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.
Read guide →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.
Read guide →
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.
Read guide →
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.
Read guide →
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.
Read guide →
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.
Read guide →
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.
Read guide →
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.
Read guide →
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.
Read guide →
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.
Read guide →