Great Virginia Marathons

Looking for a great race? Marathon runners in northern Virginia, Fredericksburg, King George and Richmond have more choices than most along the I95 corridor. These ten great races are well organized and have terrific courses. Train hard, run smooth!

August 2010
The Dahlgren Heritage Rail Trail in a 50km dirt race held in Caledon Natural Area King George. Presented by Racetime Unlimited the race starts at 6:30 am. Registration for the August 7th, 2010 race is open until August 5th. Entry fee varies up to last minute $100.

October 2010
Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, DC, takes place in October but registration begins in April and fills up quickly. The 2010 race filled up with 30,000 registered runners in just six days. Participants interested in running this 26.2 mile marathon on October 31st, 2010 should check the MCM charity partner pageto see if any of the 70 fund raising partners have an entry available.

November 2010
Richmond Marathon has been called "American's Friendliest Marathon" by Runner's World Magazine. Until 1997 this race was called the Richmond Newspapers Marathon it is now the SunTrust Richmond Marathon. In 2009 over 5,000 runners participated. Go on-line to register for the 33rd running on November 13th, 2010.

Richmond also hosts the McDonald's Half Marathon and the HCA Virginia 8k on the same day.

March 2011
Another great race opportunity in Washington, DC is the 2011 SunTrust National Marathon. Race day is March 26, 2011 with on-line registration beginning on July 4th, 2010. A 15% military discount is offered but you must register as active or retired military at the time of registration.

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield National Half Marathon is on the same day. Registration for the half marathon also begins of July 4th, 2010. For more information on either race check out www.nationalmarathon.com. These events will premier the biodegradable Chrono Track B-Tag System which attached to the runners bib.

May 2011
TheMarine Corps Historic Half Marathon, formerly located on Quantico Marine Base, was moved to Fredericksburg in 2008. The 13.5 course begins and ends at the Fredericksburg Expo Center traveling through historic downtown mainly on paved roads. 5,433 runners crossed the finish line in the 2010.

Registration for the 2011 Historic Half opens on-line December 15, 2010.

June 2011
Runners wanting to race on Quantico should check out the Crossroads 17.75k held in June. The course starts at the Quantico Center on route 234 runs through the scenic Prince William Forest ending at The National Museum of the Marine Corp. Times are recorded using shoelace D-tags from Chronotrack Timing Systems, Inc.