Top 10 Of The World’s Most Popular Marathons

If you are an avid runner, then it might be safe to say that you may be planning to someday run in a major marathon event. With months of training and preparing for these big events, there can be some great recognition for those who participate and do well.

Some runners end up training for the Olympics, and others may get sponsored so that they can train and enter even larger marathons. So, here are a few of the world’s most popular marathons that you may want to think about preparing for. 

  1. Berlin Marathon 

Started in 1974, this marathon is held in the last week of September each year. It is known to be the fastest marathon in the world due to six of the latest men’s records, and three of the women’s, being set during the event. It employs the use of pacesetters to push the runners to get better times, so more competitive runners tend to join the participants. 

Because of this status, this event gets big sponsors for the marathon. A known sponsor of the big event is BMW. This year, it is growing to have names like Giti Tires added to the sponsor list as well. Since Giti Tire sponsors the BMW Berlin Marathon this year as well, the event is likely to grow to even bigger levels in the future drawing bigger crowds and larger television coverage for the major event. 

  1. Boston Marathon 

As the name suggests, this annual marathon is held in Boston, Massachusetts. This marathon is one of the only ones that is done on a Monday, and it is held on the third Monday of April each year. This is because it is Patriot’s Day in the US. 

To get a coveted spot in the Boston Marathon, you either have to be running to support and raise money for a charity or have run a Boston Qualifying Time at another marathon within the last year.

  1. London Marathon 

This marathon is one that draws all of the world’s best runners due to the competitiveness of the event. With pacesetters there to track times, this competition pushes great runners to be even better and many world records have been set during this race. 

The London Marathon began on March 29th, 1981 and has continued to use that same date each year to host the marathon.

  1. New York City Marathon 

Established in 1970, this huge marathon has risen to be called the world’s largest marathon with the highest number of people coming to join in the race. The entire course of the race runs through all five boroughs of New York City and is known for having one of the largest numbers of runners able to finish.

The New York City Marathon is held annually and it is always on the first Sunday of November. This event always draws a big crowd throughout the city with live events broadcasting the finishers as they cross the finish line. 

  1. Chicago Marathon 

Starting as early as 1905, this is one of the oldest marathons on the books. The event’s modern marathon has run in 1977 and has stayed the same since, with the exception of ceasing to have pacesetters. 

Because of the flat terrain of this event, many runners make this marathon a priority because it is a prime area for personal best times. Multiple world records have been broken during the course of this marathon. 

  1. Tokyo Marathon 

Having only been started in 2007, this event is one of the latest marathons to be added to the majors. The event is usually held in February and happens annually, as most of the other marathons in the majors.

This event draws crowds from all over the world who want to watch the big event. However, unlike other marathons, in order to participate in the event as a runner, you must have residency in Tokyo at the time of the event. 

  1. Paris Marathon 

As one of the most popular marathons in Europe, the Paris marathon only allows a limited number of runners to participate. Although it is a high number of participants allowed, 50,000, the number of applicants is much larger.

Held in April, this event follows the rules of France that require each runner to have a doctor’s note that clears them to run. This reduces the risks of unhealthy runners joining the race who may not be in the physical shape to do so. 

  1. Amsterdam Marathon 

This marathon was started in 1975 and quickly became a favorite of runners everywhere. With the top ten runner’s times taken into account, this marathon is one of the fastest courses in the world. Many avid runners who are looking to get personal best times typically run this race because of the times it allows. 

This marathon is a favorite to Kenyans, especially, who have taken a number of wins since its start. Consecutive wins have been achieved by multiple Kenyan runners over the course of this marathon’s history. 

  1. LA Marathon 

Started in 1986, this event is held every spring and has become one of the most popular marathons to run because of the great location. The introduction of the Stadium to Sea course has grown its popularity even more with the ability to end the marathon run at the beach. 

Although it does draw major crowds and large numbers of participants, this race does not qualify as a world records course because it is a point-to-point race course. 

  1. Dubai Marathon 

This marathon was started in 2000 and is usually held in January. Known as the world’s richest marathon, this event offers first place finishers $200,000 of prize money. In 2008, one million dollars was offered for the runner who gets a world record, and the prize was lifted to $250,000 for first place for the men and the women.

The Dubai marathon is also known as one of the fastest courses, which is great for runners who want to set their personal best times.