Race list
Bucket-List Marathons
Races runners plan a year around: a Major, a coast road, or a city that shuts down for the start.
Races on this list
| Race | Place | From the list |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Marathon | Boston, Massachusetts | The U.S. spring Major, point to point into Boylston. |
| Bank of America Chicago Marathon | Chicago, Illinois | A flat fall Major through the neighborhoods. |
| TCS New York City Marathon | New York, New York | Five boroughs, finishing in Central Park. |
| Big Sur International Marathon | Carmel, California | Highway 1 from Big Sur to Carmel, including Hurricane Point. |
| Marine Corps Marathon | Arlington, Virginia | The monuments course from Arlington into Washington. |
| Honolulu Marathon | Honolulu, Hawaii | A December race along the water and around Diamond Head. |
| Grandma's Marathon | Duluth, Minnesota | A point-to-point Lake Superior classic into Duluth. |
| California International Marathon | Sacramento, California | A fast December point-to-point from Folsom to Sacramento. |
| Philadelphia Marathon | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | A big-city fall weekend with a course through historic neighborhoods. |
| Walt Disney World Marathon | Bay Lake, Florida | A destination race weekend through the Walt Disney World parks. |
What makes a marathon one of the coolest
Cool here means worth the trip, not cold: for the coolest race-day weather, see Coolest Race Days. Each marathon on this list gives you something a race at home can't: one of the three U.S. Majors, Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast, a course past the monuments of Washington, or a long run beside Lake Superior into the finish.
The Majors fill months ahead, through qualifying times, drawings and charity places, and other big races can close when their field is full. Read the registration dates on each race's page before you book travel, and have a second choice ready.
For a race chosen for the view, see the most scenic marathons. For 13.1, see the best half marathons. For the biggest fields, see the largest marathons.
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 Marathons in the race finder to search it by race or place, narrow it to one state, sort it, or save all 10 races to your plan. Each race has its own page with its next date, distances, registration and course details.