The 100 Half Marathons Club is a
racing club that celebrates those who have achieved the
accomplishment of completing 100 lifetime half marathons (or
more), and encourages and supports those who are on the way to
reaching this goal.We
love the 13.1 race distance, and we enjoy sharing our
experiences and feedback on events to help each other select
better races.For more information about our club,
please visit us online at www.100halfmarathonsclub.com.
Our members fill out an annual
survey to recognize their favorite half marathons by state
and by category.These
are the results of our member voting for 2017 races.
2017 was one of the most
challenging race and travel years for many. Dozens of
events were cancelled, rescheduled or altered in the United
States due to extreme weather conditions, storms,
lightening, or forest fires. Travel was interrupted or
cancelled for many who missed events that were still held
but they could not get there. We definitely saw an
impact in the number of races our members participated in
during the 2017 race year.
1. Members voted on their own
personal experiences with races. These are the races
they identified as the "best of" in the categories listed
below.
2. If multiple races are listed in a category, they are in no
particular order. We've listed multiple winners where
there were votes that were too close to call the overall
winner, or where there were multiple races repeatedly
recommended.
3. While our club has over 200
discounts for races nationwide, we do not accept paid
advertisements from race directors.Our member’s responses are based
strictly on their opinion and experiences. We’re not
paid to promote any of the events listed below, nor has any
race paid us to be on this list.
4. If there is a race you are considering and you don't see it
on the list- remember, this vote is based on actual race
experiences, so if no one in the club has completed the race,
they're not voting for it.
Results Summary
There
are some half marathons that really stood out in our member’s
responses.These
are the races we’d call the “best of the best” based on the
number of repeated praise for these events.In no particular
order, these are the races that were almost unanimously
recommended by state and were nominated for several other
categories.If
someone were to ask if they should do these races, the answer
would be- yes, absolutely. Overall Top Best-Rated
Individual Events(in no particular order):
Flying Pig Half Marathon, Ohio
Wineglass Half Marathon,
New York
NYRR United Airlines NYC
Half Marathon, New York
Fargo Half Marathon, North
Dakota
Section 1: Best Half
Marathons in US Each State, Best of Canada, and Best
International
We
asked our club members to list what they consider to be the best
half marathon in each state.In cases where there’s a tie, or members listed multiple
events (such as in large states or states with the highest
amount of races, such as California or Florida), we’ve noted
them all below.
There
are many races that have similar names. We have done our
best to make sure it is clear what race we are referring to by
adding city names or the month of the race to try to avoid any
confusion.
Again,
if there is more than one race listed per state, these races
listed are in no particular order.
Canada and
international event results are also listed below.
Alabama
First Light
Half Marathon, Mercedes
Half
Marathon; Big Beach Half Marathon
Alaska
Anchorage
RunFest
Arizona
Lost
Dutchman Half Marathon, Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon,
Phoenix Half Marathon
Arkansas
Little
Rock Half Marathon, RussVegas Half Marathon
California
San
Francisco Half Marathon (first half), La Jolla Half Marathon,
Pasadena Half (Rose Bowl); Surf City Half Marathon
The races listed below were our "top mentioned" in
these categories. We included the all of the
most-frequently voted for races. Again, the winners are
listed in no particular order.
Honorable Mention Races: These are
events that were cancelled and not rescheduled in 2017 due to
weather issues (lightening, snow, ice storms, etc.) but are
historically known as being wonderful events.
Mississippi Blues Half Marathon (MS); Walt Disney World Half
Marathon (FL)
Best "Hidden Gem" Races Blueberry Cove 13.1 (ME); SoNo Half Marathon (CT);
RussVegas Half Marathon (AR); Runs With Scissors Half Marathon
(CO)
Best Race Shirt (Excludes RunDisney
events) Revel Races
Series; Space Coast Half Marathon (FL); Route 66 Half Marathon (OK); ShePower
Half Marathon (IN) "Must Do In Your Lifetime" Half
Marathon Boston's Run
to Remember Half Marathon (MA); NYRR United Airlines NYC Half
Marathon (NY); Big Sur Half Marathon (CA); Flying Pig Half
Marathon (OH); San Francisco Half Marathon (CA); 26.2 With
Donna Half Marathon (FL)
"The Course Almost Killed Me, But It
Was Soooo Worth It" Half Marathon Mad Half Marathon
(VT); Celebrate Life
Half Marathon (NY);
Hatfield/McCoy Half Marathon (WV); Run the Bluegrass Half
Marathon (KY)
Favorite Flat Half Marathon Rehoboth Beach
Half Marathon (DE); Key West Half Marathon (FL); Shamrock
Virginia Beach Half Marathon (VA); Half at the Hamptons (NH);
First Light Half Marathon (AL); Kiawah Island Half Marathon (SC) Best Big Bucks Race That’s Worth the
Registration Fee ($100 or more) New York Road Runners United
Airlines NYC Half Marathon (NY)
The Half Marathon You'd Do Every
Single Year If You Could
Flying Pig Half Marathon (OH); Wineglass Half Marathon (NY);
Little Rock Half Marathon (AR)
Best Multi-Day Event or Race Series
(includes weekends that have a half marathon plus other
distances as a part of a challenge or event race schedule)
Mainly Marathons Series (nationwide); Flying Pig Half Marathon
(OH); Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Dopey Challenge (FL);
Runner's World Half & Festival (PA); Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
Series
Best National Race Organizing
Companies (events are offered by company in multiple states)
Mainly Marathons Series; Rock 'n Roll Marathon Series; Vacation
Races
Best Race Expo
Flying Pig Half Marathon (OH); Rock 'n Roll Marathon Series
(Nationwide); NYRR United Airlines NYC Half Marathon (NY) Best Spectators / Community Support Fargo Half
Marathon (ND); Flying
Pig Half Marathon (OH);Anthem
Richmond Half Marathon (VA); Baltimore Half Marathon (MD)
Best Volunteers NYRR United
Airlines NYC Half Marathon (NY);
Richmond Half Marathon (VA);
Route 66 Half Marathon (OK); Flying Pig Half Marathon (OH); Bird in Hand Half Marathon
(PA) Best On-Course Entertainment (music,
live bands, displays, etc.) Fargo Half
Marathon (ND); Anthem Richmond Half Marathon
(VA); Flying Pig Half Marathon (OH) Best Destination Half Marathon (as in
doing a race where there are lots of tourist activities and
sightseeing opportunities) Key West Half
Marathon (FL); Rock ‘n’ Roll Las
Vegas Half Marathon (NV);
Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon (LA); Rock 'n' Roll
Philadelphia Half Marathon (PA)
Best "Is This A
Race Or Just Really A Huge Party?" Half Marathon Rock ‘n’ Roll Las
Vegas Half Marathon (NV);
Route 66 Half Marathon (OK);
Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon (LA); Shamrock Half Marathon (VA); Mainly Marathons races
(nationwide);
Flying Pig Half Marathon (OH) Best
Race for a PR Attempt Snickers Half
Marathon (GA); Charleston Half Marathon (SC); Fargo Half
Marathon (ND) Best Women's-Themed Half Marathon Niagara Women’s
Half Marathon (Canada); She Power Half Marathon
(IN); NYRR Shape Women's Half Marathon (NY); RunDisney Princess
Half Marathon (FL)
