Five races that are better with friends

I love to race. This year might be the first year in a long time where my number of half marathons + marathons is not in the double digits. That’s ok, though. I’ve had fun running some shorter races and made sure that I’ve had more fun at races than I’ve sometimes had. And one of the things that makes things more fun is running with friends. The following 5 races are ones I usually do with a posse and that’s half the fun right there.

1. ZOOMA – I think a big reason I love this race is that I spend the night before the race having dinner and drinks with some of the awesomest lady bloggers out there. The exact makeup of the group fluctuates year to year, but it always includes Courtney, Cynthia, and Sue – my favorite band of troublemakers. So far, I’ve only done Annapolis, but I’m sure that the other races are just as fun as a girls’ weekend. In fact, Cape Cod is coming up soon and there’s a great discount right now. Use 6reason to get 15% off.  I will have to do this one virtually as I can’t manage to get up there this year. 
2. Skirt Sports 13er – This race is all about women racing. I think guys can do the shorter distances, but the 13er is just for ladies. I love that Skirt Sports help sponsor this race and that there’s cake at the end. For those of us who are Skirt Sports Ambassadors, there’s also a retreat on the same weekend, so it’s all about hanging with the girls. 
3. Ragnar – Obviously Ragnar is about racing with friends. Some years that means friends you’ve just met, but I guarantee that by the time you get out of the van on Saturday, you’ll have new friends for life. I’ve done Ragnars both as an all women’s team and a co-ed team. Both are a lot of fun. 
4. Marine Corps Marathon – I’ve always seen a lot of friends at this race. Because it’s my “hometown” race, I run into an amazing number of people I know – both runners and spectators. I always hang out at the start line with friends and last year I even ran the whole race with a friend. This year I have a training buddy and the plan is to run the marathon with her. 
5. Mainly Marathons – OK, this is kind of cheating because everyone at their races becomes your friend by the end. Everyone. But I’ve also run a few with Kim and a bunch with Beer Geek, so it’s even more fun then. And a lot of the friends I make there, I end up running other races with.   

I used to be a solo runner and very seldom met up with people at races. But between Mainly, MRTT, Skirt Sports, Altra, and Ragnar, it has become more rare for me to NOT know someone at a race. And I’m kind of loving that.

What’s your favorite race to do with your running friends?

Bonus: I got to finally meet one of my Tuesdays on the Run co-hosts yesterday. Running friends are truly the best.

I’m joining Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness  for the Friday Five 2.0 linkup!