My husband has been running for 7 years and is in the lottery for the New York marathon. He will know soon if he got in. This will be his first marathon. If he doesn't get in to the NY marathon, we were curious about some other great spots for marathons. He's run in San Francisco a lot so don't want to go there. It would be great if it could be a fun tourist destination so we can make a little vacation out of it.

Several years ago my Dad ran the Marine Corps marathan in Wash DC...supposed to be a fairly flat, interesting course... circles out around the Pentagon.. we were so proud of him! Good luck.

How about the Chicago Marathon? It is in early October.

Austin, TX - flat (parts are downhill) course, great crowds, well organized marathon. Lots of great retsurants, live music. It's great for a first marathon.

Closer to the NY marathon time wise I guess is the Chicago marathon in October - have not run it, but am told it is also flat course, huge field of runners.

Austin is a great fast course, well organized, good crowds. Austin has good restuarants, lots live music on 6th street. Great place for a first marathon.

Chicago is closer to the NY marathon timewise - have not run it,but also a fast course,huge field of runners.

Of course Maui has a marathon - surely an unbeatable destination Someday..someday

oops did not realize the first one went through

Rock'n Roll Marathon in San Diego is supposedly lots of fun.

If he qualifies or even if he doesnl't.. the Boston Marathon is as good as it gets.. this year was a killer with unexpected heat..People who can barely walk...swear they will be back again,.

Good luck to your husband - I hope he gets in the marathon. New York was also my first marathon, and crossing the finish line was an experience that will stay with me forever. I agree that other great fall marathons are Chicago and Marine Corp., but they may be full by the time he hears about the lottery. If you are Disney fans, the Walt Disney World marathon is run in January.

Have you considered an international marathon? Venice is run in October, and hopefully, will be my next marathon (2005). Runners actually run across the Grand Canal on a pontoon bridge toward the end of the race.

Check Runner's World website for a calendar of marathons. Good luck!

Another vote for the Marine Corps marathon. I ran it in 2000, and it was fantastic. It always draws a large crowd, and you can't beat the scenery.

San Diego's Rock 'n Roll marathon is fun, but it takes place in June (today, in fact) and can be a little on the warm side.

The Silicon Valley Marathon in San Jose is nice. It's in October so the weather should be great for running.

http://www.svmarathon.com/

Big Sur

You can always be guaranteed a spot in the Honolulu Marathon! www.honolulumarathon.org

since I live in Honolulu, I tend to take the run for granted. But tourists that I see at the end have told me that it was the coolest thing they've ever done. The one drawback is that it starts at 5 a.m.--it has to, since Hawaii is so hot and you don't want to overheat. The nice thing about it is, if you are a sub-5 marathoner, you can finish, hang out at Kapiolani Park for a bit, get a massage, then go back to your hotel for a shower and then a nice big brunch. At least, that's what my friends and I do!

An alternative to US marathons--why not go to Europe? That's what I've done in the last several years. Now, that's a cool way to vacation! Just make sure the marathon is at the front end of your trip so you can enjoy the rest of your trip.

I really like the Seattle Marathon. It is always the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, so you could make a holiday trip out of it. Even though we lived in the area we would go stay in Seattle the night before and enjoy all the holiday decorations/atmosphere and then be ready for a great race in the morning. I will say that usually the weather is cold, windy and rainy...but it is a lot of fun so don't let that deter you at all!

Are you looking for a mega-marathon (20,000++)? If so, there are some good suggestions above. I believe the Marine Corp Mar. has a lottery also though.
But just about EVERYWHERE has a marathon nearby. So you could always pick a place you'd like to go and google a race calendar for that area. I'm in Philly and while our city has a smallish marathon there are probably about 10 others throughout the year within a 1.5 hour drive. The majority of the Northeast/Mid Atlantic marathons are in the fall, even though the most famous is in the spring.

The Twin Cities Marathon in October starts in Mpls and ends in St. Paul. The course passes a number of urban lakes and the Mississippi River. See the route and photos at http://brass612.tripod.com/tour.html

MelissaHI is much too modest!!! She ran my dream marathon this year...the Paris Marathon. Imagine it!

lovetotravel

found this today in runners world.
Marathons To Build A Vacation Around
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/...0-6600,00.html

melissaHI - Paris is my dream marathon too..my husband and I always talk about running marathons in other countries - have never quite done it.

OK, I'll admit it....I was trying to pump up Honolulu but Paris was quite possibly the coolest one I have ever run (literally and figuratively!). You need to register early because--although they had a field of 34,500 runners in April--they say they cut it off at 30,000 and due to the overwhelming interest they shut off entries about 6 weeks prior this year. It is one of the most well-organized marathons I've ever seen, too! Every 5K you have a virtual buffet of water, juices, fruits, sugar cubes, and sometimes gel. Around Mile 23 the guys from Marathon du Medoc greet you with red wine. Those French really know how to throw a party!

For more on this last marathon, check out my trip report on the Europe board. Olive Oyl, Indie, we should make this a Fodors GTG!!!

Wow! My daughter and I would LOVE hubby to run in PARIS!!!!!
Thanks for all the great responses.