If hills scare you, especially the thought of 26.2 miles of them, try a marathon known for its flat, fast course. (And remember, “flat” is relative—flat in Iowa may be different than flat in Oregon!)

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Here are a few races to consider:

• Bay State, Lowell, MA. Flat as a pancake. And your entry fee gets you a free pasta dinner the night before the race.
  
  
• Detroit Free Press / Flagstar Bank, MI. Flat, except for crossing the Ambassador Bridge into Canada and running through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel back into Michigan. But that’s so cool, you won’t notice the inclines.
  
  
• Erie, PA. There are no major elevation changes reported for this race, which is entirely on Presque Isle State Park.
  
  
• HP Houston, TX. This race has been ranked “fastest winter marathon” in the past, due to its flat course.
  
  
• Indianapolis, IN. Two little bobbles and that’s it.
  
  
• Lakefront, Milwaukee, WI. Flat course that runs along Lake Michigan from Grafton to Milwaukee.
  
  
• LaSalle Bank Chicago, IL. The Chicago Marathon has always been known for its flat course; the highest elevation area is 24 feet. Beware, though: this race is so popular they’ve capped the field, and the slots often fill up by June (the race is in October). Your entry is guaranteed if you’re running for one of the 60 different charities affiliated with the race.
  
  
• Portland, OR . The main bumps in this race are 114-foot and 150-foot inclines around miles 4 and 17.
  
  
• St. George, UT . O.K., the St. George Marathon is really all downhill, not flat, but that’s all the better.
  
  
• Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL. There are some complaints because you’re running on a fair amount of concrete in between the theme parks in this race, but you’re also cheered on by Disney characters as you run through the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot.

Know another fun, flat course? Click EasyEdit to add it to this list.