What races do you love (not necessarily Disney) and why?

[prncssjas]

Running friends, beside the obvious Disney races that we enjoy, what races do you love (in particular the half or full distance)? I am from Michigan so I am familiar with (or have run) quite a few near me (Bayshore, Detroit International Half, Chicago, etc..) but always looking for great new races with a nice course. DH and I just signed up for the revel Mt. Charleston in Las Vegas for April 2024 and I am super excited--the mountains look spectacular.

What races do you love and why?

 

[luv2cheer92]

Some of my favorites:

Bridge of the Goddess, near Portland OR. Beautiful course, well organized.

Flying Pig: suuuuper hilly, but the crowd support along the course was incredible. And the view from the top of the climb was worth the effort.

VA Beach Shamrock: another beautiful course, super flat, lots of great swag

Shiner Beer Run, Shiner TX: lots of free beer, free tour, fun course, and fun after party.

I did the halfs for all of these, but VA Beach and Flying Pig have fulls as well.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

Halfs I've enjoyed and would do again:
- Love Run in Philly - iconic Philly course
- Indy mini marathon - running on Indianapolis 500 track
- Ocean City NJ half - running on iconic boardwalk
- Vacation Races Grand Teton half - breathtaking mountain views!
- Clearwater FL half - finish line party on the beach!
- Gettysburg half - running past battlefields with canons!
- Air Force half - finish line chute lined with aircraft + patriotic vibe
- Hoover Dam half - amazing Lake Meade views

 

[Naomeri]

I haven’t done a lot of non-Disney races yet. But I really enjoy the atmosphere at Twin Cities Marathon weekend. It’s a lot like Disney in that it really allows for runners of all abilities, and they even have multi-race challenges for those that are into that (I’m doing my second Loony this year). And because it’s almost entirely on neighborhood-type streets, you get great crowd support (even the governor stands in his yard and waves).

 

[_shiny_side_up_]

My favorites

Fulls
- Corning Wineglass Marathon: beautiful point to point course, small field of runners, medal is glass

Halfs
- Indy Mini Marathon: (mentioned above) - doing a lap on the Indy 500 course and kissing the bricks
- Oak Barrel Half Marathon: running through the hills around Lynchburg and enjoying Jack afterward, medal made from JD oak barrels

10k
- Atlanta Peachtree Road Race: near 60,000 people running on July 4th in the Georgia heat, it's a party

 

[FFigawi]

My favorites:
Madrid - great tour of the city
Dublin - ideal weather, beautiful course, pubs at the finish line
Stockholm - noon start
Marine Corps - fun course, amazing organization

 

[1lilspark]

Gaspirilla Distance Classic….
5k, 8k, 15k, half & multiple challenge options
Personally done 5k four times, half once and the 15k/8k challenge four times

Great course and vibes… downside is that if you favor Princess at WDW it’s the same weekend

 

[GreatLakes]

Two of my favorite halves have already been mention, Flying Pig in Cincinnati and Gasparilla in Tampa. Those are probably my top two as far as races I've done and will do again go.

Two shorter than half races I love are the Great Race in Pittsburgh (10k) and Cherry Blossom in DC (10 miler). I've done the former twice and later once but would do both again without hesitation.

There used to be a half in Philadelphia that ran along the Schuylkill River that I loved. It was the ING distance classic and then the Rock N Roll Philadelphia race. I don't like the way that Rock N Roll series has gone so I avoid anything they do now but if there are any races that use that general route now I'd love to do it in the future.

 

[disneyrunnergrl]

The Philadelphia Marathon weekend is my favorite non Rundisney weekend. They have full, half, 8k and challenge options. It is in November so the weather can be all over the place with very cold/wet/windy conditions or absolutely beautiful fall weather. The half course has the most center city time of any half in the city going by all the historic sites, all the races start/end near the art museum and it feels like the entire city comes out to cheer! And the expo is right by Reading Terminal Market so lots of food and treat options!

 

[disneyrunnergrl]

Two of my favorite halves have already been mention, Flying Pig in Cincinnati and Gasparilla in Tampa. Those are probably my top two as far as races I've done and will do again go.

Two shorter than half races I love are the Great Race in Pittsburgh (10k) and Cherry Blossom in DC (10 miler). I've done the former twice and later once but would do both again without hesitation.

There used to be a half in Philadelphia that ran along the Schuylkill River that I loved. It was the ING distance classic and then the Rock N Roll Philadelphia race. I don't like the way that Rock N Roll series has gone so I avoid anything they do now but if there are any races that use that general route now I'd love to do it in the future.

The Philadelphia Distance run is the same weekend in September that Rock N Roll used to run. I never ran the Rock N Roll but was speaking to someone last year in gear check line that said it was basically the same course. The course went up to city hall and then an out and back on Kelly drive with a finish directly in front of the art museum steps. I thought it was a great event.

The Love Run in March has a similar course as well.

 

[Teacup fan]

My favorite non Disney races I’ve run are

La Jolla half marathon. It’s point to point along the ocean and goes through Torrey Pines state park. The hills are terrible but the views are amazing.

Jack and Jill downhill half in north bend WA. It’s sort of a trail race but it’s not technical trails more like a dirt road. And a gentle downhill through a forest. So pretty!

 

[surfde22]

I'll add another vote for Twin Cities Marathon. Great crowd support and a fun course with a nice downhill finish. Also really love Grandma's Marathon along the north shore of Lake Superior. It's a truly beautiful course, pretty flat and fast as well.

And back in your home state @prncssjas I enjoyed the Grand Rapids Half Marathon

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Full - my only fulls so far have been at WDW and it's difficult to imagine a better run environment in terms of what to see, flatness, and temperature.
Plus I haven't traveled to do any other >10K races. The MCM this fall will be my first out of town distance race; I'm hoping it is also a new favorite.

Halfs - Disney, plus a few halfs here in Atlanta. One of them here in the Atl took us from Olympic park out past the MLK jr crypt (cool to finally see that), back through mid-town, through Georgia Tech, and back to Olympic park. That was cool. I even had motorcycle escort near the end. For about 20 seconds, then the full marathon winners came blowing past me....

10K - It is hard to beat the Peachtree Road Race with 60,000 of your closest friends. It is a 6.5 mile long party through Atlanta. With the cheering crowds and the music (both recorded and live) the whole way, plus the need to hear other runners around me, I don't even bother with bringing my own music.
That said, the PITA factor and the added fees for mailing (i.e. the penalty payment for not going down to the expo) mean that I'll skip it this year. Something literally doesn't add up with the fees charged on top of the cost of the race.

My bucket list for out of town races:
USAF marathon (especially since I'm an aerospace engineer)
Indy - didn't even know about it until reading this thread. Finally made it to my first Indy 500 a few years ago.
NYC marathon - just to do it once

And maybe some others gleaned from this thread.

 

[prncssjas]

And back in your home state @prncssjas I enjoyed the Grand Rapids Half Marathon

Thank you for sharing this--this is one of the few races in MI that I have not tried yet but have heard great things about it. I might need to add it to the list.

 

[AaronB]

Falmouth Road Race is a favorite of mine. Tough to get into with the lottery (unless you are a local), but have been lucky to run it a few times.