Dreamstime
1) 26.2 With Donna Half Marathon • Jacksonville, FL
You’ll run 2 1/2 miles across the sands of Jacksonville’s beaches at this late winter race, which raises money to help those fighting breast cancer today and to support research to find new ways to combat the disease.
February • Race info & signup >>
2) Kiepersol Wine Farm Half Marathon • Tyler, TX
Runners will get to take in the 63-acre Kiepersol Wine Farm at this race, whose proceeds will go toward the Texas-based nonprofit A World for Children, which provides support and foster homes for abused and neglected children.
April • Race info & signup >>
3) Rise & Shine Half Marathon • Hattiesburg, MS
You’ll run through the Southern Miss campus at this springtime race, which serves as a fundraiser for The Arc of Southeast Mississippi, a locally-based nonprofit dedicated to helping people with mental disabilities and their families.
April • Race info & signup >>
4) Rock CF Rivers Half Marathon • Gross Ile, MI
There’s probably no race that’s more meaningful, especially to its runners and the people involved with this event. That’s because the event’s host and race director is a woman named Emily Schaller, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was just 1 1/2 years old.
March • Race info & signup >>
5) Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon • Snoqualmie, WA
Fans of “Twin Peaks” will find this part of Washington familiar, as many scenes from the 90s-era TV show were filmed here. The race benefits the Histiocytosis Association of America, which helps to fight this rare blood disease whose main victims are children under 10.
May • Race info & signup >>
6) WMass Mother’s Day Half Marathon • Whately, MA
A benefit for the Cancer Connection, which provides support and programs for adults and children coping with cancer, the race starts and finishes here in Whately, a small Pioneer Valley town of less than 2,000 residents whose history dates all the way back to the 1670s.
May • Race info & signup >>
7) Save the Light Half Marathon • Folly Beach, SC
Run as a benefit for the nonprofit that’s trying to prevent the Morris Island Lighthouse from being lost to the sea, this race offers views of the ocean throughout. It’s now surrounded by water on all sides thanks to erosion, but is finally receiving restoration and preservation work.
February • Race info & signup >>
8) Delta Lake Half Marathon • Rome, NY
From the starting and finish line area at Delta Lake State Park, this race takes runners on a loop around the Delta Lake reservoir and benefits Lucy’s House, a nonprofit devoted to helping women and children in the Mohawk Valley region escape domestic violence.
September • Race info & signup >>
9) Sunriver Marathon for a Cause • Sunriver, OR
Runners get the chance to trek through this 3,300-acre private resort community along the Deschutes River at this race, which raises money to fight breast cancer for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
September • Race info & signup >>
10) Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Half Marathon • Allentown, PA
Organized by Via of Lehigh Valley, which provides services and support for adults and children with cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome and autism, the race also serves as a fundraisers for Via’s efforts to help those with disabilities work and live in their own communities.
September • Race info & signup >>
11) White River Half Marathon for Kenya • Cotter, AR
Runners get a chance to enjoy the fresh air, blue skies and mountains, lakes and trees of northern Arkansas’ Ozarks at this race, which raises both funds for and awareness about the town’s connection with the families and children of the African village of Katito in Kenya.
November • Race info & signup >>
12) Charity Chase Half Marathon • Hickory, NC
Runners trek through the streets and along the riverfront of one of western North Carolina’s most picturesque cities at this race, begun 10 years ago as an effort by the Hickory Jaycees to raise money for the locally based NC Jaycees Burn Center.
June • Race info & signup >>
13) Best Damn Race Half Marathon • Safety Harbor, FL
What organizers call a race “for runners, by runners” supports Miles For Hope, a nonprofit devoted to raising money for clinical trials for brain tumor treatments, and to providing financial assistance to brain cancer patients for transportation to treatment facilities.
February • Race info & signup >>
13.1) Operation Jack Half Marathon • Los Angeles, CA
Held on the day after Christmas at Dockweiler State Beach park, this raises money for autism-related charities by offering runners the chance to raise $100 in lieu of paying their registration fees.
December • Race info & signup >>
