Choosing Your First Marathon

Choosing your first marathon is a big step. Our guide helps you make the right decision

Where do you begin? Where should your first event be? There are thousands of them around the world, including options in pretty much every city in the US and sometimes more than one. There are marathons in some very unlikely destinations like Antarctica, the North Pole and Mongolia. So wherever you want to run a marathon there's a good chance you'll be able to find one. Here we help you make the right choice.

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It's never been easier to find your ideal first marathon. A few minutes online and a world of possibilities opens up. Most events have excellent websites (there are a few exceptions) giving you everything you need to know. Getting a spot however can be a very different situation. The really popular ones have ballots and getting in can be very difficult, but there are ways. First up though, where should you run?

Where should you run?

First you need to decide what type of marathon you want to run. There are many differences in marathons around the world and your choice will be a deciding factor in whether you come back for another. Where you run is probably one of the most important decisions of your running careers. Plenty of blossoming starts have gone nowhere because the wrong decision was made about the all important first marathon. Think about what you are trying to get out of your first one. Do you need to travel far, or is that part of the experience you're after?

You need to consider a number of different factors that will have a major bearing on how much you enjoy the race. Is the course flat? What are the facilities like? Is it easy to get to? Is it a point to point course or a loop? Where are you going to stay? How many others are going to be running? How many people will be watching? Are there plenty of vantage points for friends and family and can they move around easily? What's the support package like from the organisers? Do you get a medal and or a T-shirt at the end? What's your budget? Some events are much more expensive to enter than others and then there's the cost of the trip. The timing of the marathon will determine when you'll be training, winter or summer for example, so choose an event date that means you can train when it's best for you.

When you've considered the answers to these questions then you're ready to choose your first marathon, a decision which of course should be many months before race day. Do not leave a decision until the last minute. You should think long and hard about it and decide a year or so from event day. Running a marathon, especially one overseas takes a lot of planning and you should leave nothing to chance. Once you've decided which one is for you then it's time to enter.

Entering your first marathon

Entering a marathon is now so easy. Gone are the paper forms that had to be posted to the organisers from not so long ago. There are some exceptions, but in the vast majority of cases you can now enter online in a few minutes. Once on the relevant section of the event website you simply complete the required information and pay securely using your card. Generally the actual registration process will be done via a third party registration system. You'll get an email from them and also from the event itself to say you're in. It's important that you think carefully when you're asked for your predicted finishing time, which most of them will ask, especially the bigger ones. The start area will be split into groups (corrals) and these go off at certain times, in wave starts, to reduce congestion. Runners are allocated their corral based on the start time entered on the registration form. Get that wrong and it could ruin your day. It's tough when you're doing your first event to know exactly what time to enter here but be cautious. It's likely your finishing time will be slower than you think.

Once your entry is accepted you'll start hearing from the organisers via their newsletter programme. Some are much better than others, but generally you should get some kind of update every month. This won't always be the case and sometimes you'll get nothing until you're sent race day instructions a few weeks from race day. Sign up to their social media channels and that way you'll be able to keep up to date with what's happening. It's likely with the big ones that you'll need to pick up your race bib at the event expo and you should be sent information about that. If not you'll receive the bib in the mail a couple of weeks or so before the race.

However if you've entered one of the really big events, like the World Marathon Majors and a few others, things are very different. They operate a ballot due to the volume of people who want to run. The London Marathon for example has nearly half a million people enter its ballot for around 40,000 spots. New York, Boston, Chicago, and Berlin are similar. Huge numbers wanting to run and very few spots. If you're lucky enough to get a spot in one of these events you'll understand why so many want to run them. The organisation on the day and the unbelievable crowd support ensure that the time you spend running will be some of the most unforgettable hours of your life.

Over 1.1m entered to run over this Bridge in 2026

Running for charity

The biggest and most successful events that are oversubscribed each year keep a number of spots aside and sell them directly to charities, often in packages with website marketing included. The charities then recruit runners (most of whom have been unable to get a spot through the ballot) who then commit to raise a pre agreed amount of fundraising support. This figure will cover the cost of the entry and marketing and leave the charity with some 'profit' that it can then use to fund its goals. It's a 'win, win' with everyone benefitting from this arrangement.

Don't think that it's just a case of saying 'ok, I agree' and you're in. Many of the charities will also be oversubscribed for their allocation of spots as well and they will be very selective in deciding who gets one. This process will include assessing how good a fundraiser they think the applicant is. Remember that if you are accepted by a charity for one of these spots you are entering into a contract with them and you are obliged to raise the amount you agreed to. In the US you will have to give the charity your credit card details and they will debit your card at certain points if you haven't raised what you said you would at any given stage.

We've got lots more on running for charity here

Tour operators

If you didn't get a spot in the event you had set your heart on and you can't commit to running for charity there is another way.

There are a number of tour operators that specialise in trips to running events and they have guaranteed spots in the big events. Some of them have spots in all six World Marathon Majors. They will require you to book flights and accommodations through them. It's not a cheap tour but if you passionately want to experience one of the big events this may be your only option. They do have other benefits like a tour guide who will help you get around and if you're on your own they are a great way to meet other runners and share the moment.

A tour operator might be a great option to be able to run on the streets of New York in November

So you've decided on where you want to run and you're in. Now what? Check out this post on what to do next.