Millions of travelers each year head to marathons throughout the world — either to participate or watch. Now, a new study concludes which ones are the best and the worst.
Germany’s Haspa Marathon in Hamburg is ranked the best, followed by Austria’s Vienna City Marathon and the Cracovia Marathon in Krakow, Poland, according to the study by The Sole Supplier. The company works with footwear retailers and supplies sneaker news and information to the European footwear market.
Participants run a marathon last month in honor of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in ... [+]
Of three U.S. marathons in the 81-marathon study, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon was rated highest, followed by the TCS New York City Marathon and the Chevron Houston Marathon. All three, though, were listed in the bottom half of the rankings: Chicago at No. 42, New York City at No. 52 and Houston at No. 64.
The marathons were judged on numerous criteria, including average finish times, medical stations, toilets, entry fees, local hotel quality, air quality, temperature, rainfall and altitude. Only marathons approved by the International Association of Athletics Federations (now called World Athletics) and marathons with comparable data were included in the study.
Officials of The Sole Supplier say a low entry fee, a “favorable altitude” (26 feet above sea level), lots of toilet stations and a near-ideal average temperature for running were key factors in the No. 1 ranking of Hamburg’s Haspa Marathon.
The marathons with the lowest rankings are the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon in Malaysia, followed by city marathons in Delhi, India; Singapore; Nairobi, Kenya, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Runners at the marathon in Kuala Lumpur “may find their performance affected by poor air quality,” according to officials of The Sole Supplier. Kuala Lumpur “is further let down” by a high average race day temperature of 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) and its “quality of local accommodation” and number of medical aid stations along the course.
According to RunRepeat.com, which says its aim is to help athletes find their next pair of running shoes, 1.3 million runners finished marathons worldwide in 2018. The average finish time was 4 1/2 hours.
Another website, findmymarathon.com, says there were 754 marathons scheduled in the United States and Canada this year. Of the 50 U.S. states, California had the most scheduled — 61 — and Washington ranked second with 42.
Marathons have become a segment of the travel business, attracting spectators as well as runners. Travel agencies such as Boston-based Marathon Tours & Travel — the official North American travel agency for the New York City marathon and others — cater to marathon-bound travelers.
According to The Sole Supplier, here are the 15 best marathons worldwide:
1) Haspa Marathon Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
2) Vienna City Marathon, Vienna, Austria
3) Cracovia Marathon, Krakow, Poland
4) Danske Bank Vilnius Marathon, Vilnius, Lithuania
5) Wizz Air Cluj Napoca Marathon, Cluj Napoca, Romania
6) Zagrebacki Marathon, Zagreb, Croatia
7) AG Antwerpen Marathon, Antwerp, Belgium
8) Thessaloniki Int’l Marathon Alexander the Great, Thessaloniki, Greece
9) Kaunas Marathon, Kaunas, Lithuania
10) Osaka Marathon, Osaka, Japan
11) Virgin Money London Marathon, London, England
12) Beijing Int’l Marathon, Beijing, China
13) Maratona di Roma, Rome, Italy
14) Run in Marseille, Marseille, France
15) Spar Budapest Marathon, Budapest, Hungary
The 10 worst marathons, according to The Sole Supplier:
1) Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2) IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon, Delhi, India
3) Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, Singapore
4) Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon, Nairobi, Kenya
5) Techcombank Ho Chi Minh City Int’l Marathon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
6) Manulife Da Nang Int’l Marathon, Da Nang, Vietnam
7) AL Mouj Muscat Marathon, Muscat, Oman
8) Ooredoo Doha Marathon, Doha, Qatar
9) Skechers Performance Chennai Marathon, Chennai, India
10) Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
