The Destination Race

I love to travel. Destination races combine my love of traveling with my love of running. Most of my half marathons have been destination races including my next race, Rock ‘n Roll San Diego Half Marathon.

Destination races are fun because you get to explore a new city or a new section of a familiar city. Now that I have running friends who live all over the country, it’s nice to reunite to run races in different cities. Plus each race is different. Some may take you through historical locations, while others have ocean views. There’s often new terrain you can brag about conquering. I like how race organizers want its participants to have a unique experience.

Traveling for a race does take some planning. After you register, you have to book a hotel and figure out how you’re going to get there – via plane, train or automobile. Then there are meals and getting to and from the race.

For Rock ‘n Roll San Diego, I’m meeting up with a bunch of my running buddies. We ran together for years when I lived in California so when they all registered for the race, I knew I wanted in. After I signed up for the race, I figured if I was going to travel 2,500 miles, I needed to make the most of it. So I asked a friend (who doesn’t run) to come with me. We’re flying in on Friday and staying until Tuesday. So in addition to running the half marathon, we’ll spend a few days in San Diego and Los Angeles shopping and sightseeing.

Do you participate in destination races? What do you like about them?