Before I get to number one, here are some races that would have made the list if my list had been longer. In no particular order, marathons.
Marine Corps – Arlington, VA, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2008, best time 3:44:58 in 1995, my first, convenient local, you can sleep the night before at home.
Deseret News – Salt Lake City, UT, 1995, 3:57:52, point to point with net downhill, the last couple of miles on the Days of 47 Parade Route, finished a couple of blocks from where I lived in the early 60s. And my first paid job was for the Deseret News in 1968.
Marathon to Marathon – Storm Lake, IA, 2003, 3:40:31, flat course through Iowa farm country. At mile 14, you can see the grain towers in the finish town of Marathon.
Rocket City – Huntsville, AL, 2003, 3:58:20, well-organized event by Huntsville Track Club. Between miles 10 and 15, there was a long straight stretch where my mile splits were only a couple of seconds apart.
Tybee Island – Tybee, GA, 2004, 3:45:35, two half-marathon loops in a primarily flat beach town. February race gets you away from the Virginia winter.
ET Midnight – Rachel, NV, 2008, 5:00:57, midnight start on an August full moon night. It runs on the Extraterrestrial Highway in the desert bordering Area 51. Alien sightings are a bonus feature.
Grandfather Mountain – Boone, NC, 2003, 4:09:31, 900 feet net uphill, 2500 feet of climb, point to point from Appalachian State University to Grandfather Mountain, great weather for a July marathon in the North Carolina mountains.
National – Washington, DC, 2007, 4:09:27; Rock N Roll DC took over this event. Run entirely in the district. All roads were closed to traffic from curb to curb. It was nice running down the center stripe of Constitution Avenue.
Grandma‘s – Duluth, MN, 2002, 4:06:45, point to point along Lake Superior. On a clear day, you can see the draw bridge near the finish from the start: good race and crowd support.
Mardi Gras – New Orleans, LA, 2007, 3:55:38, mostly flat, runs east through French Quarter, then west around Audubon Park, Red Dress Hashers man aid station around miles 15 and 24.
Over the years, I’ve run 146 different races and finished some of them multiple times. To some, this is not a large number of various events. Over the years, I’ve had some memorable races and have been able to rank my favorite races. If I couldn’t visualize the course and remember how I felt, I moved a race down my rankings.
Other races on my list
#6 Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon
Honorable Mentions:
Races between 5km and 10 Miles