Which marathon should I do?

Athena413

I'm currently training for my first 10K to be completed November 19, 2011. Then I'll start my half marathon training to be completed in the Bentonville Half Marathon on March 31, 2012. After that I'll be training for my first triathlon (June 24, 2012) and possibly a century bike ride (October 2012). Some time in 2013 I'd like to run a full marathon, but I don't know which one I want to do. I live in Joplin, MO, so I'd like to find something relatively close (within 3-4 hours or so) and have a couple of options, but just don't know what's out there.

Current options (that I know of):
Hogeye Marathon - Fayetteville, AR
Mother Road Marathon - Joplin, MO
Little Rock Marathon - Little Rock, AR

If you were me, which marathon would you want to do and why? It doesn't have to be one of the above options, so if you know of another one, please share!!

CeloTX

Do the one in Joplin. They could certainly use the support and additional income in that town right now.

Elzecat

I'd do the one in Joplin also. Little Rock sounds like it might be cool.

NYC Marathon is on my bucket list because my parents both grew up there...but I am not sure about the commitment to training for a full marathon. The half was hard enough!

wbgolden

I've only done a couple of half Marathons, so I can't "really" answer this. But, I'd really try to keep it local. A half or full Marathon is stressful enough without adding unnecessary travel.

Athena413

I was actually hoping to find a different one than Mother Road - it's close and would be easy for me to do, but the race itself, at least this year, was very poorly organized. I'd be more inclined to do the Joplin Memorial Run (formerly Boomtown Half Marathon) if they turn it in to a full marathon by then, which they're talking about doing.

Athena413

I'm originally from Bentonville, AR, and all my family is still down there, so if I did the one in Fayetteville I wouldn't have to worry about lodging.

jillybeanruns

Are you just looking for options? Or are you really choosing now?

I personally think you should run your first half before you start thinking about what your first full will be (or at least be near the end of your training). And by the time 2013 rolls around, there will probably be more races to choose from. Races are popping up all over the place, so I'd just sit tight and wait until you have some more training and racing under your belt.

One thing to look at though is elevation, if you live in a flat area and are going to run a hilly course...you're going to have to do a lot of hill (or bridge) repeats and the race will be hard. Also look at the race's reputation and who puts on the race, there's nothing wrong with local races, but if it's run by a big event management group, some have really good reputations and some have not so good reputations. Not going to slander any company, but there are a few that are just not good. Another thing to consider is what time of the year you'll be training/racing in, are you going to have to contend with snow or high heat and humidity...a good marathon plan will take you anywhere from 12-16 weeks, some are even longer...so don't just look at when the race is. I started training for my first full (which was yesterday) in July in the South, and it was rough, but I did it. If you're going to not be able to commit to snowy/cold runs or hot runs, then try and find a timeline that works for you. You run many, many, many marathons during the course of marathon training, so being able to stick to your training is of utmost importance.

Athena413

I'm just looking at options. After I do my first half, I may decide I don't want to do a full. It's a long way off, I know, but I just don't know what's out there. Most marathons are annual events, so I figure it doesn't hurt to start looking.

IronmanPanda

I'd do the one in Joplin also. Little Rock sounds like it might be cool.

NYC Marathon is on my bucket list because my parents both grew up there...but I am not sure about the commitment to training for a full marathon. The half was hard enough!

I don't know if you've heard, but getting into NY is going to be really difficult from here on out. They've changed the lottery rules and qualifcations.

Athena413

<~~~has no desire to do a marathon I actually have to qualify for!