*Training for a 10K is not a huge commitment like a half or full marathon.
* It's a smaller distance yet most races will still give you a nice sized medal and a tech shirt. ( We've only ever got cotton t-shirts for 5Ks)
* For some half marathons ( like Disney ones) you need to submit a proof of time from a 10K distance or longer.
The one bad thing about having the 10K as our favorite race distance is that 10K's are not very plentiful. Most races are either 5Ks or Half marathons. It can be hard to find a 10K to run. This can be quite frustrating if you are looking for a 10K to get a time to submit for a bigger race ( like Disney).
1. Wicked 10K, VA Beach
( We've talked about this race so many times so by now you probably know it is one of our favorites. It's a great course to PR at)
2. Runner's World 10K, Bethlehem PA
( This was another great race to run in the fall, very scenic ( with a few hills).
3. Disney Races (several of the Disney races have now include a 10K race)
4. The Hershey 10K, Hershey PA
( This one is on our bucket list for sure. This 10K is a Spring race so I'm not sure we are going to be able to do it this spring since our schedule is already full)
5. Rock n Roll Series - Some cities only ( Denver, Las Vegas, Montreal, Vancouver, San Antonio, Portland OR, and San Jose), The cities that offer the 10K distance may change for the next race season.
6. The Rocky Run 10K, Philadelphia PA
( This is a new one we recently found. Too bad it's the same weekend we are going to Vegas.)
7. Bolder Boulder 10K, Boulder Co
( If you want to be challenged by the elevation in Co, this might be a good one for you. Runner's World named this race as America's All Time Best 10K
8. Cooper River Bridge Run, Charleston SC
( My BFF lives in South Carolina. This looks like something we might want to do some Spring! This is claimed to be one of the largest 10K races in America.)
9.Ukropts Avenue Monument 1OK, Richmond VA
( Richmond is full of great races. I recently learned about this 10K. It' a part of a bigger race series they have there. USA Today claimed this among their 10 Great American Road Races.)
10. MCM Events, Washington DC
( There is a 10K associated with the Marine Corps Marathon in October and then there is also a 10K turkey trot in November)
If you've ever run a 10K, which one was your favorite?
I love 10K's! They are the perfect race length in my mind - long enough to make you feel like you have done a great workout, but short enough that you don't have to train too much. The Cooper River Bridge run is on my list for sure! I have lots of friends who have done it and loved it.
ReplyDeleteYes, that bridge run looks beautiful!
DeleteI hate the Bolder Boulder, hate it!! If you think Disney races are crowded, you've never been to the Bolder Boulder. Yes, there are lots of people on the streets to cheer and give weird random food and/or beer, but you can't get a good pace unless you are in the first couple corrals. I went one year and was in MN, yes they went all the way through the alphabet and had to start double letters. I went another year and was even further back. It's a hilly course, and crowded. I purposely avoid it!!
ReplyDeleteWow, I wonder why runner's World ranked it so highly? Thanks for letting us know!
DeleteI love 10k's for many of the same reasons. I really have to get to that Hershey race one year. I'm all about chocolate!
ReplyDeleteYes, that's on our list for sure. They also have a half marathon in October!
DeleteI like the 10K but seems like not to many are offered around me. So i go with the half instead because 5K are just hard and to short.
ReplyDeleteYea, 10Ks don't seem to be that plentiful!
DeleteYou have some great 10ks listed. I wish I lived closer. I haven't run that many because there aren't many. My favorite has been the Spring Run Off in Albany, NY (because it's my PR).
ReplyDeleteI've had my best times on some 10Ks too!
DeleteOoh... I had no idea about the Hershey one. Sounds fun! The Lawyer's Have Heart 10 k in DC in June was alot of fun. It has a 5k option too.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of that. Probably from your blog...lol.
DeleteI love 10ks for all of the reasons you mentioned. Although I haven't run that many 10ks, I've actually run two in the past two weeks. My favorite one is the one I ran last weekend on the runway at Dulles Airport. I wish that they were more readily available as 5ks, because I'd love to run more of them!
ReplyDeleteI thought there would be more 10Ks in your area. I guess not.
DeleteI love the 10k but have only done one official 10k. I like my 6-mile training runs because it's a good distance but it's still not high enough to take up a full day of running and recovery.
ReplyDeleteLast summer all my runs were 6.2 miles. I had a loop mapped out. This year, not so much :(
DeleteI've been saying recently how I need to run another 10k! I've done 3, and my favorite was the Sole of the City in Baltimore. I'm hoping to do another once marathon training is over!
ReplyDeleteYea me too. I'm hoping to do more small-ish races after my marathon!
ReplyDeleteI don't like 10ks. Almost all the ones I've done have been double loops of the a 5k course, and all the "casual"/fun runners have stopped after the first 5k, leaving me DFL in at least one case, and possibly without any course support. One in particular I couldn't seen any runners in front of me, and I had no idea which (residential) street to turn on.
ReplyDeleteThe 10k runners just seem more intense. And around here, if there's a 5k/10k and the 10k is giving out a medal, the 5k is, too, so that's not an incentive ;)
I love the 10k! I ran my first official one during the Dumbo Double Dare and just loved the distance! The Cooper River Bridge 10k is so close to me and is definitely on my bucket list!
ReplyDeleteGREAT tips!! I'm trying to talk my sis into the Hershey 10K, and am just waiting on those dates to be released. Thanks Meranda!
ReplyDeleteOh, that sounds like fun! I hope the 2 of you can make it work.
DeleteGreat post! I ran my first 10K this spring and I actually prefer the 5K distance! lol For some reason, it just didn't do anything for me but it may have been because of my training and getting shin splits two weeks before!!! :)
ReplyDelete10k's are my favorite... We are having one around here this weekend & I so wish I were doing it.
ReplyDeleteAre you volunteering at it?
DeleteAre you volunteering at it?
DeleteThere really aren't many 10k races around are there. That is the distance I am training for at the moment.
ReplyDeleteYea, 10Ks can be hard to find!
DeleteI have not really done 10ks. Mostly 5's then to half. But a 10k is a good run to do with my daughter. Great list
ReplyDeleteI've done a handful of 10K's and I don't really care for the distance. I don't feel like I get warmed up until mile 5 or 6 now! But great post!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the 10K distance, but the half marathon is definitely my fave! This does look like a fun list of 10K's though! :0)
ReplyDelete10k's are really a lot of fun! There is one here in Utah that I used to run every year, it brings in a lot of top athletes across the country and it's always a lot of fun to line up with them, even though you don't see them again after the gun goes off, well I don't I am not fast enough, LOL
ReplyDeleteBut I agree 10k's are awesome, they are long enough you can get your wind going and yet short enough they don't require the amount of training that half marathon's do, yet you can still feel pretty satisfied about the distance and accomplishment, and the money spent to run them!
I just ran my first 10K a couple weeks ago and it's my favorite distance too!! I would add the She.is.beautiful 10K in Santa Barbara and Santa Clara, CA to that list for sure. I LOVED everything about that race!
ReplyDeleteI love 10ks too! The Wicked 10k is one on my "must do" list. I'm running the WDW 10k and it will be interesting to see how I feel about "just" doing the 10k that weekend! Thanks for linking up with us today!
ReplyDeleteI like 10Ks for the reasons you listed! Having run one this past Sunday, I wrote I need to run more of them in 2015 :) This list will come in handy!
ReplyDeleteI am training for a 10k right now. I have never run one! Very excited. There were a few to pick from in Harrisburg during the time frame I was looking for. I wish I could run the Boulder 10k. Man, I loved Boulder!
ReplyDeletePeachtreee Road Race in Atlanta on July 4th should go on your list! The largest 10k in the world!
ReplyDeletePeachtree Road Race in ATL...world's LARGEST 10k! Its a fun time, cheerleaders the WHOLE 6.2 miles. Sure its hot cuz its July 4th but its an Atlanta tradition get up and run down Peachtree. Give it a try, its so much fun.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I love the NYRR Mini 10K, an all-women race that starts on Central Park West, then loops Central Park. The atmosphere is awesome. That said, it is not my favorite distance - I would take a 5K or a half marathon over a 10K any day! I never seem to nail pacing for 6.2 miles.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to do that Cooper River 10k or the Bolder Boulder. Personally, we have a few local 10ks that I just love! It's fun to push my limits in the comfort of my hometown!
ReplyDeleteI did the Bolder Boulder 2 years ago for the first time and I LOVED it...I had purposefully avoided it because of the crowds, but I had a free entry that year, so I took the shuttle in...I ran in a qualified wave ( EA). The shuttle cost $8 dollars and was worth every penny, it dropped me off right at the start line. It was chilly that morning and there were people giving out free coffee ( yes please!) the waves are purposefully small so it isn't too crowded on the course. The course is fun...you go through neighborhoods in Boulder around campus and end doing a lap around the track in the CU stadium...it was super well organized. The course has a hill in the middle...and it's in Colorado, so out of towners may have an issue with the altitude...you can run this course as a fun run...ie eat the bacon, drink the beer, do the slip and slides, etc...but I just ran it. The expo after the race is fun, there are lots of giveaways including free shoes from saucony and if you hang around, you can go back into the stadium and watch the elites finish...it is pretty amazing to see those runners tearing around the track doing 5 minute miles. They also have flyovers and parachuters at the end of the race...I'd definitely do it again, but only in a qualifying wave...I have heard that the open waves are more congested.
ReplyDelete