Race All 50

I have a goal to race all 50 states (and a couple international) in my lifetime.  My hubby and I like to travel, so I hope that THE RUN will keep us fit and active as we grow older. We ideally look for races that have both a 5k (for him) and a half/marathon (for her)... but at separate times.  That way both of us get to race and we can still bring the kids along on vacation. If you have a recommendation from your state, please share below!

Interested in running the States? Check out these online clubs...

RACE THE STATES WITH ME!
ON DECK FOR 2013...

ON MY WISH LIST...
California - Avenue of the Giants (May) 2014
North Carolina - Outer Banks Marathon (Nov)

Is there a great race in your state that you would recommend??
Please tell me about it!!



Race All 50 Map - download/print here.
Are you racing all 50 States too?
Keep track of your progress by coloring in this map of the U.S.

46 comments:

  1. Are you looking for all marathons or a mix? Let me know and I have a bunch to recommend for New England states!!

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    1. Any! Full, Half, 10K, probably wouldn't travel far for a 5K. Thanks!

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  3. All the Disney 5k, half and full are in FL! They just had Tangled 5K and Disney Princess this past weekend and others are in Oct/Nov I think

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  4. You should run the MDI Marathon in Maine!

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  5. Indy Marathon: http://www.indianapolismarathon.com/

    A friend sent me your blog link. I actually have a goal to: 5K in 50 states. And my name is Jess as well so I just had to leave a comment! Indy 5K was the best course I have ran so far. Totally recommend it :)

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  6. Florida has a lot of great races including:

    All runDisney events (several upcoming in the fall including the new Tower of Terror 10 Miler)
    Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Fl (largest 15K in the country)
    Women's Half Marathon in St. Petersburg, FL (half marathon in November)
    Jacksonville Bank Marathon (also has a half, Runner's World recently included it in its list of best marathons to set a PR)

    Have fun!

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  7. Not my home state, but we spend weekends in Newport, Rhode Island a lot and they have an awesome race weekend in October. http://www.amicamarathon.com/raceinfo.html

    Newport would be a great place for your family to vacation!

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  8. Kentucky - Derby Marathon or Half. It is a fast, flat course. Goes through or around Churchill Downs, where the Kentucky Derby is run, and all around downtown Louisville. My hubby ran the half last year and is doing the full this year. I'm doing the half this year.

    We did the Marshall University Full (him) and Half (me) in West Virginia last Nov. It was a great course too, also flat and fast!!

    also how did you make this map? I have one typed up in my sidebar but would love a map like this!

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  9. Come run the Music City Marathon in Nashville! I live in Nashville now and am running it for the first time this year.
    I'm from New Orleans, LA so I would recommend the Mardi Gras Marathon down there! I lived in Texas for several years - would recommend both the Cowtown Marathon (Fort Worth in January/February time frame) and the White Rock Marathon (Dallas in December). Love the map! Such a cool and fun goal to have.

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    1. Ditto Tess' recommendation for the Mardi Gras Marathon. I grew up in Louisiana and remember going to watch a older version of this Marathon; there are always a lot of great cheering crowds because the route use to crisscross some parade routes.

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  10. I ran the NYC Half Marathon; it was a great way to see the city! I also loved the Kentucky Mini Derby Marathon that Crystal suggested. It was neat to run through Churchill Downs plus you get free tickets to the Derby. I also ran the Mardi Gras Half in New Orleans and it's a nice race, but now that they are a Rock n Roll Marathon, I think the price went up to over 100 dollars.

    I am from California; I ran the CIM last year and really liked it, but other than that, I have mostly run races in other states!

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  11. Oh! I forgot to mention the Newburyport, MA Green Stride Half (Oct)!! Beautiful New England fall foliage.

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  12. Marine Corps marathon is in Oct... its on my wish/hope list for when I am finally crazy enough to go for a full marathon. (Currently training for my first half..lol)

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  13. In Oklahoma, November is Route 66 race month. There's a 5K and kid's fun run on Saturday. Then on Sunday, there's the half, full and full relay. This year, it is the weekend of Nov. 177 and 18. This race is a BQ and has won awards as one of the best marathons in America. The race this year follows the SAME route as last (which it NEVER does) so if you decide to run it; I can send you a Garmin file because the last part is HILLY. The marathon also has an opitonal "Center of the Universe" detour of .3 miles making it the shortest Ultra marathon AND you get a commemorative (SP?) coin for the detour.

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  14. Would LOVE to have you here in Michigan in October! I will be running my first half (YIKES!) at the Detroit Free Press run and it would be great to meet you in person!! :) :)

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  15. My brother lives in Alaska and last summer I ran a cross country 5K there...in a small town named Hope. It was awesome!! They also have a great half marathon in Anchorage!

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  16. I did the Mardi Gras Half last year and it was awesome!!! I also went to DC and did the 10k while my husband and 3 of my girlfriends did the Marine Corps Marathon. (I we supposed to do it, but got plantar faciitis during training.) We are planning on doing it again this year.
    I live in NJ and there are some really cool races here. In April, we have Runapalooza. There is a 5k, a half marathon and a full marathon right up the coast. It's also a huge marathon relay. So fun!!

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  17. We have a little marathon here called the Boston Marathon, they also have a 5k on Sunday. For runners the weekend is thrilling, emotional, and filled with renewed motavation. The expo is amazing. The BAA also has a Half in October that is great. For a smaller race, I'm running the Quincy Half 3/18, I ran it last year with a PR. There is also races on Cape Cod by BA Events.

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  18. Here in Colorado we have the Colorado Marathon in May-- it includes a full, half, 10k, and 5k, as well as a kids run (I think.) The longer distances start up in a canyon and run along a river-- super beautiful! I'm running the half in a few months, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of pics on the blog :)

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  19. If you don't make the lottery for Gma's in MN consider the Twin Cities Full in October. Or TeamOrtho.us has some great races in the Twin Cities area - amazing swag, after parties, etc. I'd recommend their Halloween Half and Get Lucky 21K - the Minneapolis Half/Full they put on is good too, just not themed.

    Also, for ND I've heard great things about Fargo...which is why I'm all signed up for this May.

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  20. Thanks for commenting on my map! Glad to see we have the same goal! Love your map :) I really want to do the Kentucky Derby Mini & Outer Banks half as well. Living in NC the outer banks one should be easier to get to, though I've already completed a half in NC so that will just be for fun! Have you done any of the disney races? Those are fun too! Good Luck! :)

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  21. I am new to your blog and I love it!! I am also doing the Wine and Dine Half Marathon and it will be my first half! I live just outside of Orlando, Florida and am finally jumping on the runDisney bandwagon. I've never done anything more than a 5k. AHH!

    And I am totally signing up for the Jelly Bean!

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  22. This is a big one around here....Long Island, NY

    http://www.cowharborrace.com/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Cow_Harbor_10K

    After Sept 15th I will let you know how it is but the hills are infamous!

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  23. In Utah there a lot of good ones. The SG Marathon is pretty big in Oct. The Bryce Canyon 1/2 in July is so much fun. We've gone camping there with the family, mountain bike ride, hiked some trails in the park. The Provo Halloween 1/2 is a big deal too.
    The RnR Las Vegas in Nevada was super fun in Dec.
    And I'm really excited to do the Safari Park 1/2 is San Diego, CA in 3 weeks. I'm dressing up big time for this one. And the Disneyland 1/2 in Sept. was super fun as well. I dressed up as Minnie Mouse. :)
    Amber :)
    Http://theblonderunner.com

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  24. My annual marathon is Chosen: Marathon for Adoption in TX, north of San Antonio. It's the last Saturday of October. They also have a half.
    http://www.chosenmarathon.com/

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  25. In South Dakota, there is an all women's full and half marathon in August, Leading Ladies! It is awesome----gradual downhill course through beautiful Spearfish canyon. The race director, Elaine, is super nice and you get a rose after you cross the finish line (along with the medal) from a guy in a pink tuxedo tshirt.

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  26. I got one for you - the Slacker Half! It's in June and I'm doing it again this year. It is ALL DOWNHILL! It goes from Loveland Ski area (aka oh my goodness it's high altitude) to Georgetown, CO. I've done it three times now and it is so beautiful up there. See you next year maybe. Another good one is coming up in Aug. It's the Georgetown-Idaho Springs Half because that's where it goes from and to. It's more of a rolling course. It's my fav!

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  27. Stephanie JohnsonJune 17, 2012 at 12:36 PM

    Myrtle Beach Mini 1/2 Marathon in October - Myrtle Beach, SC; Thunder Road 1/2 and full marathon in November - Charlotte, NC; Va Beach, VA Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon - always Labor Day weekend.

    This will be my 3rd year of running all three of these races - great destination races!!

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  28. The Big Wild Life Half marathon/marathon is in Anchorage Alaska in August (usually) and is a BEAUTIFUL race! And the Mayors Marathon (and half) in June, also in Anchorage Alaska!!!

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  29. Allison Van de KempJuly 9, 2012 at 1:45 PM

    Come to the island of Malta in the Meditteranean for the half/marathon in Feb 2013. This year's half was our first race ever & was a super awesome experience! We are Canadians!

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  30. Jess, I see you already have a Disney race coming this year to check Florida off your list, but we would love you to consider joining Team Girl Power 2 Cure in the Disney Princess Half Marathon. It's Feb. 24, 2013, and our team is running to support families whose daughters have Rett Syndrome, a sad disorder that robs little girls of the ability to walk, let alone run. Our dream is that they'll someday be able to run with us! You can get details at http://www.girlpower2cure.org/disney if you're interested. It will be my own first half marathon!

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  31. There is one in New Mexico where you run up and back down a volcano. We have visited the volcano and I bet this would be a really fun course. It is on my list :) http://www.capulinvolcanorun.com/

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  32. You'd probably enjoy the Peachtree Road race in Atlanta, Ga. It's a 10K on July 4th. The Atlanta Thanksgiving Half-Marathon would also likely be a good one for Georgia. :-)

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  33. I'm hoping to do the Rock Canyon Half Marathon in Pueblo, CO. It's run in December. They run rain, sleet, snow, or shine!! If you look at the site they actually have pictures of the race in the snow. The only reason I haven't signed up for it is because you have to run it in under 14 minutes a mile. I'm somewhere around 12 to 13 minutes a mile, but I'm worried about the inevitable slow down. I will be running the Disney Wine & Dine in November. See ya there!

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  34. The Shamrock Marathon Series in Virginia Beach in March is always really fun! There's a full, half, and an 8k. The 8k is usually on Saturday while the full and half are on Sunday. Even more perfect is that the race begins and ends at the oceanfront and March is off-season for us here so hotels on the beach should be relatively inexpensive :o)

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  35. Kansas has some great full and 1/2 races in both the spring and fall . . . PrairieFire, Johnston's, Kansas Marathon (dubbed the "wickedly fast half"), NorthFace.

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  36. I highly recommend the Shamrock Run in Portland Oregon...it is a blast and they have all the different options for races! I did the 5K run this year and it was amazing!

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  37. I'm thinking about Mississippi Blues in Jackson, MS on 1/5....also I'm assuming you have done Christie in Champaign and Lincoln in Springfield (I know it's close to you, sorry, but thought I'd mention)...also doing the Murray KY half on 4/13 and Indy on 5/4. You also might want to look at Flying Pig....Detroit Free Press International Marathon in October. Shamrock is on my list also, as well as Georgia Publix and the MCM. Another one on my list is Fargo, ND - heard great things about that one. Saw you just did Tulsa - that one is also on my list. I'm doing Grandma's in June as well. I have a race spreadsheet that I keep - but I love your map idea!

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  38. I love this!!!! Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but Bloomsday in Spokane is an amazing race!! It is a huge 12k race with 50,000+ runners. Also, this past thanksgiving my family ran the Dallas Turkey Trot. There is an 8 miler & a 5k. I thought it was a great race! Another huge race with 50,000+ runners the Vancouver Sun Run (if you are looking for on in Western Canadian). I'll be running that one in April:)

    Good Luck!

    Janelle

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  39. I'm running the women rock 1/2 as well in Minnesota :) It's a beautiful course, can't wait! (plus how can you say no to chocolate and champers handed out by hot firemen at the end!!)

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  40. Hey Jess, I see you are running the Publix Half in Atlanta this year. It'll be my first half ever! Hope to see you there!

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  41. There's a fun two day event in Allen, TX- New Year's Double. 5k, half and full New Year's Eve and Day. You can run an event each day and get a third medal =) I ran it a couple years ago, and it was a lot of fun. http://newyearsdouble.com/

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    1. Ooo... nice bling!! I might have to visit Allen, TX!

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  42. My goal is to run in all 50 states before I turn 50 (I'm 45). It doesn't have to be a race but most have been. I see it as a goal to go to some amazing places, meet some amazing people, and see some amazing sights. So far, so good :). Good luck on your goal and thanks for the print out...love it!

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