Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain.
The Ottawa Race Weekend is an annual weekend of road running events held the last weekend of May in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The two-day running event includes seven races, including the Ottawa Marathon, all of which start and end at Ottawa City Hall. The marathon was first held in 1975, and is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics. Over 40,000 participants take part in the races each year.
The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, also known as AIMS, is an association of the organisers of long-distance road running races. It was founded in 1982 at a meeting in London of marathon race directors. Its membership was extended in 1986 to include all road races. In June 2016, over 400 race organisations were members.
World Athletics Label Road Races are races that the World Athletics designates as one of the "leading road races around the world." The classification was first introduced for the 2008 running season, upon the suggestion of the IAAF Road Running Commission. The races are split into three categories: marathons, half marathons and other. Within the "other" category are traditional road race distances, over which World Athletics world records can be set, along with some "Classical races", which span unusual distances. The Labels are considered a prestigious award by race organisers, and include the six World Marathon Majors.
The Bogotá International Half Marathon, or mmB as it is traditionally known, is an annual road running competition over a half marathon distance taking place in Bogotá, Colombia in late July or early August, first held in 2000. The competition features both elite and popular sections within the half marathon and 10K races. Around 45,000 runners take part in the competition's events each year.
The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is a City Marathon (42.2 km) held in Cape Town, South Africa, first held in its current form in 2007. Available distances include the marathon, a 10K, a 5K, and two trail runs of length 22 km and 12 km. The marathon is held on a fast and flat course, starting and finishing in Green Point, near the Cape Town Stadium.
The 2008 IAAF Road Race Label Events were the inaugural edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). All five World Marathon Majors had Gold Label status. The races were mostly in North America, Western Europe, and East Asia. It was the first year that the IAAF had provided the race designation. The series included a total of 49 road races, 12 Gold and 37 Silver Label status. In terms of distance, 32 races were marathons, 8 were half marathons, 6 were 10K runs, and 3 were held over other distances.
The 2017 IAAF Road Race Label Events was the tenth edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status of Gold, Silver or Bronze by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The series included 103 road races in total, 50 Gold, 20 Silver and 33 Bronze. In terms of distance, 68 races were marathons, 23 were half marathons, 9 were 10K runs, and three were held over other distances. The series included all six World Marathon Majors in the Gold category.
The 2019 IAAF Road Race Label Events are the twelfth edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The series included a total of 138 road races: 64 Gold Label, 25 Silver Label and 49 Bronze Label. In terms of distance, 88 races were marathons, 28 were half marathons, 15 were 10K runs, and 7 were held over other distances. The series included all six World Marathon Majors in the Gold category.
The 2018 IAAF Road Race Label Events were the eleventh edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The series included a total of 114 road races: 56 Gold, 26 Silver and 32 Bronze. In terms of distance, 75 races were marathons, 26 were half marathons, 9 were 10K runs, and 4 were held over other distances. The series included all six World Marathon Majors in the Gold category.
The 2016 IAAF Road Race Label Events were the ninth edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The series included all six World Marathon Majors in the Gold category. The series included a total of 88 road races: 44 Gold, 17 Silver and 27 Bronze. In terms of distance, 59 races were marathons, 19 were half marathons, 8 were 10K runs, and 2 were held over other distances.
The 2015 IAAF Road Race Label Events were the eighth edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). All six World Marathon Majors had Gold Label status. The series included a total of 88 road races: 43 Gold, 27 Silver and 18 Bronze. In terms of distance, 55 races were marathons, 18 were half marathons, 10 were 10K runs, and 5 were held over other distances.
The 2014 IAAF Road Race Label Events were the seventh edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). All six World Marathon Majors had Gold Label status. The series included a total of 80 road races: 38 Gold, 24 Silver and 18 Bronze. In terms of distance, 50 races were marathons, 16 were half marathons, 10 were 10K runs, and 4 were held over other distances.
The 2012 IAAF Road Race Label Events were the fifth edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). All five World Marathon Majors had Gold Label status. The series included a total of 71 road races: 35 Gold, 21 Silver and 15 Bronze. In terms of distance, 44 races were marathons, 14 were half marathons, 10 were 10K runs, and 4 were held over other distances.
The 2011 IAAF Road Race Label Events were the fourth edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). All five World Marathon Majors had Gold Label status. The series included a total of 65 road races: 26 Gold, 25 Silver and 14 Bronze. In terms of distance, 39 races were marathons, 13 were half marathons, 9 were 10K runs, and 4 were held over other distances.
The 2010 IAAF Road Race Label Events were the third edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). All five World Marathon Majors had Gold Label status. The series included a total of 57 road races: 24 Gold, 24 Silver and 9 Bronze. In terms of distance, 35 races were marathons, 10 were half marathons, 9 were 10K runs, and 3 were held over other distances.
The 2009 IAAF Road Race Label Events were the second edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). All five World Marathon Majors had Gold Label status. The series included a total of 49 road races, 19 Gold and 30 Silver. In terms of distance, 34 races were marathons, 8 were half marathons, 5 were 10K runs, and 2 were held over other distances.
The 2020 World Athletics Label Road Races are the thirteenth edition of the global series of road running competitions given Label status by World Athletics. The series included a range of road events which was affected due to the growing concern about the coronavirus pandemic including the World Marathon Majors events like the Tokyo marathon, the Boston Marathon and the London Marathon.
