The Wall Street Journal
My five favorite marathons in the world: Some will push you to your physical limit, others provide a spectacular setting, and all are worth the trip to watch even if you don’t run.
The New York Times
Climbing to the starting line of the Everest Marathon was a challenge in and of itself. The actual marathon, at 17,000 feet, presented runners with thin air, harrowing trails and inclement weather.
Forbes
The only marathon in which a longer time is appreciated. Runners pause along the 26.2 mile course for wine tastings, croissants and freshly shucked oysters.
The New York Times
Despite snow, sleet and subfreezing winds, 82 runners forged a glacier, ice-cold streams and ankle-deep mud to complete the second Antarctica Marathon.
AOL.com
The Millenium Marathon in Hamilton, New Zealand, located in the time zone right next to the International Date Line, is the first sporting event of the 21st century.
USA Today
Colorful scenery provides a backdrop for one hot race. Marathoners struggle with 85-degree temperatures, six miles of water drought, and pollution but are cheered on by hordes of rambunctious Cubans.
The New York Times
A Chinese proverb says, "You cannot be called a hero if you've never been to the Great Wall." Forty-five athletes who ventured halfway around the world to Beijing believe in a different version: "You can't be called a marathoner until you've run the Great Wall Marathon."
Olympics.org
Dressed in a NYPD coat and a fire department baseball cap, Mayor Giuliani lights the Olympic Cauldron in Rockefeller Center, surrounded by thousands of New Yorkers burning candles in honor of the 3,100 who died on September 11.
Adventure marathons attract a certain kind of runner whose emphasis is not necessarily on time, but on a race course in an exotic or inspirational locale.
It provides an incentive to lace up your sneakers and endure pounding the pavement hundreds of miles to train.
