The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 14 letter word HALF-MARATHONS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
H
A
L
F
-
M
A
R
A
T
H
O
N
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "races like these" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case races like these = half-marathons.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does HALF-MARATHONS mean?
HALF-MARATHONS noun- A running race over the distance of 21.0975 km, half the length of a marathon.