➡️ A weekly newsletter for marathon runners and race fans. Each issue brings you the past weekend's results from across the U.S. and beyond, upcoming races on the calendar, a featured event worth putting on your bucket list, and one training tip to keep you sharp.
⭐️ Training Tip
The 4-Week Taper Blueprint: How to Reduce Mileage Before Race Day Without Losing Your Edge
You’ve logged the miles, endured the long runs, and pushed through more early mornings than you’d care to count. Now, with race day approaching, it’s time to do something that feels utterly counterintuitive: slow down. The taper — that deliberately reduced training window before a marathon — is one of the most misunderstood (and mismanaged) phases in the entire training cycle.
▶️ Upcoming US marathons for the next two weeks
This section is sponsored by:
⭐️ 10/10/2026 - LewisGale Salem Half Marathon - Salem, VA
⭐️ 10/17/2026 - Fargo Mini Marathon - Fargo, ND
🏞 FLAT & FAST COURSES - Best for PRs and Boston Qualifiers
Jun 20 - Boise Marathon — Boise, ID
Jun 27 - Morgan Valley Marathon — Morgan, UT
⭐️ SCENIC & DESTINATION RACES - Worth the travel
Jun 21 - Bay of Fundy International Marathon — Lubec, ME
Jun 21 - Estes Park Marathon — Estes Park, CO
Jun 21 - Manitoba Marathon — Winnipeg, MB
Jun 27 - Leadville Trail Marathon — Leadville, CO
Jun 27 - Powderface Marathon and Half Marathon — Bragg Creek, AB
Jun 27 - Fluted Rock Marathon — Kinlichee, AZ
📢 TRAIL & ULTRA RACES - For runners who prefer dirt, distance, or both
Jun 13-14 - Sri Chinmoy Midnight Marathon & Sunset Half — Valley Cottage, NY Jun 21 - Race the Wolf Marathon — Sandpoint, ID
Jun 21 - Foy’s to Blacktail Trail Marathon — Kalispell, MT
Jun 27–28 - Independence Double Marathon — Winter Park, FL
🏃🏻♀️ SMALLER & COMMUNITY RACES - Low-key, personal, often PR-friendly fields
Jun 20–21 - Community Strong Race Weekend Marathon — Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Jun 27 - That Dam Race Marathon — San Jose, CA
New Orleans Marathon
Get ready to lace up your shoes and let the good times roll as the New Orleans Marathon returns to the streets of the Big Easy after a five year hiatus. We’re thrilled to invite you to the inaugural New Orleans Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K and Marathon Relay—your chance to conquer your next running challenge in the most vibrant city in America.
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👉 Catch up on the past week's results
From the Colorado Rockies to the coast of British Columbia, the June 4–7 marathon weekend delivered 20 races, more than 4,200 finishers, and a weekend’s worth of personal bests, podium runs, and trail-tested grit. Utah Valley led the pack as the biggest field of the weekend with 1,519 finishers and a blazing men’s winning time, while smaller events — a 10-person field in Williston, North Dakota; a 23-finisher mountain race in Utah’s Sevier Valley — proved that no race is too small to chase something worth finishing. Here’s how the weekend played out.
Oktoberfest Half Marathon & 5K
Celebrate autumn, craft beer & running with a half marathon in the mountains of North Carolina. Experience the true essence of autumn in Asheville, North Carolina, as you indulge in a delightful celebration of craft beer and running at the Oktoberfest Half Marathon & 5k.
➡️ Featured race you shouldn’t miss
Fifty years ago, a group of local runners gathered in Two Harbors, Minnesota, with no GPS watches, no finisher medals, and a race budget that barely cleared $1,200. The newly opened Grandma's Restaurant kicked in $600. A red truck driven by a volunteer named Gordy Nichols led 160 pioneers down Scenic Highway 61 toward Lake Superior. Garry Bjorklund — a University of Minnesota legend and 1976 Olympian — crossed the finish line first in 2:21:54, wearing leather shoes.
That founding edition's innocence feels worlds away from what descends on Duluth this June 20th. The 50th annual Grandma's Marathon sold out 9,500 marathon entries in a jaw-dropping 12 hours when registration opened last December — shattering the previous record of just over a month set the year before. Add in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon (7,000 entries, gone in 75 minutes), the William A. Irvin 5K, and both Great Grandma's Challenge events, and more than 19,000 participants will converge on the North Shore for what organizers are billing as the biggest weekend in the race's history.
Thanks for reading 🤍
MarathonGuide Team