It’s the time of the year again where you start making plans for the year-end vacation by reviewing your bucket-list items and travel packages. Instead of being a typical tourist doing sightseeing, food-tasting and other touristy activities, why not assume a new and different role this year as a travelling runner?
Race for a holiday!
Most people have 14 – 25 days of annual leave, and yet most subject these limited days to traditional package tours where the tour guides simply move the tour group from attractions to attractions according to the itineary. At the end of the trip, what you have brought back are photos, memories and souvenirs which are no doubt precious, however the same as everyone else who had been to that destination.
So, what else is there for the travelling runners? RACE tours! It is the next big thing where it is a holiday and a race trip with all your accommodation, transport and race administration settled by the race tour agency! Not only do you get to enjoy the time of your life in a new place, timezone and culture, your running experience will be brought to whole new level like never before! Race tour is the combination of creating special racing memories with the comfort of traditional package tours.
Recently, a number of Singaporeans flew to Australia to compete in the Gold Coast Airport Marathon from 4-5 July 2015 and some of them even qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon 2016! Read about their overseas race experience here!
Journey of self-discovery
Most of us travel across countries for family holidays, business trips or a DIY tour. However, your role as a tourist usually limits your curiosity and opportunities to discover more about yourself due to the travel plans made by your travel agent or recommendations from fellow travelers.
For an even more authentic travel experience and memories of the destination, you should always do what the locals do! Participate in their local races and get a chance to interact and communicate with the locals! While some races require pre-registration before a certain date, there are always local races that allow on-the-spot registration for the travelling runners like you! Taking part in local races provides you the rare chance to engage with the community, enjoy the scenery and immerse yourself in the tradition the race has to offer. Who knows, you may just learn more history and travelling perks of the place from your fellow runners than you ever will from a guided tour!
Affordable airfares
Not all of us are able to have fractional ownership jet to enable us to fly private (although there are ways to fly private without this, and it may not be too different in price to a first-class ticket if you know what to look for). However, for those who don’t have this kind of money to spare, budget airlines are everywhere and affordable flights can be easily purchased via computers and mobile apps. It may used to cost a small fortune in the past, but now travelling to nearby countries can be cheaper than a night of hotel stay! All you need to do is to pack light, book a flight and ensure that the race registration dates and race dates are in your favour.
Running in a new destination is arguably the best thing to see, hear, feel and know everything that the place has to offer. So, why not run the world this year? One race at a time.
Getting started
For the upcoming September and year-end vacation period, we have handpicked several bucket-list races around the world for you to take the first step in becoming a traveling runner!
- Angkor Wat International Half Marathon (Cambodia, December)
- ASB Auckland Marathon (New Zealand, November)
- Athens Classic Marathon (Greece, November)
- Bali Marathon (Indonesia, November)
- BMW Berlin Marathon (Germany, September)
- Chiang Mai Marathon (Thailand, December)
- Great Barrier Reef Marathon Festival (Australia, November)
- Koh Samui International Marathon (Thailand, December)
- Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon (Macau, China, December)
- Melbourne Marathon Festival (Australia, October)
- Niagara Falls International Marathon (Canada, October)
- Osaka Marathon (Japan, October)
- Penang Bridge International Marathon (Malaysia, November)
- Shanghai International Marathon (China, November)
- Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon (Thailand, November)
- Sydney Running Festival (Australia, September)
- TCS New York Marathon (United States, November)
- Yunnan Puzhehei International Marathon (China, October)
If I had three thumbs, I would give this article three thumbs up! Traveling to run a marathon has given me a good excuse to re-visit cities I enjoy, such as Paris and Sydney, while also taking me to cities I might never have visited otherwise, like Khon Kaen in Thailand and Cape Town. Plus, running somewhere else often lets you experience things like “a Start time after sunrise” and “spectators.” Whether you are flying somewhere specifically to run an ultra marathon or simply adding a 10K race to your vacation plans, take the opportunity to try running someplace different.