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.
World records in the marathon are ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics.
The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishers in 2019 and 98,247 applicants for the 2017 race. Along with the Boston Marathon and Chicago Marathon, it is among the pre-eminent long-distance annual running events in the United States and is one of the World Marathon Majors.
The Košice Peace Marathon is an annual road marathon held in Košice, Slovakia, since 1924. It is the oldest continuously running in the world, having been run every year since 1941. It is the oldest marathon in Europe and the third-oldest in the world. However, Boston and Yonkers have been continuous only since 2021. The marathon generally takes place each year on the first Sunday in October. The course is relatively flat and consists of two loops, mostly within the city center.
Ronald John MacDonald was a Canadian runner, best known as the winner of the second Boston Marathon in 1898. He later became a successful physician in Nova Scotia.
Ted Corbitt was an American long-distance runner. The first African-American to run the marathon at the Summer Olympics and the founding president of New York Road Runners, Corbitt is often called "the father of American long distance running." He was also an ultramarathon pioneer, helping to revive interest in the sport in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. New York Times columnist Robert Lipsyte called Corbitt a "spiritual elder of the modern running clan". In a Runner's World feature honoring lifetime achievement, writer Gail Kislevitz called Corbitt a "symbol of durability and longevity". Corbitt was among the first five runners to be inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, and the first to be inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame.
John Joseph "Johnny" Kelley was an American long-distance runner who won the 1957 Boston Marathon and the marathon at the 1959 Pan American Games. He was also a member of the United States Olympic teams of 1956 and 1960, competing in the marathon. He was often dubbed "Kelley the Younger" to avoid confusion with Johnny Kelley, winner of the 1935 and 1945 Boston Marathons; the two men were not related.
Sidney Herbert Hatch was an American athlete who competed for the United States in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St. Louis, United States, in the 4-mile team where he won the silver medal with his teammates James Lightbody, Frank Verner, Lacey Hearn and Frenchman Albert Corey.
Freihofer's Run for Women is an annual five-kilometer road running competition for women that is usually held in late May or early June in Albany, New York, United States. First held in 1979, the race has grown into a sizable event that holds IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and had 3,927 participants at the 2010 edition. The 2011 edition garnered 5,000 entries, four-fifths of whom were distance runners.
Michael J. Ryan was an American track and field athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He was a distance runner and competed in the marathon for the U.S. Olympic team in the 1908 Summer Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics, but did not finish either race.
James F. "Jim" Crowley was an American athlete, distance runner, and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. In 1910, he was known as "King of the Marathoners" for having competed in and won more marathons than any of the athletes of his day.
James A. Clark was an American long-distance runner who is recognized as having set a world's best in the marathon on February 12, 1909 with a time of 2:46:52 at the Brooklyn Marathon. According to the New York Times, Clark also set an American record in a 20-mile race on November 14, 1909.
Robert Arthur Fowler was a Newfoundland-born long-distance runner who was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as having set a world's best in the marathon on January 1, 1909 with a time of 2:52:45.4 at the Empire City Marathon in Yonkers, New York.
Thure Johansson was a Swedish long-distance runner who is credited by the International Association of Athletics Federations for setting a world's best of 2:40:34 in the marathon on August 31, 1909. Johansson's record was reportedly set on a 368-meter indoor track at the Idrottsparken Velodrome Marathon in Stockholm, Sweden.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to running:
Samuel Alexander Mellor Jr. was an American long-distance runner who won the 1902 Boston Marathon and competed in the marathon at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Carlsbad 5000 is an annual five kilometer road running event that takes place each spring in the city of Carlsbad, California, along the north coast of San Diego County.
The B.A.A. 10K is an annual road running event for men and women over 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) that takes place in June in Boston in the United States. A total of 3040 people finished the race at the inaugural edition.
Alexander Thibeau was an American long-distance runner who, along with Albert Corey and Sidney Hatch, was one of Chicago's most prominent marathoners in the early 1900s. Thibeau was one of twelve athletes selected to represent the United States in the marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, but he did not start the race.
Thomas Patrick Morrissey was an American long-distance runner who won the Boston Marathon in 1908.
