Since I’m a slow runner (or rather, I’m slow because I have to walk half the time), I need to pick my races a bit more carefully. There are two things I check before I enter a race: First, check the time limit. Second, check the results of the previous year to see if any of the runners ran anywhere near that time limit.
Since the only way I can progress is by running farther (I can’t run faster really), every time I managed a new distance, I started looking at the next distance. My slow average pace isn’t really an issue for 5k’s. A bit more for 10k’s. Half’s are more difficult to find and marathons are even tougher. There’s isn’t a marathon in my home country that has a long enough time limit (shame one you Netherlands!), so I have to go abroad. It takes quite a bit of searching for me to find a long distance race that has a time limit that is long enough. And half the time race organisers don’t state the time limit on their website, so I have to go and ask them.
So, to make it a bit easier on all of you slower runners (or power walkers, if that’s what you’re into) who are looking for a longer time limit, here’s a list:
- London Marathon – 8 hours
- Athens Marathon – 8 hours
- Prague Marathon – 7 hours
- Dublin Marathon – 7 hours
- Rome Marathon – 7 hours
- Tokyo Marathon – 7 hours
- Cleveland Marathon – 7 hours
- San Diego Rock n Roll – 7 hours
- Arizona Rock n Roll – 7 hours
- San Antonia Rock n Roll – 7 hours
- New Orleans Rock n Roll – 7 hours
- Savannah Rock n Roll – 7 hours
- Edinburgh Marathon – 6:40 hours
- New York Marathon – 6:30 hours
- Chicago Marathon – 6:30 hours
- Hamburg Marathon – 6:30 hours
- Munich Marathon – 6:20 hours
- Berlin Marathon – 6:15 hours (from last runner)
- San Francisco Marathon – 6 hours
- Amsterdam Marathon – 6 hours
- Madrid Rock n Roll – 6 hours
- Nashville Rock n Roll – 6 hours
- Liverpool Rock n Roll – 6 hours
- Seattle Rock n Roll – 6 hours
- Montréal Rock n Roll – 6 hours
- Paris Marathon – 5:40 hours (from last runner)
Am I missing any? Let me know!
Heart Runner Girl 
San Francisco’s full is 6, 1st half is 3 and 2nd half is 3.5 (you can choose which HM you’d prefer to run). In general, it isn’t hard to find a 6 (or longer) hour limit in the US. Hamburg is 6:30. Munich is 6:20. I’ll go through my list, but I’m sure there are more 🙂
US does have better time limits. Anything near 6 hours is quite difficult in the Netherlands, but outside of it not too hard. However, I need more than 6 hours to be on the safe side and then it becomes a bit more tricky.
It’s a great list you’ve put together!
Cleveland Marathon I think 7 hours
Thanks! I’ve added it to the list.
what a brilliant list – a very useful resource! 🙂
Check out https://runchattanooga.org/runamok 50 miler, 50K, Marathon, and half marathon. 36 hours so you can walk if you like and take your time. Also, food is included Saturday and Sunday morning.
Thank you for your list!