Travel and Event Mondays: Upcoming Running Events Around The World

Last week, I talked about several running events around the world. In a perfect world, where money, would never be an issue, I would participate in all of the races as long as my energy and body could withstand it all. Unfortunately, traveling does take money. Here are a few upcoming popular races around the world (some of these races have already taken place, but I am sure they happen again next year).


- Roamin' The Hills Of Olympis Toga Run (Universal City, TX, USA)
  August 28, 2015
  ** First Annual 5K and 8K Toga Run sponsored by Universal City. All participants receive a shirt, finisher medal, glow necklace, print out of runner’s time, access to the Toga Party with food and 2 beverages! The running/walking route will follow the golf cart path and is completely paved. The course is not lit so don't forget your headlamp or flashlight. The 5K Toga Run route will follow the path along holes 10-18. There are a couple steep but short hills in the first mile then mostly flat. Strollers are not ideal for this course. The 8K Olympia route follows the same path but will break away to include holes 1-9. The 8K Olympia route is more challenging with long inclines and more hills.

- Bay to Breakers (San Francisco, USA)
  May 15, 2016
  ** This San Francisco event is on a similar theme to Sydney’s City to Surf, with participants starting in the centre and racing down to the Pacific Coast. It was first held in 1912, and is claimed to be the oldest consecutively run race in the world. You’ll need to be happy with large crowds along the seven-and-a-half-mile course: on some years more than 100,000 runners have pounded the route, many of them in fancy dress.

- Cape Wrath Challenge (Cape Wrath, Scotland)
  May 15-21, 2016
  ** A quirky, friendly series of events, the Cape Wrath Challenge is run in the windswept north-westerly corner of Scotland. It’s not quite as forbidding as the name suggests, although the final race is certainly not for the faint of heart, with organizers warning that it heads through some of Britain’s “most exposed locations”. It also includes – uniquely, perhaps – a ferry journey to the start point and mid-race. There are more gentle options on different days: a half marathon, an off-road race, and a run for charity past the beautiful dunes of Balnakeil Beach.

- Comrades Marathon (South Africa)
  May 29, 2016
  ** This is a rite of passage for many South African – and international – runners. It is the world’s oldest ultra-marathon, stretching over approximately 56 miles in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. It alternates from year to year between an uphill and a downhill course. This year, runners will take on the slightly shorter but uphill race, starting from Pietermaritzburg.

- Inca Trail Marathon to Machu Picchu (Peru)
  July 1-July 10, 2016
  ** If you’ve ever considered hiking the epic ruins of Machu Picchu, why not run them instead? Racers travel the same footpath used by the Incas thousands of years ago. On race day, the route is outfitted with modern comforts like aid stations stocked with fresh water, a medical team and even a staffed campground for those who don’t meet the 11-hour cutoff and need to spend the night on-trail before finishing the next day. Take-your-breath-away vistas, welcoming locals and a rich culture deliver an epic race experience.

- Race The Train (Tywyn, Mid Wales, United Kingdom)
  ** There will be another race the train in 2016, but there is no date as of today.
  ** Competing against fellow runners is hard enough, but at this race in the Welsh countryside, you have to beat a train, too! As the Talyllyn Railway steam train chugs to Abergynolwyn and back, runners tackle a parallel 14-mile route and try to make it to the finish line before the train reaches its final destination. No easy feat through sheep fields full of muddy terrain, but, given the number of racers that return year after year, it’s a challenge well worth the effort.

- Quebec City Staircase Challenge (Quebec, Canada)
  ** There will be another race the train in 2016, but there is no date as of today.
  ** If a Stairmaster is your go-to cross training, this challenge is for you! Quebec City is uniquely situated on both the Cape Diamond rise (Upper Town) and at sea level along the St. Lawrence River (Lower Town), with 30 flights of steps connecting the two sections. The 19k route takes racers up and down more than 3,000 stairs as they experience the best European flair this side of the Atlantic.




Tune in next Monday for events and running destinations on Travel and Event Mondays!

Also, check in tomorrow for my fourth installment of Fitness Tip Tuesdays!