Top U.S. Marathons This Spring

Posted January 12, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: In The News, His Fitness, Cardio Training

Have you been training over the past several months, but haven’t chosen the right marathon to compete in? If so, below is a list of some of the most popular marathons in the United States this Spring.

But if you’re new to training, you need to read this. Training for a marathon is a grueling process, but there’s no question – finishing one is a great accomplishment. A marathon is a 26.2-mile race. Training should first begin with medical clearance from your doctor, then (if you’re completely new to running) you should start running outside at a fairly good pace (meaning you have to work hard) for 4-5 days a week for at least 30-45 minutes for about 3 months.

After three months, you should start a training program which should begin 20 weeks (about 5 months) head of your race day.  Here’s a pretty good 20-week training program from About.com. **The reason training is so important is because running a marathon can put an extraordinary large amount of stress on your heart. Being unprepared can actually be fatal.

But if you’re already trained and ready to go (or almost ready to go), check out these top marathons across the U.S. this Spring. 

Boston Marathon When: April 21, 2008 (third Monday in April) Where: Boston, Massachusetts Web site: http://www.bostonmarathon.org

Country Music Marathon When: April 26, 2008 Where: Nashville, Tennessee Web site: http://www.cmmarathon.com/home.html

Big Sur International Marathon When: April 27, 2008 Where: Big Sur, California Web site: http://www.bsim.org/site3.aspx

Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon When: May 4, 2008 Where: Cincinnati, Ohio Web site: http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com/

KeyBank Vermont City Marathon When: May 25, 2008 Where: Burlington, Vermont Web site: http://www.runvermont.org

San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon When: June 1, 2008 Where: San Diego, California Web site: http://www.rnrmarathon.com/home.html

Grandma’s Marathon When: June 21, 2008 Where: Duluth, Minnesota Web site: http://www.grandmasmarathon.com

Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon When: June 21, 2008 Where: Anchorage, Alaska Web site: http://www.mayorsmarathon.com

For a more in-depth look at each marathon, check out this article from About.com. They give an extra paragraph on each of those listed above, saying why you’d want to do each.

Research sources and for more information: [About.com Spring Marathons]; [About.com Marathon Training]