What’s the one must-run marathon that should be at the top of my bucket list?

I know many "cool" runners will roll their eyes, but at some point, be it while you're still fast or aging and PRs are long gone, you have to run Boston at least once. There really is no race The crowds are awesome and since EVERYONE there took their running-efforts seriously to get there the atmosphere is incredible. I have friends who poo-pooed it when they were younger and in shape thinking qualifying for the "hobby-jogger Olympics" was beneath them but now regret it once they got older and don't run as much.

I was that guy. Qualifying for Boston was too easy, but the Olympic trials were too fast to be a realistic goal.

I never did run Boston, but I don't regret it. I still run marathons now as a masters guy, and still (marginally) qualify for Boston, but I've still never done it.

When I was young, it was too easy. Now that I'm old, I don't like crowded races with complicated logistics. If a race experience involves an expo or corrals, I'm probably skipping it. I just want to run a race without all the hassles.

Some people like all that stuff. To each his own.

Ok, I have run a few:

Boston > Athens (Greece) > Big Sur > New York > Berlin > Philly

Modesto Marathon

I second Houston. For out of towners there may be a few dead spots and you're running on concrete roads for most of it but great race with nearly flawless organization. It doesn't really compete with anything else on the January marathon calendar. Lots of beautiful neighborhoods and park areas along the course. Pretty accessible for spectators too.

West Wyoming Marathon.

Go for a fast beautiful course vs some big city marathon...they really all look alike and why would you want to run in between buildings all the time anyway.

My vote is something like Grandmas or Steamtown or St. George,

Yes to Steamtown.

No else has noticed that the OP is a bot? Newly registered, only one (or two, can't find the other in a search) total posts, no follow up, and a "building engagement" type question.

Flat fast - lots of almond trees

The Barkley Marathons

100%. You can run into a headwind or have bad weather (cold/rain). It's an OTQ race so I'd distinguish it from those true downhill marathon races. The front half is super honest, with plenty of rollers. The key to CIM is having legs in the last 10k because, if you can do that, it's a gentle, runnable, stretch to the finish line. That's why the course can be fast. It's rare to just have a perfect 10k at the end of a marathon. It's similar to Boston from 21-finish. But it's also rare to have legs that late in a marathon so it rewards you for getting things right. Marathoners deserve a small break every now & then. CIM also draws huge fields of strong amateur runners. You have a ton of pace groups & like-minded individuals chasing the same goals. That stuff matters. Kind of lazy to just say oh the course is fast. It's easier to try to run a fast time when you group together with 100 people versus trying to do it solo at your local marathon.

-MIDWEST GEMS-

OKC Memorial Marathon - Great race to remember an emotional day in recent history. Super streamlined expo and OKC really treats this event like a MAJOR event for their city. You can feel the pride and excitement in the city as you walk the streets in the days leading up to the race.
The start line experience is truly epic. World class support on the course. The neighborhoods treat this like a block party, and there are dozens of block parties you run through, even DEEP in the full marathon. The course isn’t blazing fast, with some rolling hills at times. What I also like is the large number of FULL marathoners, so you can still find people to run alongside after the HM splits off.

BMW Dallas Marathon - another race with great communication, easy accommodations, and plenty of places to stay on race weekend.
The expo felt pretty “elite” with BMW the title sponsor. Dallas Marathon really tries to show off with their race swag.
Different than OKC but you still feel the excitement of this event as you move through the expo.
The race is big, with thousands of full marathoners. The course has some rolling hills but relatively mild and nothing too intense. Lovely crowd support, but in a different way than in OKC. Less block parties, more rows of people lining random streets.

I’ve ran OKC Marathon twice, Dallas once, and I highly recommended them both!

Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota. Happens during the fall when the trees are changing colors so the scenery is beautiful and non-stop cheering the entire race. the crowd is the craziest the last 6 miles on the way to the finish line at the state capital.

Can its reputation recover from the cancelation disaster?

You are correct. I ran the half in 2012, and it was really well organized.

I firmly disagree that running a PR in Chicago is extremely difficult.

Having done all of the original five WMM, I see what you mean about need to get to the start very early (although if you are well prepared this doesn't need to hamper you at all).

However for Chicago, even as a very distant sub-elite (2:53 entry) I had all of the space in the world to jog and warm up etc, an easy experience checking a bag without line-ups, and didn't really have to get in the corral super early like NYC or Boston.

There was certainly no "fighting crowds" involved as I was running freely from the start.

And I ran a PR.

I would say CHI is amazing for fast running, and Boston for energy in the crowd and city around the race. I can't imagine giving AF about which race course has "more historical landmarks" tbh.

Dublin Marathon, great crowds, great night out afterwards, great craic

I've done the marathon in Barcelona the last two years & it's well-organized, scenic (lots of famous landmarks [Sagrada Familia, Arc de Triomf, etc]), & fast. Definitely a PR course as well as a great experience with a ton of crowd support.