Race list
Bucket-List Half Marathons
Half marathons with something you can only run there: a lap of the Speedway, the Strip at night, a bridge into Canada, a summit.
Races on this list
| Race | Place | From the list |
|---|---|---|
| NYC Half | New York, New York | Over the Brooklyn Bridge, along the FDR Drive and through Times Square to a Central Park finish. |
| RBC Brooklyn Half | Brooklyn, New York | Brooklyn's half since 1981, finishing on the Coney Island boardwalk. |
| 500 Festival Mini-Marathon | Indianapolis, Indiana | A 2.5-mile lap of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and a chance to kiss the Yard of Bricks. |
| Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon | Louisville, Kentucky | Through Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, and the historic Old Louisville neighborhood. |
| Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon | Las Vegas, Nevada | The whole Las Vegas Strip, closed to traffic, run at night under the neon. |
| Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon | Detroit, Michigan | Over the Ambassador Bridge into Canada and back through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Bring a travel document. |
| Air Force Half Marathon | Dayton, Ohio | A tour of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base from the Air Force museum, past the Wright Brothers Memorial. |
| The Hapalua | Honolulu, Hawaii | From Waikiki at sunrise to Aloha Tower and up Diamond Head Road, finishing in Kapiolani Park. |
| Monterey Bay Half Marathon | Monterey, California | Along Cannery Row and the rocky Pacific Grove shoreline, where sea otters and whales are often seen. |
| Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon | Napa, California | Point to point from a Napa winery through vineyards and ranches to Sonoma Plaza and a wine festival. |
| Run the Bluegrass | Lexington, Kentucky | Country roads through Lexington's Bluegrass, starting and finishing at a winery near the Kentucky River. |
| Pikes Peak Ascent | Manitou Springs, Colorado | A mountain race: 13.3 miles, mostly on Barr Trail, from Manitou Springs to the 14,115-ft summit of Pikes Peak. |
| Canyonlands Half Marathon | Moab, Utah | Beside the Colorado River on a closed Highway 128, under red-rock canyon walls near Arches. |
| Zion Half Marathon | Springdale, Utah | Along the Virgin River from Virgin to Springdale, finishing just outside Zion National Park. |
| Grand Teton Half Marathon | Jackson Hole, Wyoming | A point-to-point from Wilson through Jackson Hole, with views of the Teton Range. |
What puts a half marathon on this list
Each one has something you can only run there, from the race's own course description: a lap of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Churchill Downs, the Las Vegas Strip closed for the night, a bridge into Canada, Times Square, a summit at 14,115 feet, or a course along the Pacific, the Colorado River or the Teton Range.
A half marathon suits a trip: it is short enough to race on the first morning and still enjoy the days after.
Two of them are not ordinary road halves. The Pikes Peak Ascent is a mountain trail race that climbs about 7,800 feet, and the Detroit International Half crosses the border, so it needs a valid travel document. Read each race's own rules before you register, and check the dates on its page: some sell out before race day.
To find a half near home instead, browse half marathons by state. How to Choose a Half Marathon covers picking one for a PR, a trip or a new state, and for 26.2 there are the coolest marathons in the US.
How this list is chosen
Hand-picked by RaceRove. Each race is on the list for the reason given beside it, checked against the race's own website.
Using this list
Open Bucket-List Half Marathons in the race finder to search it by race or place, narrow it to one state, sort it, or save all 15 races to your plan. Each race has its own page with its next date, distances, registration and course details.