➡️ This is the weekly newsletter for runners who are always planning their next start line. Expect honest training insight, a roundup of results from across the US, hand-picked races to put on your radar, and the big stories shaping marathon running right now.
⭐️ Training Tip
The 10% Rule Is Dead: A Smarter Approach to Building Weekly Mileage
For decades, the 10% Rule has been the golden guideline of marathon training: never increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% from one week to the next. It’s simple, memorable, and repeated everywhere from beginner running programs to coaching certification courses.
▶️ Upcoming US marathons for the next two weeks
This section is sponsored by:
⭐️ 7/18/2026 - Alaska Salmon Runs - Cordova, AK
⭐️ 2/7/2027 - St. Petersburg Distance Classic - Saint Petersburg, F
🏞 FLAT & FAST COURSES - Best for PRs and Boston Qualifiers
May 10 - Pine Tree Marathon — Portland, ME
May 10 - Fargo Marathon — Fargo, ND
May 16 - Famous Idaho Potato Marathon — Boise, ID
May 16 - Ogden Marathon — Ogden, UT
May 17 - Cleveland Marathon — Cleveland, OH
May 24 - Vermont City Marathon — Burlington, VT
⭐️ SCENIC & DESTINATION RACES - Worth the travel
May 10 - Stewart McKelvey Fredericton Marathon — Fredericton, NB
May 10 - Muir Woods Trail Marathon — Stinson Beach, CA
May 17 - Colfax Marathon — Denver, CO
📢 BIG CITY & HIGH-ENERGY RACES - Crowds, atmosphere, and scale
May 24 - Buffalo Marathon — Buffalo, NY
🏃🏻♀️ SMALLER & COMMUNITY RACES - Low-key, personal, often PR-friendly fields
May 10 - Garland Marathon — Garland, TX
May 16 - Beach to Bay Relay Marathon — Corpus Christi, TX
May 17 - Med City Marathon — Rochester, MN
May 24 - Ottawa Marathon — Ottawa, ON
LewisGale Salem Half Marathon, 8K and Kids Fun Run
The City of Salem, known as “Virginia’s Championship City”, has hosted numerous NCAA National Championships as well as many other national and international sports tournaments. In 2016, we decided to branch out and bring that “Championship” mentality to running! The races start and finish at the Salem Farmers Market in downtown Salem, VA and take you on a scenic tour of Salem through neighborhoods, Roanoke College, and the downtown business district.
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👉 Catch up on the past week's results
Across the United States on the weekend of May 2–3, 2026, tens of thousands of runners took to roads and trails from the sun-baked coast of Southern California to the forested ridges of the Ozarks.
The marquee events drew thousands — Pittsburgh’s storied streets, Cincinnati’s iconic course — but the weekend’s full story is told in the long tail: the eight runners who showed up in Eminence, Missouri to race trails through the Bluffs; the seventeen souls who finished a marathon in Derwood, Maryland with an average time north of six and a half hours. All of them are here. All of them count.
Clarence DeMar Marathon
The Clarence DeMar Marathon is a tremendously well-organized, welcoming race held during early New England foliage season. The 26.2-mile course is USATF-certified and a Boston qualifier. At the DeMar, we give our runners a world-class experience as we celebrate each and every cross of the finish line.
⚡️ What Are The Fastest Marathons In The World?
Marathon running is experiencing a golden era of speed. The 2026 London Marathon made history when Sabastian Sawe crossed the finish line in 1:59:30, becoming the first man ever to break the two-hour barrier — and he wasn't alone, with Yomif Kejelcha also dipping under two hours in the same race.
What Makes a Marathon Fast?
🛣️ Flat terrain is the foundation — the quickest courses have little elevation change and avoid obstacles like sharp corners, cobblestones, or speed bumps.
🌟 Four of the World Marathon Majors appear among the world’s fastest races. Their speed is partly down to course design, but the prestige and prize money they offer also draw elite talent, naturally pushing overall times down.
🏅 Races like Seville and Valencia serve as a launchpad for ambitious runners looking to post times good enough to earn invitations to the Majors — and they tend to be more accessible for amateur entrants too.
💨 When a course attracts a deep pool of quick runners, everyone benefits. The competition and camaraderie help push people to faster finishes across all ability levels.
🌤️ Weather plays a huge role. The fastest times tend to happen on cool, still days with no rain, at venues close to sea level.
🕕 That said, a fast course doesn’t mean an exclusive one. Marathons remain one of sport’s great open invitations — whether you’re chasing two hours or six, there’s a place for you at the start line.
Here are the 10 fastest men’s marathons of all time, including multiple times run by the same athlete:
Here are the 10 fastest women’s marathons of all time, including multiple times run by the same athlete:
➡️ Featured marathon you shouldn’t miss
There’s a particular kind of joy that comes from running a race that feels purpose-built for speed — where the terrain conspires with the scenery to produce something genuinely special. The Montana Marathon (formerly the Queen Bee Montana Marathon) in Billings, MT, is exactly that race. Now in its 46th year, this USATF-certified point-to-point classic on September 20, 2026, has quietly cemented its reputation as one of the fastest and most scenic fall marathons in the Mountain West — and if you haven’t put it on your race calendar yet, it’s time to fix that.
Thanks for reading 🤍
Matt Fitzgerald & the MarathonGuide team