What cities host the most walker-friendly races?
Winter:
- Honolulu Marathon is a great choice. According to marathonguide.com, close to half its competitors walk. More time to take in the spectacular scenery, perhaps. (December)
- Disney World Marathon has all the fun of Disney plus the muscle aches of a marathon. (December)
- The Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans even has awards for walkers. (February)
Spring:
- The Los Angeles Marathon is another walker-friendly race, and has around 40 percent of walkers. (March)
- Bataan Memorial Death March has more than a whopping three-quarters of its competitors walking. It honors servicemen who fought in WWII and many participants wear heavy boots and military gear to cover desert terrain in New Mexico. (April)
- Avenue of the Giants Marathon takes you past incredible Redwoods in Eureka, CA and gives you a full eight hours to appreciate them. (May)
Summer:
- The Kona Marathon in Hawaii has the second highest percentage of walkers and a course that’s open for nine hours. (June)
Fall:
- In Oregon, the Portland Marathon is praised as walker-friendly on many online walker boards. (September)
- Chicago Marathon, one of the biggies, has a whole lot of people hitting the streets, including plenty of walkers. (October)
- New York City is noted by marathonguide.com as being walker-friendly and always boasts great spectator support. (November)
Training Buddies:
- Galloway Training Groups: Follow Galloway’s foolproof plan for getting you across the finish line by teaming up with like-minded walkers.
- Team in Training: Join forces to battle leukemia and lymphoma, not to mention 26.2 miles. Teamintraining.org
- Marathon Walking: A site that offers up training plans, tips and encouragement.
Would you ever consider a walking marathon? Tell Peter and Leslie your marathon stories in the comments…
For more, check out:
- the Adventure Travel & Sports Category
- Leslie Garrett on “Unplugging Vacations”
- Leslie Garrett on Ecotourism in Australia
By Leslie Garrett for PeterGreenberg.com. Leslie Garrett, the Virtuous Traveler, is an award-winning journalist and the author of The Virtuous Consumer: Your Essential Shopping Guide for a Better, Kinder, Healthier World with a foreword by Peter Greenberg. Visit her on the web at:www.virtuousconsumer.com.
Feature Image credit: Bigstock
