this past year i have learned a lot about picking a marathon – what works and what doesn’t work for me. there are so many things to take into consideration. as i am planning out my 2010 race calendar and going through all the criteria, i wanted to summarize the things i look for in a race.
location
do you want to travel? how far do you want to travel? do you want to fly? can you drive? can you sleep in your own bed? how many days will you be gone? how do you handle traveling?
these are all things i take into account when picking a marathon. travel expenses add up really quickly, but there aren’t always marathon courses close enough to where you live. one of the reasons i picked the eugene marathon this year was it was drivable for us, which was a plus and saved money versus flying. the 10 hours in the car two days before marathon and a few hours after running a marathon was a little rough though, so flying might have been a better option, but we will never know.
cost
marathon expenses add up. not only do you have the above mentioned travel costs, you have the race fees. one of the big things i learned this year with race fees is you get what you pay for. although there are definitely some exceptions to this rule, it seems the more you pay for a race, the more organized the race is, the better the support is and the better the swag is.
course
depending on what your goals are for a particular race (PR, BQ, scenery, etc) make sure you choose a course that caters to your needs. do you want a fast course to help you PR? do you want a course that is a top boston qualifier? do you want to run a course that is beautiful and scenic?
i know i wasn’t going to pick one of the hard hilly SF courses to take a stab at my first BQ, i wanted a faster course for that. it all depends on your personal goals for the race, what kind of courses you run best on, and what you want to achieve. make sure you know what to expect on the course (hills, flat, double loop, etc) and train for it.
size
do you like huge races? do you like smaller races? i think this is something that is a personal preference and something you don’t really know until you experience both sides.
i thought i was a small race girl, but i learned big time this year that there is such thing as too small when it came to racing a marathon. marathons are hard, racing them hard is even harder, and when there aren’t many of you out there running a full marathon, it makes it even harder – at least it did for me. i like having other runners around me during races to push me, otherwise it just feels like a training run.
weather
this is one of my most important things to look at for a marathon (specifically one i plan on racing). it is obviously not something you can control, but you can choose to run in places that have your preferential weather patterns for that time of year. do you not like cold weather? do you hate the heat? make sure to take those into consideration.
also make sure to take into consideration what weather you will be training in for those marathons. a lot changes over the course of 3-4 months while you are training, so make sure you are getting as much beneficial training as you can for your marathon conditions.
we all know i am NOT a fan of the heat for racing or training. this year i trained for an october marathon and it was really rough on me since it was always hot. i also was really nervous for race day since we had a major heat wave the weekend before. i would rather not put myself in this position again knowing how miserable i was, so i most likely won’t be training for an october marathon anytime soon.
heart
no matter what, listen to your heart. you know what marathons make sense for you and what don’t. if your heart isn’t in it, it’s going to be a long struggle getting through training and making it to the finish line. sometimes things look great on paper but you know in your heart it isn’t the right race, so follow it.
what criteria do you use to pick your marathons and races?
Scenery. Hands down!
GREAT post! I have not thought about it as much and I could or should. I guess I will just go with my gut.. And this year mostly stay close to home and run WITH someone..
I choose a race that1)might one day appeal to my son for I would LOVE to run a race with him, 2) a race that is close which means Velcro will be on the sidelines with my race support ie dad and 3)scenery! I know I will never BQ so I want to look at pretty things, see my dog and dad and maybe one day run with my son and run in cool weather! For me it's all about what's around!!
So helpful! I was thinking fall for my first full, but now I'm not sure. I hate running in the heat.
So what races ARE you thinking about for 2010
I love rolling out of bed and running a race – no long travel involved. For this reason I've run Marine Corps 5 times. I think traveling takes a huge toll on my body – when I get to the start line I'm already tired. Oh and I use my <3 too. Marine Corps 03 was my first marathon – the course brings back great memories – so it's my all time favorite and I hope to run it as many years as I can!
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Great post! There are so many factors out there. I also tend to differ my expectations based on the time of year or the course, I pretty much can guarantee that my fall marathon will be slower than my spring. And it always has been, training in the last summer is no fun. I'll take snow and ice over heat any day!
Cost is definitely a huge factor, this year was $$ for me as I did both Boston and NYC. Those two were both $150 or more and NYC also involved travel. Meanwhile I did a 3rd marathon and the fee was only $45. I need to do more $45 marathons!
Happy marathon picking!
Great points to think about. I know cost and location is defintely a factor, especially if the whole family is going to tag along.
Those are definitely some important criteria.
I like choosing marathons where I know I will have support – this usually means close to home, so my family and training buddies will all be there to cheer me on.
i haven't done a marathon, smaller races and short-ish triathlons. I pick usually based on location and course profile. All the smallish races that I did this year (5ks) i picked mostly on proximity to home – they were just for fun anyway…
my first criteria used to be places I wanted to vacation
It will probably stay that way until I crack down on my speed and actually stay healthy long enough to try for a BQ
These are all great points. I really like to find races where I can run with friends or my husband too so I always think about that. Often, it's just the heart factor too…and sometimes a race just sounds like fun and I get serious about it as the time draws near but the main attraction is the fun!
Great post!! I look at all of those factors, right now since I am trying to better my marathon time, I am most concerned with elevation and weather, although I love to travel for races.
WEATHER!! Like you I am a cold weather girl although I wouldn't rule out a cool race in the summer.
Location probably second – a great excuse to see a new place.
Great post. I'm all about the travel. I get super spazzy about where I'm sleeping and how long it takes to get there.
I've done a few big marathons, they were great, but I love the feel of the small ones. They are more personable.
I usually pick whatever our running group is doing, so there will be peeps there to share in the good and bad.
These are all great tips! I'm trying to knock off all the relatively "local" marathons (MN and WI). Less expensive and less of a time commitment for travel.
Going back to college dictates that all of my running decisions be based on $. But, I'm fortunate enough to work for an airline and have family in Canada, so that at least gives me another cheap option for races, besides my current home.
For me, I picked my last marathon based on weather, course description (elevation gain/loss) and city elevation. Since I'm in CO it is benificial for me to go to sea level for that extra boost. However, after having signed up and made travel arrangments I got injured and this meant lots of lost money. So this time, I am staying close to home (just going an hour up the road to Ft. Collins for the CO Marathon) so that if I get injured again and can't run I'm only out the registation fee. From here on out, however, I will choose based on location – going places I've always wanted to go. Great Wall of China, Hawaii and Greece are on the list for sure.
i pick primarily based on location. but in the sense of is it close to where i'll be at that time, rather than is it a place i want to be/race in
i hope someday i can be a little more free because i would LOVE to pick a race and have $$ not be an issue. i'd love to travel and be able to race everywhere in the world
Having just finished my last 2009 marathon Sunday, I am sitting down contemplating your exact sentiments about marathoning and I concur with you fully! The one thing I was NOT prepared for Sunday was amount of wind I would endure and what I learned from that is to be fit!! Fit as you can possibly be to tackle whatever conditions the race decides to throw at you! It made me realize that I must go into each marathon as conditioned as I can possibly be because if I'm not, then I can't fight the race with my all.
Okay, that was more about me…but your post made me think that is a consideration I will implement.
I found out this weekend that I, too, do not like smaller marathons for your exact reasons!! :/
I agree about all these things.
My most important factors are time of year, followed by loaction. I have never done a traveling marathon (farther than a couple of hours away and a stay in a hotel for one night), but I would really like to next year….
Scenery, big race (so I won't be last) and sunshine!
Probably not likely that we'd ever run a marathon together =). Haha!
Great points! There is a lot to think about when chosing a race.
With limited support (read: understanding) from family, travel is difficult so I chose from races within a 3 state area. I like smaller races and great scenery or trails is a big plus!
Someday I might venture farther but for now I still have races I haven't run to try.
Loved this post! My biggest race criteria is usually location. I don't have a big travel budget, so location is often the only factor. There's not a ton of races near me, so I also look at races near family or friends, and make sure a visit coincides with a race! If I had more options I would probably consider race swag as a criteria (haha);)
Aww, I thought you were going to reveal your choice! Hehe.
All of this was very well said. I agree with all of those points!
I guess the only thing I would add is "Reviews" – I read the marathonguide.com reviews, race reports, and anything else I can find about the race. Sometimes first-hand accounts can reveal things that the description doesn't cover.
Excited to hear what you decide on!!
Medal swag…. I'm doing all of the rock and roll marathons!
love the bling too… is part of the reason we traveled to SF!
Plus the scenery there was awesome!
These are all things I've been considering a lot in the past few days while I'm sorting through what races I want to do this year. I'm going smaller for my first half marathon and huge for my first marathon.
I've picked both races not based on any of these things- well besides my heart!
I picked chicago because i heard it was a great 1st marathon & then when i heard some blogger friends were running- i was super excited to sign up. CIM i picked because you said it was a great course & because i wanted to fly across the country to meet my amazing new friends! Both perfect reasons to run a race if you ask me- and ive ran 2 different marathons, in 2 different states- none which were my home state! two thumbs up for traveling! wooot!!
I am not good at choosing races with much thought other than I REALLY want to run them. Maybe I should start using your formula
They are all really good…now that I have Boston out of the way I can be more effecive in this!
I also choose races that i can convince friends to run w/me– then we're on a similar training schedule and can travel together, etc. Another thing is that I search for races close to where family/friends live so I can combine a visit with a marathon
Location and weather!! definitely the two biggest factors for me. And, whether or not my *groupies* are in – because that adds Huge motivation (plus it means we get to plan post-race brunches
)
Location and weather!! definitely the two biggest factors for me. And, whether or not my *groupies* are in – because that adds Huge motivation (plus it means we get to plan post-race brunches
)
I use the same criteria!
I like to choose a marathon in a city that I want to visit. I like for one marathon a year to be timed with a vacation, it is an added bonus!
I like to choose a marathon in a city that I want to visit. I like for one marathon a year to be timed with a vacation, it is an added bonus!
So far I've been going by location. I prefer not to have to travel. In the future, however, the heart will take a place in my chosing as well – I want to run NY, London, the big marathons.
umm schedule?
i want to run as many as i can in as many places as i can – so travel, cost, etc aren't a big concern for me. just depends when i can make mini 'vacations' and so far i haven't worked too hard at organizing those for further away states… oops 
guess i'll have to take all these long trips here soon and miss work. darn.
WHEN: it has to fit in with my schedule or be at a time when I can take time off work
WHERE: scenery is a very nice motivator. within driving distance is more affordable.
WEATHER: it's gotta be favorable.
I like races that are big, with lots of entertainment and crowds along the course. We really love to travel, so destination races are my favorite!
What a great post. I'm afraid both of the marathons I'm planning on were chosen based on heart and not on some of the more reasonable criteria like travel, cost, or size. Suppose it'll be a big trial and we'll see what happens!