Of the more than 400 marathons in the United States, Missoula’s is the best. At least this year.
According to a story in the Missoulian, Runner’s World magazine has named the Garden City’s marathon the “No. 1 Best Overall in America.” For what it’s worth, the Boston Marathon was No. 5 on the list and the New York City Marathon ranked 23rd. Rankings are based on results from an online survey of Runner’s World readers. The survey was posted on the magazine’s site for a full calendar year.
Bart Yasso of Runner’s World, who is one of the most well-known runners in the nation, said the quality of the marathon experience factors greatly in the rankings, giving Missoula a chance to beat out giants like Boston. Missoula, with its beautiful surroundings and community engagement, apparently is a nice place to run a marathon.
“What makes a great marathon – it’s not the organization or the corporation or person that puts it on,” Yasso said. “It’s owned by the community. It’s a community event, and you have a great community.”