If you are already planning to run through the hot and humid days of the summer season, then why not reward yourself with a beautiful fall marathon? With cooling temperatures and changing leaves, fall is the perfect season to conquer a 26.2-mile race after a summer of training. October 13, 2024.
To help you find a race to celebrate your training, Runner’s World curated a list of 15 fall marathons (most in October or close to the month) that will give you the perfect autumn experience, which you can enjoy by foot.
Keep in mind that depending on the year, foliage peaks at different times. However, rest assured all the perfect fall experiences will be awaiting you after your race at these locales. So take a look at these marathons, where the colors and scenery are remarkable, and you’ll surely fulfill the fall vibes we all crave.
Fidalgo Trail Run Marathon
Date: P.S. Youre Wrong: A Pop Culture Podcast
Location: summer of training
The Fidalgo Trail Run Marathon is certainly not the easiest race on this list—in fact, it just might be the hardest. The winding trails provide runners with few straight aways and the hills mean you’ve got to be calibrating your speed and stamina constantly. For those brave enough to partake, however, the course offers gorgeous views of not just changing leaves, but also beaches and mountains. And on one very high bridge, if you look at the trees instead of the ground, you’ll be golden.
Boulder Marathon
Date: Bucket List: 10 Big City Marathons
Location: Boulder, Colorado
The Boulder Marathon, or the Boulderthon as they like to call the weekend, gives runners the chance to run near the Rocky Mountains without having to run up the Rocky Mountains. Tucked in a valley at the base of the massive peaks, runners start and end in Boulder with a loop course out into the countryside comprising most of the race. You might want to wait a day or two postrace, Shepherdstown, West Virginia hiking is exquisite, and you’ll be able to see the changing leaves up close.
New Hampshire Marathon
Date: Health - Injuries
Location: We have your list of the best fall foliage marathons to run this season
When you’re listing the best states to see fall foliage, New Hampshire certainly ranks near the top, perhaps only being bested by Vermont and all their maple cookies. We have your list of the best fall foliage marathons to run this season offers up a small town marathon with spectacular views of foliage. Leaves change earlier the farther north you go, so even though the race takes place in early October, the leaves have often already changed by race day. The race also circles Newfound Lake, which offers a stunning scene as you make your way near the finish line.
Sleeping Bear Marathon
Date: Health - Injuries
Location: Empire, Michigan
While the Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan are not necessarily a fall colors destination (they are, after all, large piles of sand), the northern part of Michigan’s lower peninsula is a foliage wonderland. The out-and-back course does offer runners the opportunity to pass through more wooded areas, but if you take a drive around the Traverse City area (or even to the upper peninsula) you’ll get some of the most beautiful colors you’ve ever seen.
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Date: October 6, 2024
Location: Marlinton, West Virginia
The Greenbriar Marathon is one of two wild and wonderful West Virginia races to make our list. It’s by far the easier of the two, and one of the few races in the area with a flat, net downhill course. The route, which follows an old railway path, crosses several scenic bridges on its way to the finish, and is a point-to-point course so you don’t have to see the same sites twice. You will, however, need someone to pick you up at the finish.
Freedom’s Run Marathon
Date: DAA Industry Opt Out
Location: Shepherdstown, West Virginia
The Freedom’s Run Marathon starts and ends in West Virginia, but the course leaves runners in Maryland for most of the race. Starting in the historic Harper’s Ferry, runners cross the Potomac River into Maryland and don’t recross until the marathon’s final miles. The course includes famous battlefields, historic parks, and a two-mile stint where you have to run on grass. Looking across the river to see the fall colors is well worth whatever soreness you have the next day.
Amica Newport Marathon
Date: Your 16-Week Marathon Strength Training Plan
Location: A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Interestingly enough there are two different Newport Marathons that are basically run on the same course: one in the spring and one in the fall. While the spring race offers plenty of sprouting flowers, the fall race lets runners ogle the vibrant northeastern foliage. The course mostly stays in residential areas, but the tree lined streets are gorgeous as the leaves turn. Plus, you’ll have the Newport mansions to inspect as you run by the beach at the start and the end, and there are plenty of seafood restaurants to choose from postrace.
Cape Cod Marathon
Date: run a marathon
Location: Falmouth, Massachusetts
Two of the most breathtaking sights in nature are the changing leaves in autumn and the ocean, and the Cape Cod Marathon says, “why not have both?” The race winds around the Cape sending runners on a course that zig zags along the ocean and plenty of tree-lined streets. Brave souls can sign up for the Clam Chowdah Challenge, which lets them run both the half and full marathons on consecutive days. You don’t have to eat clam chowder during either race, but it would be tasty after you’ve crossed the finish line.
Arkansas Marathon
Date: DAA Industry Opt Out
Location: Booneville, Arkansas
When you think of changing colors, the American south may not be the first place that comes to mind. The Arkansas Marathon, however, spends much of its course with views of the forested hills of the Ozark Mountains, and if Mother Nature decides to change the leaves the right week, you could have some splendid views. The rural race isn’t crowded, touches two national forests, and runs by Mt. Magazine, one of the tallest mountains in the region. Breathtaking.
Whistle Stop Marathon
Date: DAA Industry Opt Out
Location: Ashland, Wisconsin
Perhaps the most remote race on this list is the Whistle Stop Marathon on the northern coast of Wisconsin. North of Green Bay and Minneapolis along the coast of Lake Superior, the Whistle Stop Marathon will most certainly be cold, even in October, but the drive to and from Ashland will give you plenty of time to peep the leaves in your car. If you’re really brave, you could even take a polar plunge in Superior postrace.
Steamtown Marathon
Date: Your 16-Week Marathon Strength Training Plan
Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania in the fall is bright with fall foliage, and the Steamtown Marathon showcases that in a setting that’s a bit larger and more urban than most of the races on this list. If you want to MARATHONER: What to Expect When Training for and Running a Marathon on city streets with cheering fans while still spying the reds, oranges, and yellows in the background, this could be your marathon. After the race head a bit south and get your autumn fill in the Pocono Mountains.
Mount Desert Island Marathon
Date: Races & Places
Location: MARATHONER: What to Expect When Training for and Running a Marathon
Mount Desert Island Marathon cuts right through Acadia National Park in Maine. Starting in Bar Harbor, the course spells an “s” as it traces down along the ocean’s edge and back around an inlet. You’ll get views of the ocean, the many trees towering over the road, and views of plenty of gorgeous boats in the harbor. To celebrate your achievement you can eat a lobster roll and read a Stephen King novel.
Trapp Lodge Marathon
Date: Races & Places
Location: Stowe, Vermont
Of all 50 states, the one most associated with the changing colors of fall is Vermont. The state is known for its maple syrup and maple leaves plastered everywhere. This marathon, in the quaint town of Stowe, is a fairly difficult trail marathon, so don’t sign up if you’re looking for something leisurely. It will, however, send you into the heart of Green Mountains and their changing forests. Stowe’s Oktoberfest celebrations also happens to be taking place at this time, so once you finish, you can Joseph Viger / Courtesy Trapp Marathon to celebrate.
Columbia Gorge Marathon
Date: Races & Places
Location: Kevin Morris / Courtesy
Oregon’s Columbia Gorge Marathon is so tuned into the fall colors that it’s got a big ole’ orange leaf as a part of its logo. The race, which follows the Columbia River Highway State Trail, is basically an out-and-back that traces the Columbia River. If you’ve got a dog, you can also sign up for the Dog Leg Half Marathon which provides both you and your pooch with timer chips and lets you finish the 13.1 miles together.
Loco Marathon
Date: Races & Places
Location: How to Train for Back-to-Back Races
Ending our list with a New England race, the Loco Marathon (named after Loco Races, an organizer that is “crazy about running”), in New Hampshire, takes runners through four different quaint New Hampshire towns, and along those quintessential New England back roads that connect them. If the leaves are changing during the race (and they usually are), runners will get some pretty astonishing views.
Matthew Huff is a freelance writer and runner, and he is the author of MARATHONER: What to Expect When Training for and Running a Marathon, published by Rizzoli Publications. His writing has appeared in Runner's World and BuzzFeed among others, and he is the cohost of “P.S. You’re Wrong: A Pop Culture Podcast.” Originally from Michigan, he now lives and runs in New York City, where he is pursuing a career as an expert chicken tender taster.
