Items17The creator’s order
  1. 1Big Sur International MarathonBig Sur International MarathonThe 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…0
  2. 2Jungfrau MarathonJungfrau MarathonThe 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…0
  3. 3Zermatt MarathonZermatt MarathonSwitzerland'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…0
  4. 4Marathon du MédocMarathon du MédocBordeaux 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…0
  5. 5Great Wall MarathonGreat Wall MarathonRunning 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…0
  6. 6Loch Ness MarathonLoch Ness MarathonThe 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…0
  7. 7Snowdonia MarathonSnowdonia MarathonNow 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…0
  8. 8Pikes Peak MarathonPikes Peak MarathonA 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…0
  9. 9Tromsø Midnight Sun MarathonTromsø Midnight Sun MarathonThe 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…0
  10. 10Mount Desert Island MarathonMount Desert Island MarathonNew 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.…0