News and analysis from the BestRaces data desk: rankings explained, race guides, and what the numbers say about American running.https://bestraces.comhttps://bestraces.com/news/the-orphan-distanceshttps://bestraces.com/news/the-orphan-distancesTwelve kilometers. Seven miles. Fifteen K. Six races in our index belong to none of our five distance rankings — and every one of them lands in the national top 25 anyway.Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bestraces.com/news/oldest-races-in-americahttps://bestraces.com/news/oldest-races-in-americaOnly 39 races in our index have a verified founding year. Nineteen of them predate 1980 — and sixteen of those were born in a single decade.Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bestraces.com/news/best-10ks-rankedhttps://bestraces.com/news/best-10ks-rankedOf 156 ten-Ks in our index, only three cleared the scoring bar — and all three are mass-participation institutions that most marathons would envy. Boulder, Atlanta, New Orleans: this is the case for the 10K.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bestraces.com/news/best-half-marathons-rankedhttps://bestraces.com/news/best-half-marathons-rankedMore Americans finish a half marathon than any other race distance. We scored all 197 in our index — six stand clear, from the Coney Island boardwalk to a lap of the Motor Speedway.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bestraces.com/news/best-trail-races-rankedhttps://bestraces.com/news/best-trail-races-rankedComparing Western States to a road 10K is nonsense, so we refuse to. Eight trail races and ultras scored on their own terms — where field, history, and character decide it, because the credential column never can.Sun, 19 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bestraces.com/news/best-races-californiahttps://bestraces.com/news/best-races-californiaTexas has more races. Florida has more races. Nobody has more great ones — eight California events crack our national top 40, from a 1905 trail scramble to a 30,000-runner street party.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bestraces.com/news/boston-qualifier-races-rankedhttps://bestraces.com/news/boston-qualifier-races-rankedFifteen races in the BestRaces index are certified Boston qualifiers. Here they are in score order — from the five-borough giant to a fast, flat morning in Mesa.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bestraces.com/news/best-marathons-2026-by-the-numbershttps://bestraces.com/news/best-marathons-2026-by-the-numbersWe scored 149 US marathons on field, history, credentials, and character. The top five span a 59,000-runner spectacle and a 9,000-runner point-to-point along Lake Superior.Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://bestraces.com/news/how-we-rank-4875-raceshttps://bestraces.com/news/how-we-rank-4875-racesEvery ranking on BestRaces is computed from four public signals. Here is the whole formula, the reasoning behind it, and the guardrails that keep money out of it.Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT