to oversubscribed races Newsletter/magazine Discounted sportswear Discounted tickets to televised athletics events Discounted health club membership Other discounted products/services Participation in a nationally administered running handicap scheme A personal chip

runners. Over the past year the staff and correspondents of RUNNER’S WORLD have spent most of their weekends travelling to a huge number of these events. Those travels, together with informal surveys of competitors and other reader feedback, provide

out about these enticing events, you can guarantee places are likely to sell like hotcakes...The ratingsAs usual, we’ve got not one, but two lists to get your teeth stuck into:Races with more than 15 votes (all 404 of them!)Races with 7-14 votes (all

, the event becomes less pleasurable. Remember runners can tell you just as much as you can tell runners – just take a look at the RW race ratings. They are a really good feedback mechanism for race organisers and we always try to look for trends, whether

the hilly Lincolnshire Wolds in this single-lap road race. This long-standing event has a loyal field of runners, who value the smooth organisation, great facilities and friendly atmosphere. 5. Stockport 10, Greater ManchesterDate in 2012: Dec (TBC

of correspondents and, of course, the feedback we received from you, the readers. Any race that’s made it into our rundown is guaranteed to be a great event. After all, they make up the the top five per cent of a high-quality crop. You won’t agree with all of our

or the New Forest. And, unlike the Great North Run, it’s not on telly.But this marathon, in a sleepy market town just outside Oxford, is hugely popular. Race day isn't until October 22, but the event's 1,000 places have long been snapped up – 107 of them

Marathon (Sussex/Hampshire, June 16) Marrying two of runners’ most bemoaned adversaries - hills and heat – in a single event might not seem like a recipe for success, but given the positive RW reader feedback following last year’s inaugural event

, the Dartmoor Vale Marathon may be a relative newcomer to the UK marathon calendar, but given the positive feedback in these RW race ratings, it’s definitely one to earmark for the future.Marathon first-timer and local runner Tickety Boo explains its appeal: "A

, right through the seasons. There are some familiar faces and some surprises, but without a doubt, all of the events here made a lasting impression on the people who ran and enjoyed them. Here’s to 2008 and another great year of racing in store