Not all marathons are alike. Yes, you run 26.2 miles-- but in most cases, that's where the similarities end. Some have amazing courses (Park City) while others have more crowd support than you thought possible (Fargo). Some have gimmicks & themes (Disney) while others are created to prove you CANNOT finish (Pike's Peak).
There are so many "Great" marathons you hear about and while creating my schedule, I've tried to include as many as possible. However, there are some states with MANY great marathons, or days when some of the big ones just won't work into my schedule. When I finish my 50-states I have many quests set ahead (century club, continents, triathlons, ironmen, etc)-- which all involve doing more marathons. When I'm no longer limited by "1 per state" method I'm currently using, I want to take advantage of all the GREAT marathons out there. Opinions anybody?? ...
Can you think of a marathon that went above and beyond? A marathon or ultra that had just SOMEthing about it that makes it stick out as one of the greats? Was it just an amazing course/view? Was the course faster than any you've ever seen? Was there an awesome post-race party after? What makes this marathon special?? Share and I'll make a list of potentials for 2011!!!
I'll Start...
1) Disney Marathon ~ Orlando, FL ~ January. The magic of the parks is inserted directly into the event. I've never experienced more excitement around a race in my life!
2) Flying Pig Marathon ~ Cincinnati, OH~ May. This race is MADE for new runners. The whole city gets into the race, bringing excitement throughout. BEST SWAG with T-shirt, Poster, and some sort of bag (Duffel, messenger, etc).
3) Little Rock Marathon ~ Little Rock, AR ~ March. Best Medals! Giant medals every year and a ridiculous (optional) perks tents with the best Post-Race Food!
4) Bataan Memorial Death March ~ White Sands, NM ~ March. Run for the inspiration!! The view of thousands of service men and women running with heavy rucks up a mountain is crazy! You'll never experience anything like it.
... That's just a start (and they're ones I've already done). Help to come up with a schedule of the BEST marathons...
You listed my two faves for the very same reasons... Disney for the parks and the flying pig for the swag and crowd support.
ReplyDeleteI love the flying pig! and while I've only run Half-marathons, the Mayor's Marathon in Anchorage is my favorite one for the views and landscape (although some of those are better than others...I think we ran through the FedEx airport terminal too). I enjoyed the Outer Banks Half in NC because it's pretty flat, other than running over the bridge to Manteo, but you really get to see the sound side more than the ocean side of the island. Great post-race though!
ReplyDeleteAnd if you like crowd support, Richmond's SunTrust Marathon in November is a big deal because of the great running clubs that put it together, and the support of the town coming out.
Disney is the only "great" marathon I have experienced, and I definitely recommend it ... the Goofy Challenge of course!
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to run the Great Wall Marathon. Someday!
I can only speak from the ones I've done, so here's my list (some of which you mentioned already)
ReplyDelete- Pikes Peak. Enough said.
- Big Sur. It's gorgeous yet super challenging. It's not often you get to run a 2-mile killer hill in 30mph winds and then have 13 more miles of intense hills.
- Park City. Beautiful.
- St. George. Beautiful. Also a great PR course. My first BQer.
- Boston. Just the history of it makes you get goose-bumps.
- Dallas White Rock. My first marathon and my anniversary marathon 10 years later. Great course, ideal weather, great support.
Great post and totally works into my helping a friend pick a marathon to run! Keep the comments coming peeps! I can only vote Chicago Marathon since Gasparilla no longer exists but I can not express enough how awesome it was to have Chicago be my first marathon, the spectators are amazing and really help you push through the pain not to mention the course is amazing as it winds through the different towns of Chi-town!
ReplyDeleteNYC is amazing! Its a bit pricey, but the experience is like nothing else. An amazing tour of the city and the crowd support makes you feel like a rock star.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I haven't even finished my first marathon yet and I feel as if I've already caught the marathon bug! lol I would love to do all of those and then some.. haha
ReplyDeleteI guess I haven't heard about the seattle get together party deal you were talking about. From the way it sounds we are going to be pretty busy with the TNT group but it would be awesome to be able to meet you and everyone else's blogs I follow :) I'm sooo excited!! 1 week away!!
Just found your blog! My first will be in Seattle in a couple weeks! Sounds like a lot of bloggers will be there!! :) I too, have already started a 'want to run' list! :)
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