Salina Marathon Named Best in Kansas

By Todd Pittenger April 20, 2026

The Salina Crossroads Marathon has been named the Best Marathon in Kansas for 2026 by FindMyMarathon.com.

According to marathon organizers, FindMyMarathon.com is a comprehensive online race site where users can search for races based on location, date, course type (flat, hilly). Tens of thousands of runners cast their votes on FindMyMarathon.com to highlight the races that truly deliver on organization, atmosphere, and the overall runner experience. “Being named the top marathon in Kansas is a huge testament to the hard work our amazing planning team and volunteers put in every year,” said Salina Crossroads Marathon Co-Race Director Daniel Craig. The full list of winners across all 50 states can be viewed on the FindMyMarathon.com results page: https://findmymarathon.com/best-marathons/best-marathons-2026.php

There are 2,257 registered participants from 46 states registered for the November 7, 2026 Salina Crossroads Marathon. The half marathon has the highest registration totals with 1,005 and the full marathon has 740 registered participants.

Thanks to grants, sponsorships, and donations, 100% of operational costs are covered, and all race entry fees are donated to local youth sports programs. Runners can register at https://raceroster.com/events/2026/113366/salina-crossroads-marathon.

Salina Crossroads Marathon has one of the lowest registration fees for any race in Kansas and two years ago began offering the option of not getting a race shirt and receiving a discount off the entry fee. “We are thankful for strong support from the City of Salina and local businesses to help the ideas come to life. From a vintage vehicle leading the pack at the starting line, to live music along the course, to slices of ice cream pie when you cross the finish line, our goal is to create a race experience for runners and spectators that people will talk about and remember” said Co-Race Director Chris Lehecka.

The 2026 Salina Crossroads Marathon weekend will feature five family friendly events:

  • Marathon
  • Half Marathon
  • 5K Run/Walk
  • 10K Run/Walk
  • Half-Mile Kids Run

USATF Certified Races Bring Runners to the Community

Being USATF Certified means that the course has been accurately measured (multiple times) by an approved USATF Certifier to ensure the distance. Many runners like to compare performances run on different courses, and such comparisons are difficult if course distances are not reliable. You cannot truly establish a personal best if the course distance is not accurate. The 2022 Fe for A Cure was the first ever USATF Certified event held in Salina. In 2025, the Fe for A Cure had 1214 total registered participants, which was the highest of any non-marathon race in Salina history. The 2026 Fe For A Cure will be held on Saturday, September 19. Registration is now open: feforacure.com. The Salina Crossroads Marathon was also certified in 2022 and currently has four certified events: 5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon. Being USATF Certified is a great way to bring runners from other communities to Salina. In 2025, the Salina Crossroads Marathon had over 5400 registered runners and created an estimated $1.49 million visitor economic impact. “Being USATF Certified ensures a verified accurate course distance, allows runners to compare their performances across different events reliably, increases participation from out of town runners, and shows professionalism, trustworthiness, and that the event organizers pay attention to the details” said Craig.

The Salina Crossroads Marathon has developed the brand of The Most Runner Friendly Marathon in Kansas. The three core components of that brand include allowing registered runners the option to change their race distance at any time, defer entries to the following year, and offering race day packet pickup. “It is really neat seeing people set running goals; some of which have considered themselves non-runners. Watching them train for months, stay on schedule, and then have it all pay off on race day is fulfilling,” said Co-Race Director Andrew Manley. “Just like running a Marathon, the event itself is months in the making. Our Marathon committee starts designing and building the race 6 months in advance, just like all of the runners. As we get closer to race day, everything just gets a little harder. To finally get to race day is neat, not only for the runners, but for the hundreds of volunteers, the community, and the race staff. Last year, I heard one of the members of our race staff say to me, “We did it!” just as someone was crossing the finish line saying, ‘I did it!”. Pretty cool. Yes, we did. Everyone did.”

About the Salina Crossroads Marathon

The Salina Crossroads Marathon began when two local runners (Chris Lehecka and Daniel Craig) started visiting about what it would look like for Salina to have a high-quality marathon and half marathon race. The City of Salina helped develop a fun and scenic course that minimized disruptions to traffic and parking in Downtown Salina. The Salina Crossroads Marathon planning committee includes individuals in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors as well as local runners. Andrew Manley serves as a co-race director and treasurer for the Salina Crossroads Marathon. The goals of the Salina Crossroads Marathon are to have a high-quality race that can bring in runners from across the United States, provide 100% of the race entry fees to local organizations, and provide fun family friendly events so the entire community can come be a part of a USATF Certified and Boston Qualifying Marathon weekend.

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For more information about the Salina Crossroads Marathon check out the website at runsalinacrossroads.com or follow them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1469896640070189.