10 Best Marathons & Road Races (Costs & Tips, 2026)

The oldest annual marathon in the world, and the hardest to simply enter — you need a qualifying time from another race first. The course saves its worst for late: Heartbreak Hill hits around mile 20, named after a 1936 race where the leader lost the lead there and, as one reporter put it, broke his rival's heart. That barrier to entry is exactly what makes finishing it mean something different from any other 26.2 miles.

Run through central Tokyo with crowd support locals describe as deafening for the entire route — this is the newest of the six World Marathon Majors, added in 2013, and it's already considered one of the best-organized. International entry runs about $230, roughly in line with the other Majors on this list, before flights and a Tokyo hotel turn it into a proper trip.

Flat, fast, and more world records have been broken here than on any other course on Earth. Entry is by lottery, not qualifying time, so it's genuinely open to anyone willing to enter and get lucky.

Runs through all five boroughs, and the crowd noise reportedly never actually stops, unlike quieter stretches on most other courses. Getting in means winning the random draw or securing a charity bib — there's no qualifying-time shortcut here the way there is at Boston.

Entering the ballot itself costs nothing, though the odds are long — it's only if you're actually selected that a £80 entry fee kicks in (international runners pay more, around £225). Charity-guaranteed places exist too, if you'd rather fundraise your way in than rely on luck.

The lack of hills that slow runners down at Boston or NYC makes this one of the more beginner-forgiving Majors on the calendar, not just a fast one for the elites at the front. Entry is by lottery, around $260, with charity-guaranteed places available if the draw doesn't go your way — the finish on Columbus Drive, with crowds the entire length, is worth the buildup.

Technically an ultramarathon at roughly 90km, included here because it's widely considered the ultimate next step for anyone who's already run a standard marathon. International entry runs R4,500 (South African runners pay a fraction of that, R1,200) — worth knowing before you assume this is the budget option on the list just because it's not one of the six World Marathon Majors.

No qualifying time, no entry limit, and genuinely no time cutoff — the course stays open until the last finisher crosses, walkers included, which is exactly why it's one of the most beginner-friendly majors-scale marathons anywhere. Entry runs roughly $120 for international runners depending on when you register, well under most of the World Marathon Majors on this list.

Free to spectate, cheap to enter — many countries run a capital-city marathon built for everyday runners, not elites. Check your own capital first; several run well under $100 entry.

Almost every city has one, it's often the cheapest entry on this whole list, and it's the only marathon here where you'll actually recognize the streets — for a first marathon, that's arguably the better choice, not a lesser one.