Author Description

With races from every continent, most open to anyone in the world, this book has a race for everyone, whether they are interested in a five kilometer race around a city center or a marathon across mountain rangesMany runners have dreamed of running along the Great Wall of China, up the Empire State Building, or across the Sahara Desert, of joining thousands of runners in a major city road race, and these are just a few of the races included in this list of 500 of the most classic running races in the world. The races featured range from 10-second sprints to several days' worth of running over hundreds of miles. All types of races are represented, including cross-country (English cross-country championships), mountain (run to the top of Mount Olympus in Greece), multiterrain (Brazil's Jungle Marathon), road (marathons through the world's greatest cities), snow (a marathon to the North Pole), stage (Japan's famous Ekiden relays), stair (the Empire State building), track (the British Milers Club races), trail (running on the Great Wall of China), and ultra (Death Valley). The diversity of races is matched by the number of countries featured, with races from more than 100 countries included. This author compiled the list along with contributions from some of the world's leading runners including Kilian Jornet, Mara Yamauchi, Ryan Sandes, and Jonathan Wyatt.