There are tens of thousands of running events in the USA each year.
Around 50,000 running events are held in the United States of America every year. We'll tell you which events you shouldn't miss.
The biggest running events in the USA
The most famous running events in the USA are the New York City Marathon, the Boston Marathon, the New York City Half Marathon and the Chicago Marathon. But these are far from all the major events. Even though most runners are drawn to races like the marathons in New York or Boston, the States have much more to offer.
According to an analysis by the Runningusa.org platform, these are the 10 biggest running events in the U.S:
- Peachtree Roadrace - 56,993 finishers
- New York City Marathon - 51,267 finishers
- Bolder Boulder - 44,671 finishers
- Lilac Bloomsday Run Spokane - 44,206 finishers
- Chicago Marathon - 40,523 finishers
- Blue Cross Broad Street Run Philadelphia - 34,237 finishers
- Bay to Breakers - 28,009 finishers
- Brooklyn Half Marathon - 27,428 finishers
- Cooper River Bridge Run Charleston - 26,840 finishers
- Boston Marathon - 26,640 finishers
Finisher numbers from 2016 were taken for this listing.
Major marathons in the USA
These are the biggest marathon events in the USA. The order is chronological by month:
- Arizona Marathon in January
- Houston Marathon in January
- Mississippi Blues Marathon in January/February
- Miami Marathon in January/February
- New Orleans Marathon in February
- Austin Marathon in February
- Myrtle Beach Marathon in March
- Washington DC Marathon in March
- Los Angeles Marathon in March
- Boston Marathon in April
- Nashville Marathon in April
- New Jersey Marathon in April
- Big Sur International Marathon in April
- Prince of Wales Island Marathon in May
- Newport Marathon Oregon in May/June
- Deadwood Trail Marathon in May/June
- Marathon San Diego in June
- Lake Placid Marathon in June
- Seattle Marathon in June
- Grandma's Marathon in June
- The San Francisco Marathon in July
- Big Sur Marathon in September
- Twin Cities Marathon in October
- Lake Tahoe Marathon in October
- Maui Marathon in October
- Chicago Marathon in October
- Baltimore Running Festival in October
- Niagara Falls Marathon in October
- Marine Corps Marathon Washington in October
- Savannah Marathon in November
- New York City Marathon in November
- Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
- Las Vegas Marathon in November
- Philadelphia Marathon in November
- Seattle Marathon in November/December
- San Antonio Marathon in December
- Honolulu Marathon in December
- Dallas Marathon in December
An absolute highlight is of course the New York City Marathon, where you run through all the districts of New York. The Boston Marathon, on the other hand, is the oldest marathon in the world. It was first held in 1897. Qualifying for the marathon is almost exclusively possible via a marathon limit. After New York and even before Boston, the Chicago Marathon is the second largest marathon in the United States. Since the Boston Marathon is not suitable for the best list (point-to-point course) and the course in New York is strongly profiled, the Chicago Marathon takes the position as the fastest marathon in the USA.
Other major half marathons in the USA
Many of the marathon events also have a half marathon as a fringe event. However, you'll also find one or two other major half marathon events in the U.S. where the half marathoners actually take center stage. Here's a selection:
- New York City Half Marathon (NYC Half) in March
- San Francisco Half Marathon in April
- The Hapalua - Hawaii's Half Marathon in April
- Women's Half Marathon New York in April
- Fairfield Half Marathon & 5K in June
- Chicago Half Marathon in July
- Virginia Beach Half Marathon in September
- Philadelphia Half Marathon in September
- San Jose Half Marathon in October
- Denver Marathon in October
- Monterey Bay Half Marathon in November
You can't miss these great runs
In addition to our marathon and half marathon tips, the U.S. has some other great runs in store. Want a few examples? The Bay to Bay Breakers has a tradition almost as long as the Boston Marathon. This 12-kilometer race in San Francisco has been held since 1912. And the run for the event continues unabated more than 100 years later. 30,000 compete in this classic event every year in May. On Independence Day of the United States of America, one of the fastest and also one of the largest 10-kilometer races in the world takes place. Namely the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. The 10-kilometer race is also officially the biggest race in the USA.
But apart from the huge events, things are also really tough in the United States of America. Take the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon, for example. For many, the 135-mile run is the toughest ultra in the world. After all, it's run through Death Valley in California at sometimes extremely high temperatures. Only the best ultra runners are allowed to participate in this race. Hardly less demanding is the Hardrock 100 in Silverton. This ultra run covers 100 miles and also has a long tradition in the USA.
And while we're on the subject of extreme sporting events, we can't forget IRONMAN Hawaii. It may be a triathlon, but it's still the most famous triathlon event in the world. The Red Bull 400 in Park City, on the other hand, is much shorter. This race has a distance of only a few 100 meters. The catch: it goes uphill on the ski jump. Really hard, but also really cool.
Women's races are also very popular in the USA, such as the NYRR New York Mini 10K or Freihofer's Run for Women in Albany. There are even women's running series in the land of opportunity.
Running competitions 2024 in the US: Top-Events
All big running events in the USA:
| 07:00 Uhr 
42,2 km / 21,1 km / 5 km 
All Running Races in the USA can be found in the following overview:
Go to the running calendar USA
More sports in the United States of America:
- Marathons in USA
- Half Marathons in USA
- 10k Runs in USA
- 5k Runs in USA
- Obstacle Races & Mud Runs in USA
- Trail Runs & Ultra-Trails in USA
- Sky Runs & Mountain Runs in USA
- Ultra Runs, Ultra Marathons & Trails in USA
- Women's Runs in USA
- Corporate Runs in USA
- Relay Races in USA
- Triathlons in USA • Race Calendar
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