13 Uncommon-Distance Races to Try

Run a weird distance. Races like 8Ks, 12Ks, and five-milers may not be as prevalent as 5Ks and marathons, but they’re plenty popular. In 2013, 29 of the 100 largest U.S. races (with 8,500 or more competitors) were atypical distances. Beyond the perk of notching a personal best, these races help hone pacing skills, as you have to rely on feel rather than past performances to gauge effort. Get schooled at one of these crowd-pleasing events.

This flat, point-to-point race begins near the Aloha Tower lighthouse in downtown Honolulu and brings runners along the shimmering waters of Honolulu Harbor. The race finishes on the turf of Aloha Stadium, home of the University of Hawaii Warriors football team. Almost 3,000 of the race’s 15,000 participants are members of the U.S. Armed Forces, who run in physical training (PT) gear while calling cadence within their units as part of the race’s “Sounds of Freedom” division.

February 20, 2017, Honolulu, Hawaii, greataloharun.com

Temperatures at this race may rarely exceed 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but runners luck out with views of the Minneapolis skyline and the Mississippi River, which the relatively flat course crosses twice (at miles 1 and 3). The course then loops around Boom Island, a picturesque spot popular for wedding photos just outside downtown Minneapolis. Of-age runners can pick up a free glass of Finnegan’s beer at one of four Irish pubs afterward, each of which features a DJ, Irish music, and Irish step-dancing performances.

March 11, 2017, Minneapolis, Minnesota, monsterrunseries.com

Honor the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps in 1775 (and secure entry to October’s Marine Corps Marathon) by completing this roughly 11-mile ramble through the wooded, 15,000-acre Prince William Forest Park. At the finish outside the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Marines award runners with passes that allow them to skip the marathon lottery.

March 25, 2017, Dumfries, Virginia, marinemarathon.com

As the world’s largest 8K, this Chicago event attracts about 40,000 runners each year. The flat loop works plenty of Chicago landmarks into its nearly five miles: It begins and ends at Grant Park (home of “The Bean”), and passes the Chicago Theatre and the Willis Tower. Though the event takes place two weeks after the city dyes its river green for St. Patrick’s Day, many runners dress in festive garb and stay for the postrace party with its live band and free beer.

April 2, 2017, Chicago, shamrockshuffle.com

Founded by Olympic marathoner Don Kardong in 1977, this looped 12K begins in downtown Spokane and heads northwest, crossing the Latah Creek and the T.J. Meenach Bridge over the Spokane River. For the most part, the course follows rolling hills, with the toughest part—the nearly three-quarter-mile, 152-foot “Doomsday Hill”—taking place at mile 4.5.

May 7, 2017, Spokane, Washington, bloomsdayrun.org

Founded in 1912, this 12K is the longest consecutively run annual race in the world. Long known for its street-party vibe, the race banned nudity, floats, and midrace alcohol in 2009. (You’ll still get to celebrate with a craft beer at the postrace party, though.) The event begins blocks from the San Francisco Bay and reaches its highest point around mile five after a steep 250-foot climb. Runners then descend to finish beside the Pacific Ocean. Participants’ notoriously over-the-top-costumes include superheroes, giant gorillas, and salmon that run “upstream” from the finish to the start.

May 21, 2017, San Francisco, baytobreakers.com

Kick off summer by racing with saltwater breezes at your back (hopefully) in this Memorial Day Weekend classic. Miles one and five run parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, while the middle miles weave through neighborhoods and Spring Lake’s small downtown. The race is New Jersey’s largest—its field (more than 12,500 annually) dwarfs Spring Lake’s year-round population (about 3,000)—and it marks the start of summer for this shore town.

May 27, 2017, Spring Lake, New Jersey, springlake5.org

This upstate New York 15K (about 9.3 miles) has two maps on its website: one of its rolling course, and one of its enormous postrace party, which is open to the nearly 14,000 runners and their friends and family. Conditions can be steamy—humidity sometimes hovers near 100 percent—but finishers can cool off with popsicles, snow cones, and craft beer.

July 9, 2017, Utica, New York, boilermaker.com

More than 20,000 runners converge upon eastern Iowa for this seven-miler, which began in 1975 and honors jazz musician and Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke. The out-and-back course begins with a nearly mile-long hill, and midrace temps often climb, too (as high as 85 degrees). But runners can find relief at the turnaround, where one family traditionally sets up a giant Slip ’n’ Slide in their yard.

July 29, 2017, Davenport, Iowa, bix7.com

The point-to-point 6-miler begins at the Santa Cruz Wharf and follows a relatively flat route directly along the rugged Pacific coastline to the Capitola Wharf. Along the way, more than 16,000 runners pass the Giant Dipper roller coaster on the Santa Cruz boardwalk and can watch surfers take to the waves as they pass legendary spots known as “The Hook” and “Pleasure Point.” Average race-day highs are in the mid-seventies, but ocean winds help keep entrants comfortable.

July 23, 2017, Santa Cruz, California, wharftowharf.com

When bartender Tommy Leonard closed for business to watch Frank Shorter win the men’s Olympic marathon in 1972, he hadn’t yet decided to start this 7-miler, which would eventually draw 12,000 runners annually—including Shorter himself. Racers begin at the town community center in Woods Hole, then make their way northeast toward Falmouth on hilly, winding, tree-shaded roads that bring runners past the 40-foot Nobska Lighthouse. After you’ve conquered the first three miles, you’re free to coast on flat roads along Martha’s Vineyard Sound, where there’s usually a breeze to cool runners—temperatures often reach the high 70s.

August 20, 2017, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, falmouthroadrace.com

Spirited Buckeyes turn out to cheer as many as 12,000 runners as they tour the Ohio State University campus and finish on its stadium’s 50-yard line. In true collegiate fashion, there’s a postrace tailgate party outside the stadium, complete with free beer and the company of OSU cheerleaders and mascot Brutus Buckeye.

October 22, 2017, Columbus, Ohio, ohiostatefourmiler.com

This 87-year-old Thanksgiving Day tradition draws 15,000 runners and an estimated 20,000 spectators each year. The looped 4.75-mile course begins and ends near St. James Church and winds around the neighborhoods of suburban Manchester. Runners tackle a mile-long incline beginning at the half-mile mark, but the following gradual downhill to the finish provides a surefire way to make it to Thanksgiving festivities on time. Runner’s World editor-at-large and 1968 Boston Marathon winner Amby Burfoot has run the race a record 51 consecutive times, winning nine times (seven of which were back-to-back).

November 2017, Manchester, Connecticut, manchesterroadrace.com