Top 5 for Fall Foliage · Rev

Fall marathons for the foliage: five courses from Chuncheon to Maine and the Finger Lakes

When choosing an autumn marathon, the date usually comes first. But what stays with runners is not the day on the calendar; it is what rises into view. Samaksan across Uiam Lake, the ridgeline of the Asahi mountain range, a Nordic-style village in Hokkaido, the coast and forests of Maine, and the river valleys of New York's Finger Lakes. These five races make the scenery—not the calendar—the course.

Runners call the stretch from 5km to 15km at the Chuncheon Marathon the race’s highlight. As the course joins the lakeside road along Uiam Lake, the water fills the view, and in the final week of October, Samaksan rises straight ahead, its autumn colors at their peak.

Course usually means a fast time, but that is not what the nickname means here. When choosing an autumn race, what runners are really buying is the view from eye level for those two or three hours.

The five races held in October show five entirely different landscapes. One circles a lake.

Another follows a riverside urban district with a mountain range alongside it. A third passes through a Scandinavian-style village in the middle of Hokkaido.

Autumn beside a lake, autumn along a mountain range, autumn alternating between sea and forest: even within the same October, these are different scenes. Decide which autumn belongs on the itinerary, then open the calendar.

Chuncheon, South Korea

1Chuncheon Marathon — a loop around Uiam Lake with fall color on Samaksan

The race starts at Gongjicheon Bridge, circles Uiam Lake, and finishes in front of Gongjicheon Soccer Stadium. Founded in 1946, it has reached its 80th running and is an AIMS-certified course, so times recorded here stand as official results. The 2026 race starts at 9:00 a.

m. on October 25. Time limit has a full marathon cut-off of 5 hours 30 minutes; the 10km cut-off is 1 hour 30 minutes.

Entry fee costs full marathon 150,000 KRW, while the 10km costs 100,000 KRW. Registration is first come, first served. Full marathon opened at 14:00 on July 14, and the 10K opened at 14:00 on July 16; both are already closed.

Organizer buses leave Seoul City Hall, Jamsil, Sindorim, and Sadang at around 6:00 a.m. Runners taking the train need to leave Yongsan before 5:30 a.

m. Chuncheon is inland, so late October brings a wide temperature swing. The wait at the start can be quite cold, while temperatures rise once the sun is up.

Runners planning to race in a singlet and shorts should use arm sleeves and lightweight gloves to hold onto body heat early, and bring a separate layer to leave at start line. The defining stretch runs from 5km to 15km. The lake fills the view the moment the course reaches the waterfront, with Samaksan directly ahead.

The race’s place in the final week of October is deliberate: that is when the mountain’s foliage reaches its peak. The reason runners call this race an autumn legend is concentrated in those 10 kilometers.

Chuncheon MarathonOctober 2027 · expected · Chuncheon, South KoreaSee race details

Nagai, Japan

2Nagai Marathon — a loop course alongside the fall colors of the Asahi mountain range

The Nagai Marathon takes place in Nagai, Yamagata Prefecture, and is one of the few certified full marathon races in Tohoku. It is sanctioned by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations and carries World Athletics certification course. Course passes through a town that prospered on the Mogami River waterway, with the autumn colors of the Asahi mountain range following beyond it.

This is not a race up a mountain, but one run with the mountains at its side. Both the start and finish are at Koseiiki Athlete Field Nagai, making the course a loop that returns to where it began. The 2026 race starts at 9:25 a.

m. on October 18. Time limit has a 5-hour 30-minute limit, and cut-off point has four.

Entry fee costs full marathon 10,000 yen, while half marathon costs 5,000 yen. The 2km Enjoy Run and 1km Kids Run each cost 1,500 yen. Registration was online only through Runnet, opening May 14 and closing August 18.

On race day, free shuttles run every 30 minutes between Nagai Station, temporary parking areas, and hotels in town. Finishers receive imoni at finish. The Yamagata specialty is a broth made with potatoes and meat, and it comes with rice balls.

In mid-October Tohoku, taking a bowl of hot soup after the finish is one of the scenes that stays with runners.

Nagai MarathonOctober 2027 · expected · Nagai, JapanSee race details

Tōbetsu-chō, Japan

3Tobetsu Half Marathon — a Scandinavian-style town and 60m of elevation change

The setting is Sweden Hills in Tobetsu, Ishikari District, 40 minutes by car from central Sapporo. Streets lined with Scandinavian-style homes and rolling countryside serve as course. Residents have heard the neighborhood compared with the outskirts of Stockholm.

The 2026 race starts at 10:20 a.m. on October 18 from Sweden Hills Golf Club.

The 12km mark has cut-off point, but there is no final time limit. Entry fee costs half marathon 7,000 yen; the approximately 11.9km Sweden Hills course costs 5,000 yen; and the 2.2km Fun Run costs 2,500 yen for a solo entry and 3,500 yen for a pair. Residents of Tobetsu receive a discount.

Registration opened through Runnet on July 3 and closed on September 3. The scenery is pastoral, but course is not. Large descents and climbs alternate, with about 60m of elevation change.

For a half marathon course with that much undulation, times from a flat race cannot simply be carried over. By mid-October, Hokkaido’s foliage is already close to its peak, and the conditions feel more like an early-winter race than autumn. This is a race for seeing an autumn that arrives a month earlier than it does on Japan’s main island.

Tobetsu Sweden MarathonOctober 2027 · expected · Tōbetsu-chō, JapanSee race details

Portland, United States

4Maine Marathon — an out-and-back from Portland to Yarmouth and a Boston qualifier

The Maine Marathon starts at Back Cove in Portland, Maine, runs to Yarmouth, and returns on an out-and-back course. The route passes through Falmouth and Cumberland over rolling terrain, with gradual climbs and descents alternating between ocean views and fall color. On October 4, 2026, all events start together at 7:45 a.

m. The start and finish are at Payson Field on Baxter Boulevard. Entry fee uses a tiered pricing structure: it opened on October 29, 2025, at full marathon 75 dollars and reaches 125 dollars just before race day.

Half marathon rises from 50 dollars to 100 dollars. Registration closes October 3. More than 500 free parking spaces are available near Marginal Way; runners without a car need to account for a taxi or rideshare.

The race is a Boston Marathon qualifying event and takes place on a USATF-certified course. In other words, it is both a race for the foliage and a race for a qualifying time. Early October in New England is peak season for leaf-peeping crowds.

This course passes through the middle of it on foot, and because the course is an out-and-back, the same scenery appears twice in opposite directions—once with the morning sun at the runners’ backs, then again on the return.

Maine MarathonSun, October 3, 2027 · D-322 · Portland, United StatesSee race details

Corning, United States

5Wineglass Marathon — a gently downhill point-to-point course from Bath to Corning

This race takes place in New York’s Finger Lakes wine country. It starts in Bath, passes through Savona, Campbell, Coopers Plains, and Painted Post, and finishes on Market Street in Corning’s historic district—a one-way course. The route follows the river valley on a gradual descent, dropping about 200 feet—roughly 60m—from Bath to Corning.

It is not a steep downhill but a road that rolls gently lower. The 2026 race, the 45th running, takes place on October 4. It is a USATF-certified course and a Boston Marathon qualifying event.

Around this time, Corning’s average high is 18 degrees (64°F), with lows around 6 degrees (43°F), making the wait at the start chilly. The marathon starts at 8:15 a.m.

; half marathon starts at 7:30 a.m. the same day, while the 5K and 8K take place the day before, on the 3rd.

Since start line is separate from the finish, runners must take a shuttle bus and show bib before boarding. Bib and race materials are collected at the Corning Museum of Glass on Friday, October 2, from 11:00 a.m.

to 7:00 p.m., or Saturday, October 3, from 9:00 a.

m. to 6:30 p.m.

, with photo identification or the registration-confirmation email. There is no race-day registration, and online registration closes October 1. Time limit is undecided.

In early October, the Finger Lakes turns with color among rolling hills, vineyards, and cornfields. Small towns appear every few kilometers, with forests and farmland filling the spaces between them.

Guthrie Wineglass MarathonSun, October 3, 2027 · D-322 · Corning, United StatesSee race details

Editor's pick

For an autumn landscape, Chuncheon is the choice. The lakeside road from 5km to 15km and Samaksan straight ahead make this the clearest scene on the list, and the race date is set to meet that moment. The trade-off is that registration is cut-off point.

Full marathon opens at 14:00 on July 14 and can close within minutes, so that time belongs on the calendar before race day does. For both a fast time and fall color, there is the Maine Marathon. It is a USATF-certified course with Boston-qualifying times, and the course runs through the heart of New England’s foliage season.

The out-and-back course means seeing the same landscape again from the opposite direction late in the race. Entry fee rises in stages, so entering early costs less. For a quieter race, consider Nagai or Tobetsu.

Nagai is a rural race where imoni is served at finish, while Tobetsu, 40 minutes from Sapporo, uses an entire Scandinavian-style village as course. Tobetsu’s 60m of elevation change is worth knowing in advance—as pastoral as the landscape looks, course is not equally gentle. The Wineglass is another option for runners who want a time on the books.

The one-way course follows a river valley gradually downhill from Bath to Corning and takes place on October 4, the same day as Maine, so one must be chosen. The start at start line is accessible only by shuttle bus, and bib must be shown before boarding. Bib should be collected from the Corning Museum of Glass by the previous day.

Set the five races side by side as course, and the differences between them become clear: lake and mountain; riverside streets and ridgelines; Scandinavian streets and rolling hills; sea and forest; and a river valley through wine country. The dates come next.

Three of the five races on this list are already closed, and the remaining two close on October 1 and 3. Registration for autumn races opens in summer—which means opening the calendar in midsummer for a chance to see the leaves in fall.

Entry period · Accommodation

Races	Itinerary	Entry period	INFO.
Chuncheon Marathon	October 2027 · expected	Not yet open	Accommodation · See race details
Nagai Marathon	October 2027 · expected	Not yet open	Accommodation · See race details
Tobetsu Sweden Marathon	October 2027 · expected	Not yet open	Accommodation · See race details
Maine Marathon	Sun, October 3, 2027	Not yet open	Accommodation · See race details
Guthrie Wineglass Marathon	Sun, October 3, 2027	Tue, December 1, 2026 ~ —	Accommodation · See race details

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Races · Entry period · Accommodation

Data as of 2026-09-12