How to Choose Your First Marathon
A practical framework for picking your debut 26.2 — course difficulty, field size, travel, and what actually matters on race day.
Marathon Guides
Practical advice for choosing a marathon, understanding course data, planning travel, and showing up ready on race day.
How to Choose a Marathon
Match a race to your goals — personal bests, sightseeing, atmosphere, or a major milestone — using course data and realistic expectations.
Marathon Course Profiles Explained
What flat, rolling, and hilly really mean — and how to read elevation gain, net change, and altitude on a marathon course.
Flat vs Hilly Marathons
When a flat course helps your time, when hills are worth the view, and how to pick terrain that fits your training and goals.
Marathon Weather: What to Expect
How temperature, humidity, wind, and rain affect marathon performance — and how to use typical race-day weather when choosing a start line.
Best Time of Year to Run a Marathon
Why marathon season clusters in spring and autumn, how hemispheres shift the calendar, and how to align your target race with good conditions.
World Marathon Majors Explained
The Abbott World Marathon Majors series, the Six Star Medal, qualifying paths, and how to approach racing the world's biggest city marathons.
Boston Marathon Qualifying Times Explained
How Boston qualifying standards work, why cut-off times often run faster than the published BQ, and how to plan a qualifying attempt.
Best Boston Qualifier Marathons 2026
Which US marathons produce Boston qualifiers in practice — course data, typical BQ rates, and how to match a race to your qualifying window.
Marathon Entry: Lotteries, Ballots & Open Registration
How major marathons allocate places — open entry, lotteries, charity bibs, tour operators, and what to check before you commit to a trip.
Marathon Race Day Checklist
What to prepare the night before, what to bring to the start, and the small logistics that stop a good training block turning into a stressful morning.