Paris

Date: Month of April
Website: www.parismarathon.com
Comments: Much improved race, starts on the Champs-Elysees, takes in many of the city's sights to finish near the Arc de Triomphe.
Read: GirlTalk Paris Guide to Paris

London

Date: Month of April
Website: www.london-marathon.co.uk
Comments: Big field and tough to get into; fast course that takes in all the sights but watch out for the cobblestones at mile 23.
Read: She Explores Residential London , Her Top Five Tube Stops

Rotterdam

Date: Month of April
Website: www.rotterdammarathon.nl
Comments: Has long attracted the world's best with a flat, fast course; great organization and support, and the latest innovations.
Read: Rotterdam, Her Perfect Winter Getaway

Boston

Date: Month of April
Website: www.bostonmarathon.org
Comments: Oldest marathon in the books (dating back to 1896); great crowds watching, great tradition. Qualifying standards have loosened in recent years.
Read: GirlTalk Guide to Boston

Stockholm

Date: Month of June
Website: www.marathon.se
Comments: Summer date, great crowds, nice harbour and Baltic Sea views, finish inside the 1912 Olympic Stadium.
Read: A Little Shopping Secret in Stockholm

Berlin

Date: Month of September
Website: www.berlin-marathon.com
Comments: Well-organized, large crowd support, contrasting neighbourhoods and architecture -- and it's flat.
Read: Berlin 2000 -- Female Stuff

Chicago

Date: Month of October
Website: www.chicagomarathon.com
Comments: Very fast, flat course through many of the city's neighbourhoods; huge field.
Read: GirlTalk Guide to Chicago

Amsterdam

Date: Month of October
Website: www.amsterdammarathon.nl
Comments: Fast course, compact field, large foreign contingent and well run.
Read: Her Go-Alone Amsterdam

New York City

Date: Month of November
Website: www.nyrrc.org
Comments: Great split of local and international field, incredible and unceasing crowd support, a unique five-borough tour.
Read: GirlTalk Guide to New York

Honolulu

Date: Month of December
Website: www.honolulumarathon.org
Comments: Early morning start (5 a.m.); great Pacific views and ambiance and
(surprise) it's mostly flat.
Read: GirlTalk Guide to Chicago

Did you know that in 1970 only one woman ran the New York City Marathon? By 1980, there were 1,962 women to 12,050 men. By 1990, women made up close to one-fifth of the crowd -- 4,727 of 25,012. And in 1999, at 9,426 out of 32,503 runners, almost one in three marathoners was a woman. Wow!