint of heart — the grit, strength, and commitment of our athletes is as well represented at the marathon distance as in any other. There are other factors that make Massachusetts such a great — and fast — running community: two of which are the locale and running club community.
Whether in the city or suburbs, there are countless running paths or trails to experience every day. Beyond training, every weekend there are dozens of road races throughout the community spanning distances from the mile to marathon, including our own B. Half Marathon in October. For decades the Massachusetts running club community has been very competitive, too.
In the s and s, the B.
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