So many of the best and most popular half marathons are run on Sunday mornings, and we often get questions from readers on which are the best Saturday halfs to run. Here’s some of the best across the country we’ve found – feel free to add more in the comments below:
West Coast: ZombieRunner San Francisco Half Marathon
This late-summer race unfolds through the Presidio and the parks along the San Francisco coastline, where runners will make their way past the Golden Gate Bridge and onto the coastal trail that snakes along the shoreline, shaded by the region’s signature cypress trees.
August • Race info & signup >>
East Coast: Rock ‘n’ Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon
Set for its second annual running this fall, after last year’s race saw more than 13,000 runners cross the finish line, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Brooklyn Half is destined to become a fall classic with a route that starts and finishes in this New York City borough’s iconic Prospect Park.
October • Race info & signup >>
Northeast: Charlotte Covered Bridge Half Marathon
Surrounded by the rolling green Adirondack Mountains and the deep blue waters of Lake Champlain, the small Vermont town of Shelburne (population just over 7,000) plays host in mid-September to this out-and-back race that starts and finishes at Shelburne Beach.
September • Race info & signup >>
Southeast: Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon
One of this Florida city’s largest running events, this half unfolds along one of the area’s most scenic waterfront stretches, with a course that runs almost entirely through the neighborhoods and city blocks along the St. John’s River.
October • Race info & signup >>
Southwest: Revel Big Cottonwood Half Marathon
Get set to experience an elevation drop of more than 3,000 feet as you descend Utah’s Big Cottonwood Canyon high up in the Wasatch Mountains, on the way down into Salt Lake City, and enjoy stunning scenery on the canyon walls all around.
September • Race info & signup >>
Northwest: Haulin’ Aspen Half Marathon
Runners trek across mostly dirt single-track trails, jeep trails and forest service roads that wind through the hills and valleys of the Wanoga Sno Park near Bend, Oregon, at this annual late summer trail race, which has been called one of the nation’s top trail races by Trail Runner magazine.
August • Race info & signup >>
Great Lakes: Marquette Half Marathon
Wide paved pathways and park roads along wooded forests, along with the breezes coming in off Lake Superior, form much of the scenic backdrop at this Boston Qualifier race along the shores of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which runs along the Iron Ore Heritage Trail.
September • Race info & signup >>
Midwest: Elroy Apple Dumpling Day Races Half Marathon
Part of the Apple Dumpling Days festival, held every year on the first Saturday after Labor Day here about 150 miles west of Milwaukee, and runs through three abandoned railroad beds that have all been converted to bike trails.
September • Race info & signup >>
Mountain West: Autumn Color Run Half Marathon
Held in the upper Arkansas River valley town of Buena Vista, near Colorado’s Collegiate Peaks mountains, this 32-year-old race features four miles of paved surfaces and significant changes in elevation — from the starting line, the half drops about 2,500 feet by the time runners arrive at the finish in Buena Vista.
September • Race info & signup >>
