Happy New Year! As you look ahead toward your 2026 running calendar, scheduling a half-marathon in these first few months is either a great challenge to set as a goal, or a fun element in your summer marathon build. Check out these lists of favorite upcoming half-marathons across the West to put on your radar.
Oregon Half-Marathons
California Half-Marathons
Arizona Half-Marathons
Utah Half-Marathons
Cupids Chocolate Chase
February 7 — Eugene, OR / 5K, 10K
Join us for a sweet start to Valentine’s season at the inaugural Cupids Chocolate Chase Presented by Euphoria Chocolate Company! Each participant will be treated to a handcrafted Euphoria chocolate at the finish line. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Bags of Love, a local nonprofit supporting children in need.
I know there are plenty of athletes out there like me who have an embarrassing collection of running shoes. No, I do not wait until one pair wears out before letting the lure of another new model pull me in. If you have more self-control than I, if you stare in bewilderment at your training partner’s heap of footwear options, or if, like me, you need justification to continue growing your stockpile, here are some good reasons for keeping at least a couple pairs in rotation.
Should You Rotate Your Running Shoes? Benefits & Considerations
Adding variety to your routine (like multiple shoe options) will have nothing but positive impacts on your running. Watch out for the tendency to label yourself as one “type” of runner and dedicate your training to long, slow distance or quick laps on the track. Lower intensity and longer runs build an aerobic base for athletes who favor 5Ks, and short, hard efforts help distance runners “create(s) the physiological adaptations that raise your maximum capacity for work, which also raises the amount of work you can perform at easy and moderate intensities.” Read below about how venturing out of pure Zone 2 can help ultrarunner, and marathoners, build fitness and improve finish times.
Why Ultrarunners Need to Embrace ALL Training Zones
Want to reduce your impact on our earth this year? Race organizer, Aimee Kohler, has built her business, The Running Kind, with an unrelenting focus on sustainability and inclusivity. Her events feature reusable bibs and repurposed finisher awards; portions of entry fees are used to buy carbon offsets. “People come for the running, stay for the community, and return for the bigger purpose of sustainability and tackling climate change.”
Caring and Kindness: A Conversation with Aimee Kohler of The Running Kind
Running Safely With Old Man Winter
