Christmas Free Pree Column 2006
By Doug Kurtis
Free Press Columnist
12/11/2006

December is an excellent time to start mapping out your racing schedule for 2007. This is especially important if you plan to run a marathon or half marathon considering that some of these races sell out.

Last year the Detroit Free Press Flagstar Bank Half Marathon and Relays closed out. So did the Great Lakes and Dances with Dirt Relays. The Crim ten mile run continues to be the largest race in Michigan but hasn't reached capacity.

The Free Press Marathon, Fifth Third River Bank Run, Detroit's Turkey Trot and Dexter Ann Arbor events round out the top five races in Michigan with room for growth.

The nation's largest half marathon, the OneAmerica 500 Festival Half-Marathon in Indianapolis has already sold out. Grandma's Marathon and Bjorklund Half, whose entries usually come out in January, often sells out within a month.

According to Running USA's Road Running Information Center over 500,000 runners finished a half marathon last year. A 100,000 less finished a marathon. Many of largest marathons have added half marathons to their programs. The Free Press Marathon/Half Marathon now ranks in the top ten for this combination which is led by P.F. Chang's Rock and Roll Arizona races.

Marathonguide.com is a great place to start your search for events throughout the country. They have an extensive guide with ratings and comments from runners who have experienced the races. Over 12,000 runners view their site each day.

Mark your calendars and consider a few of these suggestions.
January: Head to sunny Phoenix, Arizona and experience one of the Rock and Roll Marathons. In Florida you can earn a big Mickey Mouse medal at Disney or search for something a little warmer at the ING Miami Marathon.
February: Experience New Orleans through their Mardi Gras Marathon. Like Detroit, the Austin Marathon keeps changing its course but for the better. It's a beautiful place to run a marathon or half of one. Check out the Broken Spoke honky tonk bar while you're there.
March: Hines Drive plays host to the growing Martian Marathon. I loved the blow up green aliens at the mile markers. Little Rock, Arkansas boasts the biggest medals in the U.S.
April: Boston's the biggie but Nashville's Country Music and Big Sur' are almost as exciting.
May: Can pigs really fly? Over 4,000 in Cincinnati think so. If you want something pretty try Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Ottawa, Ontario or stay closer to home with Traverse City's Bay Shore Marathon.
June: Grandma's is my favorite. If you can't get in and can afford to travel there is the Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska. Steamboat Springs and Lake Placid are worthy destinations.
July: How about the Grand Island Trail Marathon in Munising, MI.?
August: Maybe Reykjavik, Iceland – The Fire and Ice Marathon or the Leading Ladies (women's only) Marathon in Spearfish, South Dakota. The inaugural New York City Half Marathon in August sold out the first day. Runners loved it's start on Central Park's east side in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
September: Try Stowe Vermont's Marathon if you can manage to skip the Ben & Jerry's factory tour. Appleton, WI is a delightful town and Fox Cities Marathon shows it off.
October: Why are so many runners going to Chicago when Detroit has a more diverse and interesting course? They both compete with Columbus for participants. Marine Corps in D.C. is another venue that sells out.
November: New York is the biggest in the world and should be experienced at least once. If you couldn't get in try Seattle's Marathon.
December: Hospitality rates high at the St. Jude's Memphis Marathon. The new kid on the block is the Marathon of Palm Beaches in West Palm, FL. Spain has its running with the bulls but in Honolulu it's running with the Japanese, over 20,000 of them make it a family event.