Running a marathon in 2026 is more achievable, meaningful, and rewarding than ever — whether you’re training for your first marathon or chasing a new personal goal. 2026 is shaping up to be another massive year for marathon running. Participation continues to grow globally, with events popping up on every continent and runners of all ages and experience levels joining the movement. Whether you’re chasing a personal best, running for a cause, or simply looking for a challenge, now is an excellent time to join the marathon community.
11 Reasons to Run a Marathon in 2026 (and Why It’s Still Worth It!)
Here’s why running a marathon in 2026 should be on your bucket list.
1. It’s a Bucket-List Achievement You’ll Never Forget
Running 26.2 miles remains one of the world’s most iconic personal achievements — one that challenges your body, mind, and expectations. Completing a marathon is something millions put on their bucket lists, and 2026 could be your year to check it off.
Unlike climbing Mt. Everest, visiting Antarctica, or going to a Super Bowl, running a marathon is a bucket list item that can be accomplished with not very much money and just a decent amount of commitment mixed with effort. Maybe you have it as an item on your own bucket list item – time to check it off!
2. Discover a New City Like a Local
The city of Jerusalem with the Temple Mount in the foreground
Races take you through neighborhoods and hidden corners that tourists never see, offering a ground-level experience of culture, architecture, and local flavor. From historic city centers to coastal routes, marathons are living tours — all while you’re in the zone.
Running a marathon in a city is an eye-opening experience. That is because you get to see a whole lot of the city (26.2 miles, to be exact) from ground level at a speed that allows you to take it all in. This is true even in your own home city! It is amazing what things you can see that you never noticed before just by pounding the pavement over the course of a marathon.
I have run the National Marathon (Washington, DC) a couple of times (now it is the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in DC). I absolutely love DC for many of reasons and one is that it is such a runner-friendly city. The unique thing about the National Marathon was that the mayor at the time (who was a runner) wanted the whole 26.2 miles to take place inside of the district. That really let you see every nook and cranny of the District of Columbia – and it was enjoyable!
I have run marathons in cities like Jerusalem, Dubai, Baltimore, Kansas City, Phoenix, Tel Aviv, Richmond, and dozens of others that gave me some really great views of the cities that I had visited before but had never really quite seen in that way.
3. Join an Empowering Community
LA Marathon – Courtesy of coronado
via Shutterstock.com
One of the biggest motivators for runners is the camaraderie — both in training and on race day. Training groups, virtual run clubs, and social connections make the journey far richer than simply crossing a finish line.
Let’s face it – once you say you want to run a marathon, you are going to get a whole lot of people that will be like “Oh wow, that sounds cool.” After a week, they will follow it up with, “you know, running is bad for you” or “can’t you just try running shorter races” – basically treating you like you have lost it. 
During the Race
When you run a marathon, you get to meet people along the way that are enduring the same journey you are and at the same pace you are doing it at. This gives you a couple of things in common! I have made quite a few friends during marathons – some I never talked to again and others that I have kept in touch with. I say “friends” because I talk with them more in 2-3 hours than I talk to my regular friends over the course of a month!
In Training for the Race
Not only will you make these friends during the marathon itself, but training for a marathon can help you to find some new friends that also train in your area. I have many of these friends that I have made over the years and it is always a source of encouragement to help get me out of bed at 5am on a Saturday morning knowing they will be waiting for me so we can take our long run – and neither of us think the other one is stupid for getting up at that hour in upstate NY in the wintertime!
Sure, we all have friends, but it can be very helpful for us as we train and maybe become a little healthier and in better shape to have people that are in that with us. There are many weight-loss programs that use that accountability to help shed the pounds and running friends can do that for you as well.
4. A Clear Goal Improves Fitness Habits
Setting a marathon as a goal isn’t just symbolic — it keeps you accountable and committed to consistent exercise, which is key to long-term health improvements. A big goal like a marathon can help you stick to fitness goals longer than unstructured workouts alone.
You may start the year out with a goal to do more workouts, to hit the gym more regularly, to run certain distances per week or any one of a number of other goals that people make for the new year. But, running a marathon is a long-term goal that requires checking off the daily goals to complete. In short, it helps you to stay committed to the daily goals you have set and that will help you to gain fitness habits.
5. Physical Health Benefits (Heart, Lungs, Metabolism)
The health benefits of marathon training include improved cardiovascular fitness, stronger muscles, better posture, and increased metabolic health. Many runners also experience better weight control and reduced risks for chronic diseases.
The body is a machine and when it is properly maintained, it can work quite well. When you are training for a marathon, you get to see how that maintenance is feeling with day by day improvements in your physical health.
It also helps you with your healthy habits. This is because you will see how long it takes you to burn the calories for that donut that you would normally not think twice about so now you realize the work required to make up for the calories that contains. 🙂 But, it also helps because you don’t have to stress that point too much since you are putting in the work and getting healthier overall.
In a study that was run a few years ago, it was found that running a marathon can actually rewind the clock a bit (4 years, actually) on your vascular age. According to the data from the 138 runners tracked who ran the London Marathon, it was found that it helped reduce the age-induced stiffness in the arteries to help with better blood flow and pressure.
“Training for and completing a marathon even at relatively low exercise intensity reduces central blood pressure and aortic stiffness—equivalent to a ∼4-year reduction in vascular age. Greater rejuvenation was observed in older, slower individuals.” This was their conclusion to the in-depth study that you can read here.
6. Your Mental Toughness Gets an Upgrade
Long-distance running builds mental resilience, discipline, and confidence. Confronting physical discomfort and exertion teaches you that you can push through challenges — valuable in all areas of life.
There is something intensely emotional about finishing the marathon distance and to do it, it will require perseverance and the handling of pain. A typical marathon program takes from 16 – 18 weeks. That includes running at least 4 times a week and running anywhere from 30-ish miles in a week to over 100 miles in a week (for the super elites).
No Cutting Corners!
Maybe you have never really been the kind of person to stick with something. A marathon has no corners to cut. If you don’t put in the work and stick it out, you will have a very miserable experience, maybe get an injury and be in quite a bit of (extra) pain!
That is one of the beautiful things about a marathon – it will strip away the talk and the excuses and leave you with the work you have actually done. That takes perseverance and a marathon can really help to hone that.
Oh, That Beautiful Pain!
Now, about that pain! Yes, it will be painful. There is the wall that is talked about around the 18-20 mile point of a marathon. This typically has to do with the depleting of your glycogen stores which can be a part of not managing your nutrition and/or pace during the race.
But, even if you don’t hit that wall, there is a pain that will likely be like nothing you have experienced before! I have heard women compare it to the pain of childbirth (I obviously cannot speak to that!) and I know that seldom have I experience pain like I do during and after a marathon.
But it is an incredible pain! It is the pain of satisfaction knowing that you have stuck it out, defeated the pain and burning of your muscles to run twenty-six point two miles – at one time. Trust me, it is one kind of pain that you really will love!
7. Experience the Joy of Community and Charity Running
Many runners choose marathons to raise money or awareness for charities. Events like the Boston Marathon have extensive charity programs allowing non-qualifiers to participate while supporting great causes.
It is an incredible feeling when you toe the line on marathon morning to think that all of these strangers you are in the midst of have been struggling, toiling, and working for the last 12-18 weeks just like you! Right away, you get a sense of overall community support as you know that you will be going through this journey with others.
Adding in the charity component (which is huge, especially in races like Boston, London and others) gives you more reason to push. It is an incredible accomplishment to finish a marathon and to raise funds that are coming in because of what you are doing really makes a difference – not just for the organization receiving the donations but for you in your efforts. It helps you to think about something worthwhile during the hard days of training and the tough miles of the race.
8. Marathon Running Is More Inclusive Than Ever
The elite runners as they went flying by me in the Tiberias Marathon
Participation trends show that more diverse runners — from a wider range of ages and backgrounds — are joining marathons thanks to supportive training communities and innovative approaches like run-walk methods that reduce injury risk.
You will see a great diversity of humanity at your marathon – from those that may be doing their very first and may need every minute that the cutoff provides to the elites that could very well set a world record in your race. The beautiful thing is that everyone behind the elites get to follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest athletes in the sport. There are very few opportunities like that in any sport in the world. This makes marathon running so amazing – to have that inclusivity on the same course with the world’s best.
9. See Improvements in Mood, Confidence, and Well-Being
Beyond physical health, marathon training boosts mood, self-esteem, and overall sense of well-being. The combination of movement, accomplishment, and community connection delivers powerful psychological benefits.
Runners talk about the “runner’s high” and it is a legitimate thing that happens after some runs. This a feeling of euphoria that can come over you when you experience it during a run. This is due to the release of endorphins and it is something that is so gratifying that it helps you to want to go back out and do it again the next day.
This is something that will help with a variety of issues you may experience and give you a better overall sense of confidence and well-being.
10. Make 2026 the Year You Grow
Whether you run your first marathon or chase a personal best, running teaches growth, patience, perseverance, and self-discipline. These lessons stay with you long after the race medal goes on the wall.
I am shortly launching my video coaching course on Becoming a Marathoner and I am calling it that because the process of becoming a marathoner is just as important as being a marathoner. The reason is that the process will help you to grow in so many ways that the “becoming” stage is so satisfying and helpful in your running and in life.
Becoming a marathoner is something that will teach you so many lessons that you will be grateful for and that will guide you in life. Make 2026 the year that you gain that!
11. Create Stories and Memories That Last a Lifetime
From the miles you conquer in training to the final turn toward the finish line, marathons create moments you remember forever. Friends, family, and fellow runners become part of a shared story that truly lasts beyond the race day.
I have been able to run all over Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH and run down the taxiway with a dozen fighter jets lined up in salute of us runners – before having a medal draped around my neck by an Air Force General.
I have been able to run over finish lines in football stadiums, baseball stadiums, sport arenas, run through ancient ruins, and in dozens of other places that many people may never get to enter. Some marathons even finish inside of Olympic Stadiums (like my Stockholm Marathon on 2022)! Other marathons let you run over bridges that pedestrians never get to cross.
Conclusion
Whether you’re chasing health benefits, personal growth, travel experiences, or community connection, running a marathon in 2026 gives you a powerful goal with profound rewards.
Start your training plan, pick your race, and make this year your breakthrough running year!
