Most of us run just a few marathons a year. Deciding which ones to run can be difficult. Races vary and bring different pros and cons. A trail race may be more scenic than a road one, but may be more difficult in terrain. A large race may have more excitement, but a smaller one will have more of a home-town feel. What races you sign up definitely depends on your goals for that race and your personality.
How do I choose a race?
1. It has to have less than 5,000 in the full marathon. I am claustrophobic and really don't like having to elbow people for the first few miles before the pack thins out. And when I run roads, I usually go for a PR, and when a pack of middle aged walkers are ahead of me because they lined up too far ahead, I feel like I just want them to get the hell out of the way. This is the #1 reason I don't want to run Boston, it's just too big. But after watching Hubby race it next spring, I might change my mind.
Full Marathon Participant #s:
Mayors Marathon, Anchorage, AK, 2008 : 915
Green Bay Marathon,WI, 2010 : 3,587
Equinox Marathon, Fairbanks, AK, 2010 : 432
Rails to Trails Marathon, Norwalk, WI, 2010 : 273
Green Bay Marathon, WI, 2011 : 2,054
Sequoia 50K, Oakland, CA, 2011 : 37
2. It has to be near somewhere that I want to visit anyways. You will notice that three of those races are in Wisconsin, a place that I have not lived since 2003. You know why I love Green Bay.
Rails to Trails just happened to be the same week I was to return to visit my cancer doctors for the CANCER CURE, and just an hour away.
The Mayor's was a wedding anniversary present to Matt, and it was a reason to go to the "city" (Anchorage) and do some shopping.
Sequoia, in Oakland, was another chance to explore the Bay Area. I still feel like I don't know anything about San Fran. A few more Bay races and I should be set. :)
Two Cities, the marathon coming up in less than two weeks is just outside of Yosemite.
Who cares that I'll have super-sore legs? New and exciting places to explore always makes it easier to ignore the fatigue. :) It just has to be somewhere that I want to see for more than just a race.
3. I like to alternate road races with trail ones. I don't really like comparing my finish times on trail races because there can be so much variability on the course. So my trail races are almost always making sure there's at least SOMEONE behind me and not for time, other than being sure I'm having a good one. :)
Two Cities will be my final road marathon for the season. Then I dive into playing in the snow, AKA Susitna training. After that, I'm headed back for roads and Green Bay.
4. Is it cheap? I don't care if it has fantastic swag bags or a Tiffany Necklace at the finish, I'm not shelling out $120+ to run a race. Period. The most I've ever spent on a marathon is $80. I sign up early and stay in the cheap-ass motels. How else do you think I can afford to travel so much?
5. Do I know anyone that lives nearby that I can visit? This doesn't always happen, but is definitely a factor. A visit and a race combined, perfect! With the constant shuffling of coworkers that Matt has had over the years, we know a lot of people in a lot of places. Having a tour guide and a place to crash is pretty awesome!
So if my dream isn't to run the big marathons : Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, NYC, what DO I want to run?
My dream marathon list includes :
Marathon des Deux Rives,Quebec City
Run the Caldera Marathon, Los Alamos, NM
Death Valley Borax Marathon, NV
Crater Lake Rim Runs Marathon
I would also like to run destination races in (although I have no particular races chosen) :
Colorado : Hubby is eyeing Trans Rockies for next year, but I'm not sure I'm nuts enough to do that yet. If I think of the race as an all-expense-paid vacation (which it would be them setting up my tent and feeding me) the $1,000 entry fee isn't too bad.
northern Minnesota
Hawaii
Maine
What about half marathons? Since they take much less time, I'm a little more lax about the size rule, but the others all apply to them too. Plus, since everybody and their gimpy grandmother are running halves these days, it's getting harder to find small ones. :)
So, how do you choose what races to run?
7 comments:
I like huge marathons -- but you might like the Missoula Marathon or Salmon Marathon. Both get high marks from me and are both fast courses with total logistical ease and no elbowing.
I like small local races. This is partially due to the fact that I have a 14 month old and a 4 year old. I only like to do one marathon a year. This year I did two and felt like I couldn't train for anything else. I think I'd like to do one marathon, 3 HMs, and a few 5ks. I like to change it up. And none of the halfs I do are greater than 4,500 runners, so they're not too big.
Good luck choosing!
I definitely prefer smaller races too. Everyone asked why I chose Chickamauga as my first marathon--because it's small! I've never raced in a huge race and I'm not entirely sure if I ever will!
I totally hear you on the small race issue. I HATE running with crowds. Since moving to Seward, where I usually run alone and pass no other runners, I found the Anchorage marathon (Humpy/Moose's Tooth in August) to be too big. Kinda sad since there were less than 500 runners.
P.S. I'm dreaming of moving to CA now that the weather is getting crappy. Want to switch houses for a bit? (hee, hee)
One thing I've learned this year is that I DEFINITELY prefer a smaller race. But not SO small that I feel all alone at the back (which for the time being is where I live, hehe). Budget makes me choose a driveable location. And then I pick places that I love (see: Duluth).
I actually don't have a huge preference for size if the race is less than marathon distance, the smaller the race the quicker you can get into race pace BUT I really prefer larger races for the marathon, I love all the4 spirit flowing around me and I love watching other runners along the course. Boston was one of those crazy high-spirited races - a huge running party - and I loved every second of it. I also think large marathons work to my advantage because the large crowds make me keep my pace slow at the start and not run too fast (something that has ruined more than one marathon).
Marquette MI marathon is pretty small. And it's all on the lake. I am thinking about doing that next fall. Maybe we can meet up! It would be great to see you and talk in person :)
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