Saturday, May 16, 2009

Non-Sunday marathons in the western US

This is a project I've been working on for a while. I love marathons! There are so many that I want to do. I see advertisements in magazines and on websites about various marathons, but when I look them up, many of them are on Sundays. I don't run on Sundays, so I wanted to compile a list of Saturday and holiday marathons just to have as a reference. I figured I'm probably not the only person who doesn't run on Sundays, so I thought I'd post it here as a reference for anyone who needs it. If you have run any of these marathons, please leave a comment and/or send me a link to your race report. That could be useful in helping someone decide which one to sign up for.

Without further ado, here is my list of non-Sunday marathons in the western US (if you know of any others, please let me know):

January
Desert Classic Marathon, Phoenix, AZ
Running From An Angel Marathon, Lake Mead, NV
Snowshoe Festival Marathon, Midway, UT
Diamond Valley Lake Marathon, Hemet, CA

February
Sedona Marathon, Sedona, AZ
Death Valley Trail Marathon, Death Valley, CA
Buzz Marathon, San Miguel, CA

March
Run Through Time Marathon, Salida CO
Red Rock Canyon Marathon, Red Rock Canyon, NV
Yakima River Canyon Marathon, Yakima, WA
Napa Valley Trail Marathon, Calistoga CA
Catalina Marathon, Catalina Island, CA
Valley of the Sun Marathon, Mesa, AZ

April
Labor of Love Marathon, Lovell Canyon, NV
Moab Marathon, Moab, UT
Salt Lake City Marathon, SLC, UT
Wenatchee Marathon, Wenatchee, WA
Easter Marathon, Elma, WA
Muir Woods Marathon, Stinson Beach, CA
Golden Gate Headlands Marathon, Sausalito, CA

May
Shiprock Marathon, Shiprock NM
Whiskey Row Marathon, Prescott, AZ
Idaho Potato Marathon, Boise, ID
Grand Valley Marathon, Grand Junction, CO
Ogden Marathon, Ogden, UT
Windermere Marathon, Spokane, WA
Newport Marathon, Newport, OR
Wild Wild West Marathon, Lone Pine, CA
Ayala Park Marathon, Chino, CA
Palos Verdes Marathon, San Pedro, CA

June
Teton Dam Marathon, Rexburg, ID
Running With The Devil Marathon, Lake Mead, NV
Bear Lake Marathon, Garden City, UT
Utah Valley Marathon, Provo, UT
Seattle RNR Marathon, Seattle, WA
Green River Marathon, Kent, WA
Nisene Marks Marathon, Aptos, CA
Dog Valley Dog Marathon, Dog Valley, CA
Pacific Crest Marathon, Sunriver, OR

July
Leadville Trail Marathon, Leadville, CO
Foot Traffic Flat Marathon, Portland, OR
Deseret News Marathon, Salt Lake City, UT

August
Run With The Horses Marathon, Green River, WY
Grizzly Marathon, Choteau, MT
Mesa Falls Marathon, Ashton, ID
Park City Marathon, Park City, UT
Provo Marathon, Provo, UT
Crater Lake Marathon, Klamath Falls, OR

September
Flagstaff Marathon, Flagstaff, AZ
Salmon Marathon, Salmon, ID
Pocatello Marathon, Pocatello, ID
Little Grand Canyon Marathon, Price, UT
Top of Utah Marathon, Logan, UT
Mid Mountain Marathon, Park City, UT
Timberline Marathon, Mt. Hood, Oregon
Lake Tahoe Marathon, Lake Tahoe, CA
Big Sur Trail Marathon, Big Sur, CA
Big Bear Marathon, Big Bear Lake, CA
Shore to Shore Marathon, Chelan, WA

October
Hoover Dam Marathon, Lake Mead, NV
St. George Marathon, St. George, UT
Leavenworth Oktoberfest Marathon, Leavenworth, WA
Golden Hills Trail Marathon, Berkeley, CA
Napa Wine Country Marathon, Calistoga, CA
Columbia River Power Marathon, Umatilla, OR

November
Grand Canyon Marathon, Grand Canyon, AZ
Valley of Fire Marathon, Overton, NV
Mesquite Marathon, Mesquite, NV
Stinson Beach Marathon, Stinson Beach, CA

December
Death Valley Borax Marathon, Death Valley, CA

17 comments:

aNd! said...

Nice post. I work weekend nights so I always see races I want to do, but since I only get 4 weekends off a year I am pretty picky and choosy as to which ones I can commit to now. Let me know if you find any 3am on a wednesday marathons!

Lani said...

You never cease to amaze me.

FLYERS26 said...

nice thought.
I'm sure this list will help out a few runners.

Bob A said...

Not western US but East Coast:

Richmond Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K, Saturday, 14 November 2009.

Runner's World calls it America's Friendliest Marathon. It includes junk food stops at miles 16 and 22 (Gummy Bears, cookies, soda) and wet washcloth stations at miles 17 and 23.

Unknown said...

This is good. I always rely on www.marathonguide.com I always believe a marathon should be on a Saturdays so that they can rest on Sunday before going to work on Monday. Who wants to be limping into the office after a Sunday marathon?

Nikki Allen said...

Hello I just wanted to inform everyone that the Big Bear Marathon has now changed hands. It is now Run the Bear - Big Bear Lake Marathon. September 12, 2009

Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K, 1 Mile Kids Fun Run, and Bike Tour.

Come “Run The Bear” and discover the best kept secret endurance champions like Ryan Hall have known for years. Nestled in the San Bernardino Mountains, Big Bear offers a unique high-altitude challenge paired with cool, clean air, and inspiring scenic beauty. Traverse across the historic Big Bear Lake dam and mile after mile of the most scenic lake shores in Southern California. Big Bear is an easy drive and our friendly community is eager to welcome you. There is only one marathon like this in Southern California – so come discover the secret for yourself, and Run The Bear... Saturday, September 12, 2009

Web http://www.bigbearlakemarathon.com/

email - info@bigbearlakemarathon.com

Race Director Patrick Follett

1-888-906-9998

If you have any questions please let me know.

Race Administrator Nikki Allen

1-888-906-9998 Ext. 5

Alicia said...

Great list! I, too, don't run on Sundays and I've been having such a hard time finding the right marathon for my first. Seems that most marathons are on Sunday! I've finally settled on Running from an Angel on Jan 9th, 2010. Just happens to be my grandmother's b-day and, as she just passed away a couple months ago, seems to be a fitting tribute. Nice to see that you can still be a successful runner without running on Sundays. Thanks for your example.

Tida said...

Thanks for making this list. I really appreciate it. It makes me sad that most of the events in my city are Sunday morning. Hasn't anyone seen "Chariots of Fire"?

Steve said...

Great list! Thanks for sharing. I agree that it makes sense to hold marathons on Saturday because it gives you a rest day before going back to work. For me, it's also important for religious reasons. Maybe all the big marathons are heavily run by Jews, who worship on Saturdays?

Reid L. said...

Saturday Marathons in Arkansas:
(1) Athens-Big Fork Trail Marathon (central, western AR in the Ouachita Natianal Forest) - 1st Saturday in January
(2) Arkansas Marathon (Benton, AR) - mid-September
(3) Midsouth Championship Marathon (Wynne, AR) - early November
(4) Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya (Mountain Home, AR) - late November

Thanks for the list.

laurenhogan said...

The Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha, WI is held on a Saturday in May (there's also a half and a 5K!).

http://wisconsinmarathon.com/

Thanks for the list. :)

Amy said...

The Seattle Rock and Roll marathon is on a Saturday. I think it's June 26th year.

Amy
http://runningaroundonempty.blogspot.com/

Christina said...

This is a great list and there are more than I realized.

Adrienne said...

Awesome. Love it. The only marathon I've run is the Deseret News Marathon which is the 24th of July and the route is historical so in that aspect it's very cool. I ran it a few years ago and it is smaller so not tons of crowd which I prefer. They also have a parade that day so it makes for a good run for spectators as well.
Thanks for the list. I didn't realize there were so many. Good to know as I don't run on Sundays either.

Anonymous said...

Nice to see there are others who prefer to run marathons days other than Sundays. I have just completed my 50th marathon without having to do any Sunday running. I have just come across your list of non-Sunday marathons and have run the St. George marathon once a few years ago. Loved it. Planning to do it again in 2012. I have also run the Top of Utah marathon 4 times now and really enjoy coming down the canyon. I currently live in Calgary, Canada and find it very difficult to get to too many marathons since I moved here 11years ago. Thanks for this list. It will make planning my next 50 marathons a lot easier.
Regards
Graham

Roger Brown said...

Thanks for putting this together!! (don't care if it's 2018, it's still really nice to have this list. thank you )

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