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Big Sur International Marathon
The benchmark for coastal scenery. The point-to-point course runs from Big Sur to Carmel on the road that is the only access along a 90-mile stretch of the central California coast, with surf below and a piano playing at Bixby Bridge.
Do not mistake it for an easy day. The organizers rate it moderately difficult, with rolling hills, the long climb to Hurricane Point and a headwind that can be fierce. The six-hour limit is strictly enforced, so slower runners are steered toward the 21-miler. The 2027 race, the 40th, is on April 25, 2027. Its random drawing has closed and general registration has sold out, so the remaining ways in are first-come charity, VIP and tour-package entries.
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Jungfrau Marathon
The Alpine classic, and a race that rewards patience more than speed. It starts in Interlaken at 568 meters, runs through the Lauterbrunnen valley and up past Wengen, and finishes at 2,320 meters, a total climb of 1,953 meters. Kleine Scheidegg, at 2,061 meters, comes late in the race.
The first half is the gentle part. The hardest stretch begins around kilometer 25, so pace the valley floor as if the race starts there, and expect a finish time far slower than your road marathon. The 2027 race weekend is September 10 and 11, with the marathon on Saturday, September 11, and online registration opens on February 14, 2027.
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Zermatt Marathon
Switzerland's other great mountain marathon, and the better pick if you want the climb spread over the whole day. The Gornergrat Zermatt Marathon starts in St. Niklaus at 1,116 meters, follows the valley up to Zermatt and finishes on the Riffelberg at 2,585 meters, a net rise of 1,469 meters, with about 2,075 meters of total climbing on the organizers' figure.
Runners who finish strongly can choose the ultra, which adds 3.4 kilometers and 514 meters of climbing to the Gornergrat at 3,089 meters. It is held in early July, about two months before the Jungfrau, so ambitious runners can fit both into one Swiss summer. The 2027 race weekend is July 2 and 3.
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Marathon du Médoc
Bordeaux vineyards and château gates are the scenery, and the pace is beside the point. The race starts and finishes on the riverbanks of Pauillac, costumes are compulsory and must match a new theme each year, and the course mixes 22 aid stations with about 20 wine tastings, plus oysters near 37 kilometers, cheese near 41 and rib-eye steak at the second-to-last stop.
The practical details matter. The field is capped at 8,500, entrants must be at least 20, and the limit is six and a half hours. Every runner also needs proof of completing the French athletics federation's health prevention pass within the year before the race. The next edition is on September 4, 2027.
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Great Wall Marathon
Running on the Wall itself is the draw, and it comes at a real cost in effort. Based at the Huangyaguan section, the course climbs 1,282 meters on gravel, asphalt and brick, includes 5,164 steps on the Wall, and threads through local villages where residents come out to cheer.
Treat your normal marathon time as irrelevant. Expect warm, humid weather around 82°F (28°C), an eight-hour limit and a gate to the Wall that closes at 2 p.m. at kilometer 35. International runners can only enter by booking one of the organizer's tour packages, with a late fee after March 15. The 2027 race is on May 15, and registration closes on April 15, 2027.
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Loch Ness Marathon
The most straightforward trip on this list, and a fine first destination marathon. Runners are taken by coach from Inverness to a moorland start between Whitebridge and Fort Augustus, then follow the southeastern shore of Loch Ness back toward the city, crossing the River Ness to finish in the Highland capital.
Because it is point to point, the whole race heads somewhere, with the loch for company rather than a loop through city streets, and staying in Inverness means no early drive to the start. It draws more than 6,000 runners, so it feels like an event without big-city hassle, and the 2026 race sold out faster than any before it, so enter early. It is held each fall; the 2027 race is on September 26.
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Snowdonia Marathon
Now run as Marathon Eryri
A road loop through the mountains of North Wales, first run in 1982 and renamed in 2023. It starts near Llanberis, climbs the Llanberis Pass to Pen y Pass, drops to Beddgelert and climbs again from mile 13 to 15. The hardest test comes last: after the Waunfawr cut-off at mile 22, a steep, narrow track climbs to about mile 24, then a rough grass descent, muddy in the wet, leads to Llanberis High Street.
The total climb is about 2,748 feet (840 meters), and late October weather can be harsh, so carry a layer and consider trail shoes. Entry is normally by ballot, but the 2026 race was canceled, so there is no ballot for 2027; the only way in is the waiting list for transferred places. The 2027 race is on October 30.
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Pikes Peak Marathon
A mountain race first and a marathon second. The 26.2 miles go from Manitou Springs, Colorado, up the historic Barr Trail on the east face of Pikes Peak to the 14,115-foot summit, then back down the same way, with about 7,800 vertical feet of climbing on the way up and the falling oxygen making the upper miles far harder than the numbers suggest.
It has been held since 1956, and a road marathon time tells you very little about how long it will take. The 2027 race weekend is September 18 and 19.
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Tromsø Midnight Sun Marathon
The setting here is the light rather than a landscape. Tromsø lies at about 69 degrees north, well above the Arctic Circle, and the marathon has traditionally started in the evening, so many finishers come in close to midnight in full daylight. The route crosses the Tromsø Bridge, with the Arctic Cathedral at its far end.
Pack for weather as well as daylight: the organizers promise the midnight sun but not sunshine, and June evenings this far north can be cool and wet. It is a big event, with a record 9,000 runners from 97 nations across five distances in 2026. The 2027 race is on June 19; its schedule has not been published yet.
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Mount Desert Island Marathon
New England's fall-foliage marathon, timed for peak color the weekend after Indigenous Peoples' Day. It starts in Bar Harbor, runs with Acadia National Park as its backdrop and follows Somes Sound, a fjord carved into the island, before finishing in Southwest Harbor.
It is honest about its hills. There is a 150-foot climb from mile 1 to mile 3, the low point comes at mile 16 beside the sound, a sharp climb follows from mile 17 to 18, and mile 25 is the high point before the drop to the finish. The limit is six and a half hours, a 15-minute-mile average, and parts of the course stay open to local traffic. It is also a certified Boston qualifier. The 2027 race is on October 17, and registration has not opened yet.
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Avenue of the Giants Marathon
Twenty-six miles under old-growth redwoods, some of them 300 feet tall, on the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park in rural Northern California. The course is a double out-and-back entirely on paved roads, so you see the same groves twice, which in a forest like this is no hardship.
It is the best choice here if you want the scenery and a time that still counts: the course is certified and the race is a Boston qualifying event. The 54th running is on Sunday, May 2, 2027.
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Queenstown Marathon
The scenic marathon for runners who want mountains to look at rather than climb. The course stays in the Queenstown Lakes District of New Zealand's South Island, with mountains and lakes around it, but runs on a mainly flat gradient, about 70 percent on hard-packed trails and 30 percent on roads.
That trail share matters: it is gentler than most entries here, yet not quite a road race, so shoes with some grip are worth packing. It is a big, festive weekend, with more than 13,000 registered runners for the 2026 edition on November 14. It has been held in November, the southern spring, since 2014, and the 2027 date has not been announced yet.
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Big Five Marathon
A marathon on safari. The course crosses the savannah of Entabeni in South Africa, home to elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard, and no fences separate the runners from the wildlife; armed rangers patrol the route.
It is far tougher than the setting suggests. Expect gravel and sand, with past runners describing rocky sections and a very steep paved descent into Yellowwood Valley, and use the course inspection day before the race to judge your pacing. Cut-offs fall at 26.5 kilometers (4 hours 15 minutes) and 32.5 kilometers (5 hours 30 minutes), with seven hours to finish. International runners must book a tour package, from EUR 3,190 for seven days. The 2027 race is on June 19.
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Petra Desert Marathon
The rare chance to start a marathon inside an ancient city. The race begins in the heart of Petra early in the morning, when past runners describe having the Treasury to themselves, before heading out into the Jordanian desert on a course the organizers describe as full of challenging climbs.
Do not expect a fast day: even a first-time half marathoner's review calls it harder than they had prepared for. The start is at 6:30 a.m. local time, and international runners must book a tour package: a six-day trip from USD 1,450, or a three-day option open only to residents of listed countries in the region. The 2027 race is on September 4.
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Polar Circle Marathon
The way to run on an ice sheet without a polar expedition budget. Based at Kangerlussuaq in Greenland, the race crosses arctic desert and runs out onto the Greenland Ice Sheet, with ice as far as you can see.
Treat it as a trail race in sub-zero cold, in weather that is hard to predict, and bring footwear that copes with ice. International runners must book the tour package; 2027 prices are not yet published, but the 2026 five-day package cost EUR 2,895 with return flights from Copenhagen and four nights' accommodation. The next race is on October 30 and 31, 2027.
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Everest Marathon
Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon
The marathon with the most dramatic start line on Earth: Everest Base Camp. Held every May 29 to mark Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary's first ascent of Everest in 1953, it finishes at Namche Bazaar, with a half marathon from Dingboche and a 70-kilometer ultra on the same day.
Reaching the start line means getting to Base Camp first, on foot or by helicopter depending on the organizer's package, so budget the travel time and the cost as well as the training. Downhill on paper, it still demands mountain fitness at high altitude. The next race is on May 29, 2027.
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Antarctica Marathon
The seventh-continent marathon, and the most involved trip here. Runners fly to Ushuaia in Argentina, sail south on an expedition ship and go ashore on King George Island, where the course follows gravel or snow-covered roads linking international research bases. Zodiac landings and the raw weather are part of the experience.
Expect weather to dictate the schedule and the footing. The race is held in March, from expedition voyages with limited places and high demand, and the organizer takes pre-registration well ahead, so check availability for the year you want before planning anything else.
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