Big races
More than half of the races in the United States attract fewer than 300 runners. Still, it's interesting to see how many people enter the biggest events. Statistics for 2007 are not yet complete, so here are the top races of last year. Find out more from Running USA's Race Information Center.
The Revlon Run for Women 5k in Los Angeles CA tallied 34,560 finishers, but 85% of them were walkers. So, it seems the largest timed 5k is the Carlsbad 5000 in Carlsbad CA with 7,734 finishers.
The largest 8k was the LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle, in Chicago IL, with 20,407 finishers. The 10k leader was Bolder Boulder in Boulder CO, the nation's largest event, with 43,635 finishers.
At the longer distances, Lilac Bloomsday Run 12k, in Spokane WA, saw 40,750 runners cross the finish line. The Utica Boilermaker 15k, in Utica NY, tallied 9,406 finishers, and the Army Ten-Miler, in Washington D.C., recorded 15,645 finishers.
The Half-marathon leader was the Indy 500, in Indianapolis IN, with 27,644 finishers, and America's largest 26.2 mile race was the New York City Marathon, with 37,866 finishers.
Don't think that bigger is always better. Just focus on the quality of your race and don't worry about the size.