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The Best Little Marathons in
2005
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The
San Francisco Marathon
Where: San Francisco
When: July
31
Who with: 3,000 runners
Why: A chance to run fast--in
summer!
Info: chroniclemarathon.com
There are very few
places in the United States where you can set a PR in the summer.
San Francisco in July might just do it for you. At the 7 a.m. race
start, temperatures are typically around 56 degrees thanks to the
area's famous cooling coastal fog. It's like running 26.2 miles
through a natural misting station. Now in its fourth year, this
course takes you on a tour of all the famous tourist spots. Starting
at the Ferry Building, you run along Fisherman's Wharf, past the
Marina and the Palace of Fine Arts, and climb up to the Presidio at
mile five (the first big hill) for great views of Alcatraz and the
Golden Gate Bridge--fog permitting--at 310 feet, the highest point
of the course. Miles 11 to 15 are flat, along the Pacific Ocean,
preceding a hill into Golden Gate Park. There's lots of downhill in
the last 10-K, through the famed hippie-hangout Haight-Ashbury and
Mission districts, past the Giants' S.B.C. Park, and back to the
Embarcadero for the finish. Finishers get a medal, a high-tech shirt
and a runner's cap.
Bonus: The 3.25-inch-diameter finisher's
medal has felt pads on the backside so you can use it as a
coaster.
The Maui Marathon
Where: Maui,
Hawaii
When: September 18
Who with: 1,450 runners
Why: 18
miles of Maui coastline
Info: mauimarathon.com
This
beautiful point-to-point, mostly flat course offers the best of
Hawaii. Marathon morning on Maui begins in Kahului with a
traditional Hawaiian blessing, hula dancers, and musicians blowing
conch shells in the prerace darkness. The race starts at 5:30 a.m.
to take advantage of cooler temperatures (in the 60s). Tiki torches
light the way for the first half-mile. At mile six you see the sun
rise over the 10,000-foot volcano Mount Haleakala. After mile eight
you run alongside the crashing waves of the Maui surf for much of
the race. Off the coast you can see Molokini, an extinct volcano
crater. As you run northwest, the West Maui Mountains block the sun.
Enjoy the cool ocean breezes and the sun at your back, and take
advantage of the plentiful fluid stations with iced sponges--by 10
a.m. temps can be in the 80s. On the flat section between miles 14
and 19, you've got great views of two other Hawaiian islands, Lanai
and Molokai, and the chance for some cooling crosswinds. You arrive
in the historic whaling village of Lahaina before finishing at the
Kaanapali Resort Area, where you are greeted with a lei and a
medallion as you cross the finish line. Your traveling companions
can take advantage of shorter options such as a one mile, 5-K, or
half-marathon on the same weekend.
Bonus: Your finisher's
certificate and the race-results book are ready the very next
morning. Go for a swim, then get a tan on the beach perusing the
results.
Boulder Backroads
Where: Boulder,
Colorado
When: September 25
Who With: 650 runners
Why: Fall
foliage in the Rockies
Info: boulderbackroads.com
This is
a marathon that minimizes the pounding on your legs. Eighty-five
percent of the loop course is on soft-packed dirt roads just north
of Boulder. The Colorado Front Range foothills, horses galloping
across meadows, and yellow-leafed aspen and cottonwood groves
provide the scenic backdrop. The weather is dry and cool, but
there's not much shade. And flatlanders take note: The race starts
at 5,173 feet of elevation and climbs to just over 5,500 feet at
mile eight. Scottish bagpipes and drums escort runners to the start,
and at the finish at the Boulder Reservoir, vendors and sponsors
offer food, drink, and postrace massages. Avery Brewing Company, a
local microbrewery, sets up shop at the finish.
Bonus: Local
legends Colleen De Reuck, Arturo Barrios, Frank Shorter, and Benji
Durden turn out to cheer on the finishers.
Lake Tahoe
Marathon
Where: Lake Tahoe, California
When: October
8
Who with: 600 runners
Why: Turquoise lake, snow-capped
mountains
Info: laketahoemarathon.com
Some marathons
you run for time, some you run to have a good time. This marathon is
one of the latter--you run for the panoramic views along the shores
of the turquoise-colored Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in
North America, with the fall colors in the background. It's hard to
find a more striking setting for a race. The course is
point-to-point and hilly, and it's run between 6,225 and 6,800 feet,
so don't go into it expecting a PR. As you run over Taylor Creek
Bridge at mile 24, the awesome vistas of Emerald Bay outweigh your
slower-than-normal race time. It's a small crowd of friendly
runners, and a race you can brag about finishing. The prerace pasta
dinner is a sunset cruise on the lake, and the postrace goodies
include hot dogs, cold beer, and a cool lake to wade into to soothe
your tired feet.
Bonus: Looking for serious bragging rights?
Sign up for the Tahoe Triple and run the circumference of the
lake--three marathons in three days (and two states) finishing with
the regular marathon on Saturday.
Richmond Marathon
Where: Richmond, Virginia
When: November
12
Who with: 4,200 runners
Why: America's friendliest
marathon
Info: richmondmarathon.com
This marathon starts
and finishes in charming historic downtown Richmond, once the
capital of the south. The scenic, fast loop course takes in all of
the city's old neighborhoods, traveling up Monument Avenue, past
statues of Confederate soldiers and Richmond native and tennis star
Arthur Ashe, through the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University,
then alongside the James River. Along with the typical water and
sports drink stops, this is probably the only race in the country
that offers junk food stops, at miles 16 and 22, stocked with Gummy
Bears, cookies, and soda. There are also two wet-washcloth stations,
at miles 17 and 23, perfect for cleaning up for your finish-line
photo. Three party zones set up along the way with free food, prize
giveaways, and noisemakers for spectators and family means lots of
enthusiastic, cheering support. The last mile features a fast
downhill to the finish in the trendy Shockhoe Slip area, where there
are plenty of postrace goodies, including bagels, fruit, and pizza,
and a band to celebrate your finish.
Bonus: A free bus tour of
the course the day before the race.
California
International Marathon
Where: Sacramento, California
When:
December 4
Who With: 5,000 runners
Why: To run really
fast
Info: runcim.org
If qualifying for Boston is your
goal, consider CIM, because it's one of the fastest courses in the
country if the weather is right, and many years the weather has been
perfect--no rain, little wind, and temps in the 40s at the start,
high 50s/low 60s at the finish. The point-to-point course has a net
descent of 340 feet, with plenty of rolling hills in the first half,
so don't go out too fast. The marathon starts in Folsom--an old gold
miner's town and location of the prison Johnny Cash
immortalized--and finishes at the steps of the state capitol in
downtown Sacramento. Pace yourself smartly, and you'll feel like
you're descending to the finish line to visit Arnold.
Bonus:
Pace teams led by local elites Rae Clark, Tim Twietmeyer, and Ginger
Bryan.
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