The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, England. It is the largest marathon in the world, with over 53,700 finishers in 2024, and 840,318 applicants for the 2025 event. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to October for 2020, 2021, and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The largely flat course is set around the River Thames, starting in Blackheath and finishing at The Mall. Hugh Brasher is the current race director and Nick Bitel its chief executive.
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of 42.195 km, usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions. More than 800 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes, as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was inspired by the success of the first marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics. The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's best-known road racing events. It is one of six World Marathon Majors. Its course runs from Hopkinton in southern Middlesex County to Copley Square in Boston.
An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of 31 miles (50 km) and up to 3100 miles. World Championships are held by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) for 50 km, 100 km, 24 hours, and ultra trail running. The Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultramarathoners (GOMU) holds World Championships for 48 hours and 6 days. World Records are ratified and recognized by World Athletics, the IAU, and by GOMU.
The Two Oceans Marathon is a 56 kilometres (35 mi) ultramarathon and 21 kilometres (13 mi) half-marathon held annually in Cape Town, South Africa on the Saturday(Ultra) and Sunday(Half) the weekend after Easter weekend.(previously was on Easter weekend)
The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon is an annual 26.2 mi (42.2 km) race run the first Sunday of May in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by Robert J. Coughlin, it was first held in 1999, it is the 3rd-largest first-time marathon in the United States. The marathon had nearly 5000 finishers in 2008, and total participation for all weekend events exceeded 30,408 in 2011. The race starts and finishes downtown and also crosses into Northern Kentucky. It is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.
Grandma's Marathon (Grandma's) is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors on Scenic Route 61 and continues along Lake Superior into the city of Duluth. The finish is located in Canal Park, near Grandma's Restaurant, which is next to the highly visible Aerial Lift Bridge.
The San Francisco Marathon is an annual USATF-certified road running event held in San Francisco, California, that includes a full marathon, two half marathons, an ultramarathon, a 10k, and a 5K. With the exceptions of 1988, 1993, and 2020, the marathon has been held annually since 1977. The marathon starts and finishes on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building and crosses the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.
The Detroit Free Press Marathon is a 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) race run every third Sunday in October in Detroit, Michigan, United States, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada, since 1978. Major General Stan Connelly and Jerry Coyle organized the first international marathon. MaryJane Hatton recorded the times as the runners crossed the finish line. After each marathon Stan Connelly and his daughter MaryJane Hatton would compile a booklet entitled, “We’re All Winners” of every runner and their times. The marathon course is international and has featured the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel for all but two years of its existence. The current course crosses the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel between Detroit and Windsor. Due to its use of the tunnel, the race is able to boast that it has the only official underwater international mile in the world, as the tunnel runs underneath the Detroit River. The race is a USATF-certified, Boston-qualifier course.
The Eugene Marathon, is a marathon established in 2007, which takes place in Eugene, Oregon. The main event is accompanied by a half marathon, 5K and kids run. The marathon is certified by the USATF, and is a qualifying event for both the Boston Marathon and the United States Olympic Trials. The event features live music performed along the marathon and half-marathon routes, and at the finish as well.
The Miami Marathon is an annual marathon racing event hosted by Miami, Florida, since 2003. The marathon course also runs through the city of Miami Beach, Florida. The 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) race is typically run on the last Sunday in January or the first Sunday in February, at approximately 6:00 am. The event also includes a half marathon, and a wheelchair division for both races. Marathon finish times can be used to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Shifting Gears United is partner for the disability division.
The Riga Marathon is an annual road marathon held in Riga, Latvia, since 1991. A flat, single-lap marathon course in the Baltics' largest city. The marathon course has been measured and certified by AIMS, the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races and is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics. All courses are traffic-free. Rimi Riga Marathon is one of the fastest-growing marathons in Northern Europe. In 2019, there were 25 659 participants over five different distances from 82 countries.
The Towpath Marathon is a marathon race held each October on the Towpath Trail located in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Northeast Ohio. A half-marathon and 10K race are held in conjunction with the marathon. In 2009 the Towpath Marathon had the 22nd highest percentage of participants to qualify for the Boston Marathon with 98 runners, or 20.7%, qualifying.
The Utah Valley Marathon (UVM) is an annual marathon foot-race in Northern Utah held on the first Saturday of June. The marathon course is USA Track & Field (USATF) certified and is a Boston Marathon qualifier.
The Fredericton Marathon is an annual marathon race held in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. The Fredericton Marathon is the oldest annual marathon race in the province of New Brunswick, starting with only a few hundred runners in 1979, it has grown into one of the most well-known marathons in the province, with the 2012 edition being the provincial half marathon championships and featuring over 1,300 runners. The race is a Boston Marathon qualifier, with 65 of the 166 finishers qualifying in the 2012 edition of the run, the most annually in the province. The race is held in mid-May, always one week before the Blue Nose Marathon in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Currently, the race is sponsored by Scotiabank and hosted by The Capital City Road Runners, a running club in the city.
The 2014 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts, on Monday, April 21. It was the 118th official running of the Boston Marathon, traditionally held on Patriots' Day. The race is organized by the Boston Athletic Association, and has been happening yearly since 1897. On account of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, extra security measures were implemented. They started a safety committee which began meeting in January of each year, as well as had a multi-agency coordination center to provide a place for people to go who were in need of help during the course of the race. New laws included the Post Disaster Mental Health Act were implemented which provides mental health services for places after a disaster even if it is not considered extreme enough to be a Major Disaster. The 2014 Marathon had about 36,000 registered participants, second only to the 1996 race in number of entries.
Emma Bates is an American long-distance runner, who competes in the marathon. Her achievements include winning the USA Marathon Championships in 2018, placing second in the 2021 Chicago Marathon, and finishing fifth in the 2023 Boston Marathon. Bates also represented the United States in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, where she set a personal best of 2:23.18 and finished seventh. Her highest position on the World Athletics Rankings was No. 14 in the marathon in July 2022.
Lonah Korlima Chemtai Salpeter is a Kenyan-born Israeli Olympic runner. She won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. At the European Athletics Championships in the 10,000 metres, Salpeter won the gold medal in 2018, and earned a bronze medal in 2022. She won the 2020 Tokyo Marathon, won the silver medal at the 2022 New York City Marathon, and finished third at the 2023 Boston Marathon.
Athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are scheduled to run on 1 to 11 August 2024, featuring a total of 48 medal events across three distinct sets: track and field, road running, and racewalking. Four venues are to be used: Pont d'Iéna for race walking, Hôtel de Ville and Les Invalides for the start and end points of the marathon races, and Stade de France for the track and field events.
