1) Chicago Half Marathon
Named by Runner’s World as one of the top 10 half marathons in the United States a few years back, the race takes you along Chicago’s famed Lake Shore Drive for more than half of the 13.1 miles of the course, offering up breathtaking, scenic views of the city’s lakefront parks and downtown skyscrapers.
Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 • Chicago, IL
2) Adirondack Half Marathon
What race organizers describe as “probably the most beautiful 26 miles, 385 yards you’ll ever run” is on display around Schroon Lake, a year-round tourist mecca set in the hilly Adirondack Park in upstate New York.
Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 • Schroon Lake, NY
3) Newport Liberty Half Marathon
Known as a great tune-up for the New York City Marathon held each November, this race offers a mostly flat and fast race through the streets of Jersey City with plentiful views of the Statue of Liberty, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, lower Manhattan and Ellis Island.
Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018 • Jersey City, NJ
4) South Shore “3 Beach Minimum” Half Marathon
Set for its 5th annual running this fall, this race takes runners on a gorgeous, scenic run along the South Shore of Massachusetts, a string of beaches, inlets and bays that stretch all the way from Boston to Cape Cod.
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 • Hull, MA
5) Prince William Half Marathon
Runl along the gently rolling paved roads of Virginia’s Manassas National Battlefield Park, this race unfolds where the North and the South clashed twice in historic battles during the Civil War.
Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018 • Bristow, VA
6) Bellingham Bay Half Marathon
A beautifully scenic race along the city’s waterfront, this race takes runners and walkers on an out-and-back loop route from the Hotel Bellwether along the shores of the Bay, and back again to the hotel for the finish.
Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018 • Bellingham, WA
7) Southernmost Half Marathon
You’ll run along the shoreline of Key West, the southernmost point in the contiguous United States, here along the tip of South Florida, roughly 90 miles across the Gulf of Mexico from Cuba, at this beautiful fall race.
Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 • Key West, FL
8) City to the Sea Half Marathon
More than 2,000 runners and walkers come out each year to run the long, scenic point-to-point course from San Luis Obispo to the coastal town of Pismo Beach at this race, which has become a local tradition over the past decade in this Southern California town.
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018 • San Luis Obispo, CA
9) Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon
The majestic redwood forests of Northern California’s Humboldt Redwoods State Park serve as the backdrop for this race, which mark its annual fall running along a course that takes runners along the Avenue of the Giants highway.
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018 • Weott, CA
10) Lake Tahoe Half Marathons
Run along the stunning shoreline of California’s Lake Tahoe, these three half marathons — one each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday — are part of a weekend filled with rugged trail events, bike races and a 72-mile ultramarathon.
Friday-Sunday, Oct. 12-14, 2018 • Lake Tahoe, CA
11) The Other Half
Rising red canyons and stunning rock formations provide the backdrop for this race, which features gorgeous views of the surrounding terrain, including prominent landmarks Fisher Towers, Castle Rock, and the La Sal Mountains.
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018 • Moab, UT
12) Valley of Fire Half Marathon
It’s “the hardest race you’ll ever love,” organizers say, and the route lives up to the description at this race, a difficult and challenging one filled with hills and dramatic scenery within driving distance of Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, with red rock formations all around.
Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 • Overton, NV
13) Revel Mount Lemmon Half Marathon
Stunning views of the city below follow you for the entirety of this all-downhill race from Arizona’s Mount Lemmon, through forests and canyons in the Coronado National Forest.
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018 • Tucson, AZ
14) Golden Gate Half Marathon
Run across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Headlands and back at this late fall race, which begins and ends at the city’s historic Muni Pier and features a stretch running near the beach in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018 • San Francisco, CA
15) Malibu Half Marathon
Rocky bluffs, sandy beaches, waves crashing against the shoreline, and plenty of rugged hills await on a gorgeous point-to-point route along the Pacific Coast Highway at this race, which starts and finishes at Point Mugu Beach.
Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018 • Malibu, CA
16) Old Koloa Sugar Mill Run Half Marathon
Surrounded by the mountains of Kauai as well as the wide-open fields of the plantations that once operated here, this race shows off the scenic countryside, beachfront resorts and tree-lined roads that have kept tourists coming here since the 1830s.
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018 • Koloa, HI
17) Monterey Bay Half Marathon
The deep blues and greens of the Pacific Ocean crashing the rocky coastline, kelp beds swaying back and forth with the waves, sea gulls floating along the breeze and maybe even seals and sea lions — you’re likely to see all of it along the course here.
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 • Monterey, CA
18) Napa Valley Harvest Half Marathon
Limited to 1,000 entrants, this race is must-do for oenophiles, with a gorgeous backdrop for nearly the entire 13.1 miles, surrounded by vineyards, wineries, and mountain ranges with views of Mount St. Helena and the Palisades.
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 • Calistoga, CA
19) Monument Valley Half Marathon
Run among the dramatic landscapes of Utah’s Monument Valley — home to scenes you’ve seen in dozens of movies, TV shows, and car commercials — at this race that’s run mainly on graded dirt roads on the main loop through the valley.
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 • Monument Valley, UT
20) Mississippi Gulf Coast Half Marathon
Set for its second annual running along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico between Pass Christian and Biloxi, this race features a fast and flat course and plentiful views of the ocean throughout, as well as gorgeous historic homes.
Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018 • Gulfport, MS
21) Hoover Dam Half Marathon
The desert landscape of Southern Nevada — combined with majestic views of one of the most awe-inspiring man-made structures anywhere in the world, the Hoover Dam — are both on display at this annual mid-December race.
Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018 • Boulder City, NV
