BestRacesFeatures
What you can do on BestRaces
Everything for runners is free, and nothing on this page can buy a ranking. Pick the part that's for you.
For runners
6,984 US races, 683 of them scored. There's nothing to sign up for unless you want an email.
Choosing a race
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Rankings that show their math
Every scored race shows how its number was built from four things: field size, history, credentials and the course itself. If you disagree with a rank, you can see why it landed there.
683 races scored
See the marathon list → -
The race map
Every race we list, on one map. Search by name, city or ZIP, or let it find races near you. Your location is never stored or sent to us.
6,984 US races
Open the map → -
Best races by state and city
The top races in all 50 states and near 42 big cities, with the same scores as the national lists.
Browse by state → -
Charity races
Races with charity entries, and what each charity program asks you to raise, taken from the race's own pages.
14 races, checked by hand
See charity races →
Before you sign up
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Race-day weather
What the weather did on the race's date in each of the last five years, from the nearest NOAA station. Daily highs, lows and rain, so you know what you're packing for.
On 5,705 race pages
See an example → -
Fee and registration alerts
We email you the day registration opens and one to three days before the entry fee goes up. We check the race's listing again before every email, and send one per change.
On 3,018 upcoming races with a published fee schedule
See an example → -
Places to stay
Hotels and rentals near the race on one map, preset to race weekend once the date is confirmed. Bookings may earn us a commission, and it never touches a ranking.
On 6,886 race pages
See an example → -
Free race entries
Races donate entries and we give them away. Free to enter, drawn at random, and the codes come from us, so your details never go to the race.
See the giveaways →
Getting ready
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A pacing plan
Mile splits for your goal time, adjusted for the course's climbing and race-day weather, with a fueling plan. Free, and no sign-up.
On 2,823 upcoming races
Build one → -
Add to calendar
One tap puts the race in your phone's calendar. Only for races whose organizer has confirmed the date, so your calendar never holds a guess.
On 3,214 upcoming races
See the button → -
A race-week email
Follow a race and get one email the week it's on, with your pacing plan, the weather and where to stay.
Follow a race → -
3D course flyovers
Fly a race's route in 3D over satellite imagery and terrain, with mile markers and aid stations. Race directors build these with our free Course Builder, so only some races have one so far.
Watch one →
After the race
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Rate the race
Rate the organization, the course and scenery, the swag and the value from 1 to 5. A rating counts once you confirm it by email, averages show after five, and ratings never change a race's score.
See an example → -
A fundraising team page
Running for a cause? Set up a free team page and send donations straight to your charity. We never touch the money.
Start a team →
For race directors
Your race is probably already listed. Everything here is free, claiming takes two minutes, and none of it changes your score.
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Claim your listing
Use an email at your race's own domain and you're verified when you click the link; otherwise we check by hand within a few days. Verified races get a badge and can correct their own dates and details.
Claim your race → -
The Course Builder
Upload the GPX file you already have and get a 3D flyover of your course, with satellite imagery, elevation, mile markers and aid stations. Embed it on your own site for free.
Open the Course Builder → -
A course for each distance
Running a 5K and a 10K? Upload both, and runners switch between them on your race page. We review every upload before it goes live.
See one → -
Your sponsors on the map
Pin each sponsor's logo to the aid station or mile it supports, with a link and a promo code. It gives you something real to offer sponsors.
See the demo → -
Your photo and flyer
Add an event photo as the header of your race page and your flyer as a card under the buttons. We look at each file before it goes up.
Claim to add yours → -
A race-week email for your runners
Share your race's follow link. Runners who sign up get one email the week of your race. You send nothing, and we never share their details with anyone, including you.
See the email → -
Reader giveaways
Donate two free-entry codes and we run the rest: the rules page, the promotion, the random draw and emailing the winners.
See the giveaways → -
A scenery rating
Ask from your dashboard and we rate what runners see from your course, 1 to 5, on our published scale. Scenery is part of the score, so the rating can raise or lower it, and it stands either way.
Read the scale → -
The director newsletter
Every month or two: new director tools as they arrive, and what's working for races like yours.
Sign up → -
Featured placement
A labeled card at the top of the ranking pages your race already belongs on. Purchases aren't open yet; you can join the founding list.
Read more →
Questions directors ask
- Does claiming change my rank?
- No. Claiming, a giveaway, a course map or anything you pay for never changes your score. The one thing you can ask for that can move it is a scenery rating, and that can go either way.
- Can I pay to move up?
- No. No payment of any kind changes a race's rank, score or verified badge. The database enforces that, not just a policy.
- Do you share runners' emails with races?
- No. Runners who follow your race or enter a giveaway are never shared with anyone, including you.
- What does it cost?
- Nothing. Claiming, the Course Builder, the embed, the race-week email and giveaways are all free. Featured placement will be the one paid option, and it isn't on sale yet.
- Who checks what I upload?
- We do. Courses, photos and flyers are reviewed before they appear on the site.
For sponsors and brands
There are no trackers on this site, so ads are matched to the races and places on the page, never to a profile of the reader. Every ad is labeled.
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Brand sponsorship
A labeled card on race pages, ranking pages and the race map. Run it nationally, or only on races within a radius you choose or in the states you serve.
How it works → -
The newsletter
The Starting Line goes out once or twice a month to runners who asked for it. Newsletter sponsorship is arranged directly.
How it works → -
Featured charity placement
A labeled "Featured charity" card above the charity directory. Every verified team is still listed free, the same way.
See the directory → -
On a race's course map
Sponsor a race? Its director can pin your logo, a link and a promo code to the aid station or mile you support. We don't sell these; ask the race.
See the demo →
What money can't buy here
No payment changes a race's rank, score or verified badge. Featured cards sit above the rankings, never inside them, and every ad says it's an ad. Advertising on BestRaces · How we make money
How the rankings work → How we make money → Everything else on the site →