A biased look by a runner who has done 111.

i hat are your top 10 marathons to run in the United States?” That

Wes a question asked of me recently on Facebook, one of nearly

400 questions asked over a one-day period, inspired by a contest

featuring a giveaway book. There is almost no limit to the amount of response you can generate if you offer something free.

It’s a tough question, since my last marathon was Disney World a dozen years ago. That marked my 111th marathon, and although I have not officially “retired” from 26.2-mile races, that seemed like a number worth savoring. Is it fair to nominate marathons for a top 10 list that I have not run? Probably not, so 1 offer this confessedly biased list from among my 111.

1. Chicago Marathon

My hometown race. I have run Chicago often, beginning when the race was the Mayor Daley Marathon in 1977. One of the four marathons I won overall was the Windy City Marathon: same city, different race, less prestige, no Kenyans. Now with 45,000 entrants, Chicago is crowded but fast and with a great expo. It offers a loop course with a start and finish in Grant Park, so runners do not need to endure a long bus ride before or after.

2. Boston Marathon

The classic race has served as a subject for many of my articles and books, most recently 4:09:43: Boston 2013 Through the Eyes of the Runners. Crowd support is intense. The pavement vibrates with their cheers. I have run Boston 18 times, more than any other marathon, setting my PR of 2:21:55 (first American) in 1964. But let’s tell the truth: some of my worst marathons also occurred on Boston’s devilishly difficult course. Nevertheless, the race tugs at my historical roots, and it should at yours as well.

Next to Boston I have run Honolulu more often than any other marathon: 11 times, and they were some of my best races, including a father-and-son win with son, Kevin, in 1989. (Kevin made me pick up our trophies at the awards ceremony while he went to the beach.) Starting in the dark with fireworks bursting overhead provides a true runner’s high. How can any runner resist an opportunity to use a marathon as an excuse to visit the Hawaiian Islands? (Please don’t miss Pearl Harbor.)

Run on Labor Day in typically warm weather over an agonizingly hilly course, Heart of America almost defies runners to mail in their entry blanks. Fair enough; only the tough need apply. It’s small; you can walk up to the line five minutes before the start and nudge your way into the front row. I won Heart in 1968 and was running last in 2001 until the final mile, when I caught someone walking.