Featured marathons
Marathons recommended by our membership Please submit any recommendations.
| Marathon | Month |
Comments |
| Alabama | ||
| First Light-Mobile | Dec | Great costumes |
| Alaska | ||
| Mayor's Midnight | Jun | |
| Arizona | ||
| Tucson | Dec | Mostly downhill |
| Rock & Roll, Phoenix | Jan | Great marathon to run. Plenty of competition, awesome bands, and crowd support most of the way-Jerry Rief |
| Arkansas | ||
| Arkansas-Malvern | Oct | Great race-Fran Drozdz |
| Midsouth-Wynne | Nov | |
| Mountain Home for Kenya | Nov | Wonderful hospitality, great cause |
| Little Rock | Feb | Welcomes 50 States Marathon Club, free group photo to club members |
| California | ||
| Big Sur | Apr | Beautiful, tough course |
| San Francisco | Jul | Difficult, runs across Golden Gate Bridge |
| Colorado | ||
| Durango | Oct | Very scenic, friendly to 50 States Marathon Club members |
| Fort Collins | May | Downhill course |
| Connecticut | ||
| Hartford | Oct | Fall foilage |
| Delaware | ||
| MADCC-Trail Marathon | Sep | Trail run, scenic, not well marked |
| Delaware Marathon | May | Really well organized, started & largely attended by 50 State Marathon Club members |
| Florida | ||
| Disneyworld | Jan | Great medal, now has Goofy Marathon and a Half |
| Clearwater | Feb | Discount to club members |
| Ocala | Feb | welcomes club members |
| Georgia | ||
| Tybee Island | Feb | Flat and fast, run around a lighthouse, 2 loops |
| Hawaii | ||
| Kona | Jun | Most of the course is the same as Ironman course |
| Idaho | ||
| City of Trees | Well done | |
| Mesa Falls | Aug | Beautiful course |
| Illinois | ||
| Chicago | Oct | Fast and full of runners |
| Indiana | ||
| Sunburst | Jun | |
| Tecumseh Trail | Dec | |
| Iowa | ||
| Tim Tam 50K | May | |
| Marathon to Marathon | Jun | smell the pig perfume while you run |
| Louis & Clark-Sioux City | Oct | great organized marathon for a first year marathon. Some challenging hills, but probably the best marathon in Iowa-Jerry Rief |
| Kansas | ||
| Wichita | Oct | |
| Kentucky | ||
| Louisville | Oct | Runs on the river |
| Kentucky Derby | Apr | Great course-Ray Shaulis |
| Louisiana | ||
| Mardi Gras--New Orleans | Feb | Very supportive to 50 States Marathon Club |
| Baton Rouge | Nov | Excellent food; a great runner's marathon |
| Maine | ||
| Portland | Oct | |
| Maryland | ||
| B&A Trail | Mar | Scenic, cold |
| Massachusetts | ||
| Boston | Apr | Classic, incredible spectators, met my wife there (Steve Boone) |
| Michigan | ||
| Bayshore | May | Flat, fast visit Makinac Island after |
| Detroit | Oct | Great finish - Ford Field, see yourself on Jumbotron (Meg Wolfers) |
| Grand Rapids | Oct | Race director is amazing, it's a fast and flat course and back of the pack friendly (Nicole Casaletto) |
| Martian | Mar | Gives members a special shirt |
| Minnesota | ||
| Grandma's | Jun | |
| Twin Cities | Oct | Friendly people, fast course, few hills |
| Mississippi | ||
| Tupelo | Sep | Very hot, great shirt |
| Missouri | ||
| Kansas City | Oct | Hilly |
| Montana | ||
| Montana--Billings | Sep | Downhill |
| Grizzly | Aug | Tough course, but very scenic and fun to do |
| Nebraska | ||
| Lincoln | May | Great event |
| Nevada | ||
| Las Vegas | Feb | Great way to spend all your change, boring course |
| New Hampshire | ||
| New Hampshire--Bristol | Oct | |
| New Jersey | ||
Jersey Shore--Long Branch |
May | Runs along the ocean |
| New Mexico | ||
| Duke City--Albuquerque | Sep | Great pasta party and shirts |
| Shiprock--Farmington | May | Great awards |
| New York | ||
| New York City | Nov | Great crowds-Ed Hahn |
| Rochester | May | Flat, beautiful course |
| Casino Niagara | Oct | Buffalo, NY to Niagara Falls, ONT Great scenery - run along Niagara River to the Falls (Meg Wolfers) |
| North Carolina | ||
| Ellerbe Springs | Mar | All the hills you'll ever need |
| North Dakota | ||
| Bismarck | Sep | Flat fast course with pizza afterwards |
| Ohio | ||
| Flying Pig | May | Hilly, great medal, cute t-shirt-Paula Boone |
| Air Force | Sep | Fantastic, unique medal |
| Oklahoma | ||
| Tulsa | Nov | Club event, great pasta party, shirt lists your name, flat, fast |
| Oregon | ||
| Newport | Jun | Flat, fast, beautiful course |
| Columbia River Gorge--Hood River | Jun | Hard marathon |
| Pennsylvania | ||
| Steamtown--Scranton | Oct | Challenging hills throughout course, but still managed to find my PR here - Kara Campbell |
| Erie | Sep | Easy, flat course |
| Rhode Island | ||
| Ocean State--Providence | Oct | Runner friendly |
| South Carolina | ||
| Myrtle Beach | Feb | Flat, fast, and great value at off season resorts |
| Kiawah Island | Dec | Great scenery |
| South Dakota | ||
| Mt. Rushmore--Rapid City | Oct | Runner friendly |
| Deadwood | Jun | Beautiful course |
| Tennessee | ||
| Country Music--Nashville | Apr | hilly |
| Memphis | Dec | hilly |
| Texas | ||
| Austin | Feb | Downhill, great post race party |
| Houston | Jan | Fast but can be hot |
| Sunmart Endurance (50K/50M) | Dec | One of the best ultras, pre/post race dinner, great goodies |
| Utah | ||
| St George | Oct | Beautiful, downhill, few hills, sandstone medal |
| Top of the Utah--Logan | Sep | Downhill |
| Deseret News--Salt Lake | Jul | Downhill |
| Salt Lake City | Apr | Easy course |
| Vermont | ||
| Vermont City | May | Well done |
| Stowe | Sep | Greatly improved |
| Green Mountain | Oct | Run on an island near the water-John Dietrich |
| Virginia | ||
| Richmond | Nov | Runners' World calls it "America's friendliest marathon" and lists as as "must do"-Fran Gilday |
| Marine Corps | Oct | A must run |
| Washington | ||
| Yakima | Apr | You'll feel very welcome, great scenery |
| West Virginia | ||
| Hatfield McCoy--Williamson, WV | Jun | Great small town marathon, can be used for WV or KY |
| Wisconsin | ||
| Green Bay | Jun | Runs through Packer Stadium |
| Paavo Nurmi--Hurley, WI | Aug | Beautiful Northwoods scenery (Meg Wolfers) |
| Milwaukee Lakefront | Oct | Small, friendly, organized very scenic, fast course (Kathy Murgas) |
| Wyoming | ||
| Wyoming Marathon | May | difficult and scenic course |
| Casper | Jun | |