10 Fast and Flat Marathons to Help You Nab a PR (and Maybe BQ)

All runners—from beginners to pros—love fast and flat marathons. For new runners, they are more welcoming than courses with lots of hills, while seasoned 26.2-mile racers can nab a PR at these events. Also, if you have other big race goals, they may make it easier for you to get a Boston Marathon or other World Marathon Major qualifying time.Once you set your sights on one of these races, you can train without worrying about hill repeats, although you will need to do speedwork and strength training to support your goal of increasing your overall pace.Most of these 10 marathons—some large, some small, some famous, some secret favorites—do have tighter time limits than other well-known events, so set your goal and start training!Houston MarathonCORVIN_ALSTOT CORVIN@ALSTOT.COMDate: January 17, 2027 (Sunday)Location: Houston, TexasNumber of Runners: 13,500Time Limit: 6 hoursRegisterTexas is a state known for being flat, and the Houston Marathon certainly doesn’t disappoint. The circular course, which begins and ends downtown with a big loop around H-Town in the middle, is a flat and fast marathon through the city’s diverse neighborhoods. The elevation change is 61 feet between the course’s highest and lowest points, with one small hill and dip. In fact, it’s so flat and fast that in 2025, nearly 15 percent of finishers qualified for Boston.Another perk of this rare January race is that it gives you the ideal training window of late fall into early winter where you can avoid both the blistering sun and freezing cold while you prep.Mesa MarathonCourtesy Mesa MarathonDate: February 13, 2027 (Saturday)Location: Mesa, ArizonaNumber of Runners: 26,000Time Limit: 6.5 hoursRegisterRunning through the desert may not seem like the fastest way to a PR, but the Mesa Marathon is here to prove you wrong. Set in the dead of winter, the point-to-point, net downhill race starts outside of the Phoenix suburbs and heads straight for the city. The elevation change is 803 feet, but it’s almost entirely downhill.Bonus: The race begins well before sunrise at 6:30 a.m., allowing runners to get in a few miles before the day begins to heat up and providing some spectacular desert sunrise views.Marathon RotterdamCourtesy NN Marathon Rotterdam / GolazoDate: April 11, 2027 (Sunday)Location: Rotterdam, NetherlandsNumber of Runners: 17,000–25,000 Time Limit: 5.5 hoursRegisterSo fast and flat is Rotterdam that, for years, it held the record for breaking three of the fastest marathon records—in 1985, Carlos Lopes became the first person ever to break 2:08; in 1988 Belayneh Dinsamo broke Lopes’s record (a record that held for 10 years), and in 1998, Tegla Loroupe broke the women’s world record by 19 seconds. Now that other major races are so crowded and difficult to enter, Rotterdam is again on an upswing. In 2026, Guye Adola won in 2:03:54 and Mekides Shimeles set a new women’s course record of 2:18:56.Maui MarathonCourtesy Maui MarathonDate: April 25, 2027 (Sunday)Location: Maui, HawaiiNumber of Runners: 3,000Time Limit: 8 hoursRegisterI have to go to Hawaii in order to qualify for Boston? Oh darn. Twist my arm. I guess I better get on the plane. Easily one of the United States’ most beautiful marathons, this one has you running through the lush volcanic island in the Pacific. While perhaps not the most convenient to get to, it does provide runners with a scenic, flat course with views of both the ocean and the mountains.The course has one slight uphill in the first half, but it’s all downhill from there. (The elevation change is 150 feet—there’s one hill in the middle of the course.) For eco-friendly runners, the Maui Marathon is also cupless, providing runners with a reusable cup to cut back on waste. We love to see runners supporting our beautiful planet.Lake Wobegon Trail MarathonCourtesy Lake Wobegon Trail MarathonDate: May 8, 2027 (Saturday)Location: Holdingford, MinnesotaNumber of Runners: 525Time Limit: 6 hoursRegisterMost people looking for a PR don’t expect to find one when they sign up for a trail marathon. This picturesque race through rural Minnesota, however, defies expectations. The trail, which is paved and follows an old railroad line, is far from muddy forest paths trail runners often traverse, and Minnesota’s lake-filled countryside is not especially hilly. (The elevation change is 175 feet, but the back half is mostly downhill.)The course is quiet and beautiful without many interruptions. And those looking for a zen run through nature (there were under 200 finishers last year) will find this race highly satisfying.Med CityTWooDate: May 16, 2027 (Sunday)Location: Rochester, MinnesotaNumber of Runners: 3,200Time Limit: 6 hoursRegisterA Boston-qualifying course, Med City is a favorite for many runners due to its varying terrain (city to country roads plus rolling hills and river views) and course support. This small Midwest race gets a lot of positive feedback from runners as a good alternative to the bigger (Grandma’s and Twin Cities) races in the area.Foot Traffic Courtesy Foot Traffic MarathonDate: July 4, 2027 (Sunday)Location: Sauvie Island, OregonNumber of Runners: 300Time Limit: 5.5 hoursRegisterKnown as “The Flat,” although it has rolling hills, this scenic and very small race on a 39-square-mile island nevertheless often includes some Boston Qualifier runners, so many fast runners love its course. Although there aren’t many marathon runners, other distance runners take on a variety of distances, so the road can become crowded, and it is open to cars. It is a summer race without a lot of spectators, so be prepared for sun and heat, although the gun goes off early—6:30 a.m.Hamptons MarathonCourtesy Hamptons MarathonDate: September, 2027Location: Southampton, New YorkNumber of Runners: 300Time Limit: 6 hoursRegisterWith many hilly New England races, it can be hard to find a flat course for those living in the northeastern portion of the U.S. This marathon, through New York’s swanky resort destination, provides the region with an easy Boston Qualifier (if that is even such a thing).The race, which begins in Southampton and ventures through woodlands, upscale neighborhoods, and shoreline areas, doesn’t have much in the way of elevation changes. Plus, when you finish you can cool off in the waves and munch on a lobster roll.Kiawah Island MarathonImagination's Eye PhotographyDate: December 12, 2026 (Saturday)Location: Kiawah Island, South CarolinaNumber of Runners: 1,500Time Limit: 6.5 hoursRegisterLocated just south of Charleston, South Carolina is the beautiful Kiawah Island, which juts into the Atlantic Ocean. Kiawah is known primarily for its sandy beaches and elite golf resorts. The marathon, which weaves around the island in a series of gentle twists and turns, is extremely flat with an elevation change of a mere 12 feet—due to its barrier island locale.You’ll crisscross through golf courses, run beneath a canopy of lush trees (where you may see signs warning you of alligators), and along the oceanfront without having many uphill climbs. Because the race is set in December, the weather is usually cool and breezy. Go ahead and stay the week; Kiawah is a resort lover’s paradise.Mississippi Gulf Coast MarathonTammy BelangerDate: December 13, 2026 (Sunday)Location: Biloxi, MississippiNumber of Runners: 5,100Time Limit: 6 hoursRegisterIf you are looking for shorefront, shorefront, and nothing but shorefront, then you probably won’t find a better race than this one along the Gulf of Mexico. Starting along the beach near the Bay of Saint Louis, runners follow the coast for all 26.2 miles, passing through Gulfport on a straight, point-to-point shot to Biloxi.While the race may lack the complexities of some other courses on this list, if you are looking to get in a zone, stay in a zone, and not think about turns for one second, then this is your course. It’s simple, it’s easy, and it will probably help you score that PR. (With only 21 feet of elevation change from the highest to lowest point, your odds are decent.)Matthew Huff is a freelance writer and runner, and he is the author of MARATHONER: What to Expect When Training for and Running a Marathon, published by Rizzoli Publications. His writing has appeared in Runner's World and BuzzFeed among others, and he is the co-host of “P.S. You're Wrong: A Pop Culture Podcast.” Originally from Michigan, he now lives and runs in New York City, where he is pursuing a career as an expert chicken tender taster.