70 American Road Races Every Runner Should Finish

Based on rankings from BibRave, these are the events you need to run.

For most runners, finishing a race is a fundamental part of why we love the sport. It gives us a goal, a medal, a community, and often, a free beer. But deciding which race to sign up for is tricky—there are literally thousands of them. Which is why for the second straight year, the race review website BibRave has tapped into its network of influencers to rank the best road races in the country. Pulled from the BibRave 100, here are 70—from the marathon down to the 5k—iconic events every runner should aim to finish.

BibRave 100: Top 20 Marathon

This is the Asheville Marathon’s first year on The BibRave 100 – with runners praising the beautiful backdrop of the Biltmore Estate. Be a part of history by running through this historic property built by the Vanderbilts in the late 1800s, and see exclusive parts of the state that are not usually open to the public. The aid station volunteers are ready to party, and were a notable highlight in this year’s nominations (). There’s a mix of road and trail, so those who enjoy soft surfaces will enjoy mixing it up!

Welcome to The BibRave 100, Asheville Marathon! (READ MORE)

9 Vacation-Worthy Marathons by Outside Online

Asheville Marathon

Asheville, North Carolina, just might be the Southeast’s coolest mountain town. You’ve got the mountains, the craft breweries, and a funky little town with plenty to see and do. The March marathon affords a unique racecourse located entirely within the famous Biltmore estate. Runners experience a mixture of paved and dirt roads and, with a cap of 1,525 entrants, it’s just the right size for a PR. (Read More)

Fat Girl Running, Nat Geo Adventurer of Year to run at Asheville Half Marathon at Biltmore

By Karen Chavez

Mirna Valerio started her long-distance, trail-running notoriety with the questionably titled blog, Fat Girl Running.

At 5-foot-7 and weighing 250 pounds, but accomplishing athletic feats a tiny fraction of the world’s population can claim, her blog is an anthem to those who love to run outdoors but don’t fit the stereotypical marathoner image of being skinny and white.

Valerio’s blog said “in your face” to all the Internet trolls and haters, capturing national media attention for her unrelenting push for positive body image. (SEE MORE)

Source: Asheville Citizen Times

Asheville Marathon & Half Weekend – March 15, 2016

This weekend was the culmination of almost a year of planning.  A weekend packed full for sure.  As an Asheville Marathon Ambassador, there was much more to this event than just training with my feet, but helping prep for this event and playing a teeny tiny role in helping it go smoothly.  Daphne, who runs the IDaphe events, has an amazing setup and assistants… this experience has shown me how much planning it takes to make an event like this go off so well. (SEE MORE)

Carolina Moment: Blind marathon runner recalls tragedy after moment of triumph- March 15, 2016

WLOS — HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — So much of how we see the world, depends on where we’ve been.

“We all have obstacles,” Mike Merino of Hendersonville said. “There’s always ways through it, just learn to accept your situation as it is.”

At Lake Osceola, Merino is mostly alone with his thoughts as he prepares for the Asheville Marathon.

“Kind of quiet, secluded,” he said. “Got a lot of people walking their dogs.”

“My mind just kind of wanders,” he said about running. “Or if there’s things I’m angry about, it helps me let it go.” (SEE MORE)

BY JENNIFER SAYLOR

Rotary Member Runs for Boys & Girls Club – March 14, 2016

Rotary Club of Pisgah Forest member Jim Cruickshank ran Saturday in the Asheville Marathon & Half at the Biltmore Estate as a fundraising effort to support The Cindy Platt Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County.

Cruickshank is also demonstrating Rotary Has Heart, an initiative that promotes community service projects that reflect Rotary International’s Six Areas of Focus (basic education and literacy, economic and community development, disease prevention and treatment, peace and conflict prevention/resolution, water and sanitation, maternal and child health). (SEE MORE)

Traiser, Peters win Asheville Marathon at Biltmore – March 14, 2016

Miles Traiser, 25, of Bismarck, North Dakota, came a long way for a wet run.

But it was worth the trip for Traiser, who was the overall winner of the 2016 Asheville Marathon at Biltmore Estate on Sunday, March 13.

The fourth annual race was warm, yet extremely soggy, with downpours throughout the 26.2-mile race that started at 7:30 a.m. and swept across the luscious grounds of the private Biltmore Estate. Runners also had to battle lost sleep after losing an hour to Daylight Saving Time the night before. Double bummer, but what an accomplishment for those who came out in the rainy dark to run 26.2 miles! (SEE MORE)

Asheville Marathon grows, split across two days – March 13, 2016 

WLOS — BILTMORE ESTATE, N.C. — Hundreds of runners took part in the Asheville MarathonSunday morning at Biltmore Estate.

This is the fourth year marathoners have toured the entire Biltmore grounds.

The race drew attention from across the country, with more than 2,000 runners gathering to participate.

Because so many runners signed up, race organizers spread the half and full marathons over two days. (SEE MORE)

Blind Runner to make history at Asheville Marathon – March 10, 2016

WLOS — ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A veteran marathon runner from Hendersonville will make history this weekend at the Asheville Marathon.

Mike Merino will be the first visually-impaired runner at the event. If he finishes in time, he will qualify to run in the Boston Marathon.

Merino ran the Boston Marathon in 2013, and finished the race just five minutes before the first bombs exploded. He told News 13 that his finish time was also five minutes earlier than expected.

For races, he is tethered to a guide to keep him safe. (SEE MORE)

Carolina Moment: Blind marathon runner recalls tragedy after moment of triumph – March 7, 2016 

WLOS — HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — So much of how we see the world, depends on where we’ve been.

“We all have obstacles,” Mike Merino of Hendersonville said. “There’s always ways through it, just learn to accept your situation as it is.”

At Lake Osceola, Merino is mostly alone with his thoughts as he prepares for the Asheville Marathon.

“Kind of quiet, secluded,” he said. “Got a lot of people walking their dogs.”

“My mind just kind of wanders,” he said about running. “Or if there’s things I’m angry about, it helps me let it go.”

(SEE MORE)

2016 Asheville Marathon to Welcome First Visually-Impaired Participant – February 17, 2016

The Asheville Marathon & Half at Biltmore Estate is excited to welcome its first visually impaired runner to its 2016 events. Veteran marathoner Mike Merino, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, will be joining 1,400 other participants for the full marathon on Sunday, March 13, 2016, guided by Curtis Nash of Greenville, South Carolina. Why did Merino choose the 2016 Asheville Marathon? “It’s a Boston qualifier, it’s conveniently close, it’s well-timed — a great time for keeping that holiday and winter weight off, and it’s non-urban, something that isn’t found too often in marathons,” he says. (SEE MORE)

Run for charity in sold-out Asheville Half-Marathon – February 16, 2016

ASHEVILLE – The fourth annual Asheville Marathon & Half at Biltmore Estate is still nearly a month away – the half (13.1 miles) is on March 12, and the full (26.2 miles) is on March 13. But time is ticking if you want to be a part of this unique race.

The races, which start at 7:30 a.m., are sponsored by the Asheville Citizen-Times, Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville and Biltmore Farms Hotels, and take place completely on the private, scenic grounds of the Biltmore Estate, including a pass by the grand front doors of the Biltmore House. (SEE MORE)

SWIM.RUN.EAT — March 20th, 2015

Asheville Half Marathon “Has the Asheville Marathon finally come and gone? I was so pleasantly surprised when I was picked to be an ambassador for this race back in what….August? I feel like it’s been forever…” (SEE MORE)

NORTHERN KENTUCKY TRIBUNE — March 18th, 2015

Paul Long: Though terrain may not show spring’s effects, March means running season has begun… “As the sun struggled to rise past the clouds and start drying out the flood waters around downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, thousands of runners wearing shorts and T-shirts stood on the streets of the city, awaiting the booming sound of the starting cannon…” (SEE MORE)

RUN THE GREAT WIDE SOMEWHERE — March 17th, 2015

TotR: Asheville Half Marathon Recap “…I wanted to share my race recap of last weekend’s Asheville Half Marathon.  It sure was a crazy weekend and I’m still exhausted!…” (SEE MORE)

CITIZEN TIMES — March 15th, 2015

UNC Asheville runner wins Asheville Marathon at Biltmore “Asheville runners love their Biltmore Estate, but the love from Massachusetts runners was clearly shining through as well Sunday. Two Massachusetts-area runners were the overall male and female winners in the third annual Asheville Marathon at Biltmore Estate. Brian Schouler, 23, who lives in Asheville but is from Massachusetts, was the winner of the 26.2-mile race across the scenic, sprawling estate…” (SEE MORE)

TRI-ING FOR CHINA — March 15th, 2015

Asheville Half Marathon at Biltmore “I’d really been looking forward to this race! Ever since I did the marathon last year I was planning to do the half this year, and being selected as an ambassador only made me more excited about it. My friend Steph was an ambassador too and our friend Kim decided to run the full and our other friend Kristin was going to cheer and volunteer so I knew it would be a fun girls’ weekend…” (SEE MORE)

CITIZEN TIMES — March 11th, 2015

Third time the charm for Asheville Marathon?… “While runners and race organizers are hoping for a rare mid-March day of sunshine, calm winds and nothing falling from the sky, retired Marine Tom Mangan is hoping Mother Nature brings on all her maddening March fury. Mangan, 48, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will be running for the third time in the third annual Asheville Marathon and Half Marathon at Biltmore Estate this Sunday, so far in its young life marked by stunning scenery…” (SEE MORE)

GREENVILLE ONLINE — March 11th, 2015

Greenville runners head to Asheville Marathon… “GREENVILLE – Stephanie Tiwari has heard all the horror stories of mid-March weather at the Asheville Marathon at Biltmore Estate, but she’s not worried. Tiwari, 33, a Greenville mom of three, said she is coming for the stunning scenery and the challenge…” (SEE MORE)

CITIZEN TIMES — March 10th, 2015

Asheville Marathon at Biltmore 2016 entry opens Saturday… “If you missed your chance to get into the third annual Asheville Marathon and Half Marathon, which is this weekend, Sunday, March 15, then get ready to sign up Saturday for the 2016 event. The third annual race, which takes place entirely on the beautiful Biltmore Estate, has sold out each year since it began…” (SEE MORE)

ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES— May 30, 2013

Locals get big discount on Asheville Marathon this Saturday only

“Registration opens this Saturday, that’s June 1, for the second annual Asheville Marathon, presented by Hunter Subaru, which will be a couple weeks later this year on March 16, 2014…” (SEE MORE)

TCR STUDENT GOLDEN FLEECE ASHEVILLE — April 19, 2013

Asheville Marathon draws unique crowd: 1,300 runners compete in Inaugural Marathon at Biltmore Estate.

“Thirteen hundred runners raced a total of 26.2 miles in the Inaugural Asheville Marathon on March 3. Organized by Daphne Kirkwood of iDaph Events, the marathon started…” (SEE MORE)

TRAIL RUNNER: ONE DIRTY MAGAZINE — January 29, 2013

Inaugural Asheville Marathon: Historic Biltmore estate hosts new spring marathon

“Western North Carolina boasts a backdrop of verdant forests and an endless mogul of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Nestled in all that splendor rests George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate, site of the inaugural Asheville Marathon…” (SEE MORE)