Forums >Racing>Favorite Small-Medium 5k and 10k Races in US
Misinformation Officer
MTA any distance 5 to 10k works
Hubs and I are going to branch out in 2022 and run in places we have not been. We are mostly interested in US local or regional 5k and 10k road races, esp ones that have something memorable, sweet, or unique about them.
(For example, I ran a race this year and won a pecan pie instead of a trophy.)
Thanks for your suggestions!
Runs like a dj mixing songs while wearing festive outfits.5k PR 5/31/21 24:21
10k PR 5/23 54:43
HM PR 1/2024 1:59:10
One day at a time
Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, the first Saturday in August. Beautiful finish line in front of Portland Head Light and you might get to shake Joan Benoit Samuelson's hand. Great crowds and lots of food/activities at the finish. My favorite race.
Village people
I was going to suggest Beach to Beacon. It fills up fast so you have to be online when registration opens. We have a Flag Day 5km and the age group winners win flags.
Mother of Cats
MTA any distance 5 to 10k works Hubs and I are going to branch out in 2022 and run in places we have not been. We are mostly interested in US local or regional 5k and 10k road races, esp ones that have something memorable, sweet, or unique about them. (For example, I ran a race this year and won a pecan pie instead of a trophy.) Thanks for your suggestions!
On the Fourth of July, the DC Road Runners have an age handicapped 4 mile race - staggered start based on age and sex, with the first one across the line being the overall winner (no age group or sex divisions for this one - just one overall placing). Old women start first; young men start last. It is different and fun.
Below is an example of the start times for the race the year I did it.
Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.
And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.
not bad for mile 25
On the Fourth of July, the DC Road Runners have an age handicapped 4 mile race - staggered start based on age and sex, with the first one across the line being the overall winner (no age group or sex divisions for this one - just one overall placing). Old women start first; young men start last. It is different and fun. Below is an example of the start times for the race the year I did it.
Wow, that's cool. Sounds logistically tricky for the RD, some waves being seconds apart.
It is a neat idea - basically age-graded overall placings. But in my mind the even trickier logistics are the seemingly greater likelihood of crowding/passing. Usually the faster runners are in front and slower runners in back, this sort of flips it.
I bet darkwave cleans up at this one!
Dave
an amazing likeness
The Bay of Fundy International Marathon (Lubec Maine) has a 10K option which starts at West Quoddy Head lighthouse -- the easternmost point of the continental USA. Were you to line up closest to the point at the race start, you'd have a legit claim for the easternmost run logged that day in the USA...
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
It is a neat idea - basically age-graded overall placings. But in my mind the even trickier logistics are the seemingly greater likelihood of crowding/passing. Usually the faster runners are in front and slower runners in back, this sort of flips it. I bet darkwave cleans up at this one!
Nope - I think I've barely cracked the top 10 both times (and it's a pretty small race). Usually a woman in her 70s/80s wins it.
They limit the entry to about 200, I think - each "wave" ends up being anywhere from 1-20 people. So manageable. And you are allowed to start later than your wave, just not earlier. It seems to require more management of the start than a normal race, but less management at the finish - they don't chip time it - just measure the time at the finish line. Your official time for the race is how long it took you to run the race plus your time handicap.
The prizes are fun too - the entry is some low amount (I think $10) but you also have to bring a white elephant type gift. All of those are placed on a table, and then after the race you get to pick one item from the table in order of placing.
Anyways, if you're looking for a quirky small-medium race to do, I recommend this one. It's held at Carderock, MD, just outside of DC. You can do the race in the morning and then find some place to watch the DC fireworks that night.
Fair warning - if you want a good place to watch on the National Mall, you need to stake out a space on the Mall that morning, which conflicts with running a race in Maryland at the same time. But there are other locations that you can see the National Mall fireworks from that don't require you to get there quite as early.
If the OP wants to make a trip of this, I would book a hotel in Rosslyn, VA. Drive to Carderock that morning and race. Then drive back to your hotel, do touristy stuff that day, and walk over to the Iwo Jima memorial that evening to catch a good view of the fireworks across the river. You can get a really good view from there, and it's far less of a hassle than dealing with downtown DC both before and after.
I didn’t know about that one.
We regret that in view of ongoing uncertainties there will be no Bay of Fundy International Marathon in 2022. We are hopeful that we will be able to return in 2023, possibly in a somewhat different format. We are continuing our search for new race management options, including seeking a new Race Director...
https://bayoffundymarathon.com/
We regret that in view of ongoing uncertainties there will be no Bay of Fundy International Marathon in 2022. We are hopeful that we will be able to return in 2023, possibly in a somewhat different format. We are continuing our search for new race management options, including seeking a new Race Director... https://bayoffundymarathon.com/
The marathon course crosses the US (Maine) - Canada (New Brunswick) border, which has been closed and/or restricted heavily until just recently. I'd speculate the reference to "...somewhat different format.." means considering eliminating the border crossing.
Yes, that would be a pity.
Waltons ThreadLord
If you don't mind a 10k that is close to two loops of the same course (though, thankfully, there is not a simultaneous 5k race) there's Everyone's 10k in Jersey City in late October. It's in Liberty State Park and it will take you along a stretch of the Hudson River (twice) where you can see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Lower Manhattan skyline). After the race, you can visit the Liberty Science Center adjacent to the park, if that's your scene, or cross on over to see the sites in NY City.
5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:55 (11/23); 10k 49:24 (10/22); 10M 1:29:33 (2/24); Half 1:48:32 (10/22); Marathon 4:29:58 (11/23)Upcoming races: Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27; Running is Back 10k, 5/12
Leaning heavily on the small side, I'm very partial to the Freeze for Food in Madison, WI - https://www.rpcvmadison.org/cpages/freeze-for-food
It's limited to 300 people between 5k and 10k, but they don't start at the same time; it's possible to do both! The 5K isn't amazing in my opinion, since the course awkwardly doubles back on itself, but the 10K is great! It's a full lap of the UW Arboretum and it's gorgeous to run through.
It is Madison in March, so it's been super icy a few times. But hey, it's also been like 40 and sunny!
Probably. My parents just tried to cross back over into NB from ME and messed up something. They are now quarantined for two weeks.
My DH ran the Niagara Falls marathon. It crosses into the US and he had to clear customs before the race.