Travel Tips for Marathon Runners

Traveling for a marathon or half marathon race can be an exciting, challenging, and memorable event. Whether you a novice or seasoned marathoner, if this is your first time traveling for your race event, here are some tips to make your experience a success.

Sightseeing

A good marathon should take you through the best the city has to offer. The San Francisco Half Marathon allows runners to choose from two half marathon routes which take runners through either the Golden Gate Bridge or Golden Gate Park. The Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon closes the strip on an early Sunday morning. The Pasadena Marathon takes you through scenic neighborhoods and the Rose Bowl while the Huntington Beach Marathon runs along the coast. I've had the pleasure of running or volunteering at these events. One of the fringe benefits of running at my turtle pace is being able to take pictures along the way and enjoy the sights for a lot longer since I'm not absorbed in breaking my race record. My husband is often surprised by the things he missed in the run when I show him pictures I took.

When we first started traveling to do marathons, I thought we'd have more time to site see before the event. I soon learned however that my husband and his racing buddies had to conserve their energy and save their legs for race day. Sure the amount of walking you will be able to do ahead of time will depend on your training, running goals, and whether you plan to PR, (set a personal record or not). You just don't want to overdo it and feel the effects of your overexertion on mile 21. Depending on how well you recover from the marathon, you will either have restored energy to continue sightseeing or you'll be limping around for a few days.

The EXPO

Most marathons expect you to go to the EXPO to pick up your race bib. This could take anywhere from a half hour to a few hours depending on the parking arrangements, the popularity of the marathon, and whether you plan to meander through the vendor booths or not.

Costs

Costs can quickly creep up on you when you consider the cost of the hotel, airfare, city transportation, and the increasing costs of marathon entrance fees. To give you an idea of the costs, the Las Vegas Half Marathon entrace fee was $145 this year. You can use the buddy system to split hotel costs, or if you have family or friends close to your marathon destination, visit them during the race event.

Transportation To and From the Race Start/Finish Line

Shuttles are usually available from the affiliate hotels for a nominal fee anywhere from $8-25 to take runners to the start line and back after the event. Arrangements should be made well ahead of time to guarantee a seat. Sometimes the bus shuttles take you to the bus loading and unloading general area and then you need to take an additional trolley to the race start. Race day is not the day to sleep in. The sooner you can get up, the better. You've trained for the run for months and now with the running boom and increasing popularity of marathon events, you don't want to be late or even stressed out because of lack of planning. My husband and I leave our bib and race gear out ahead of time. On race mornings, we'll have some bananas, coffee, and PB&Js at 3 am and then meet our group in the hotel lobby ready. We recycle our Mylar marathon blankets from a previous marathon to stay warm. Some people bring old sweat shirts to cover up before the race. The race staff has people who will hold your bags for you but you have to face lines to drop off and pick up.

The Marathon Course

So you've picked an exotic destination to run your next marathon? Hopefully, you've trained in the same type of elevation as your race. You can study the course elevation chart on the event's website to see which miles are the climbs, the downhill, and which will be flat. Ideally, you would have trained on a similar training course.

Signing Up

The Boston Marathon requires very specific qualifying race times, while the New York City Marathon is based on a lottery entrance. Traveling Aboard creates its own challenges. The Great Wall of China Marathon sells its entrance as part of a vacation package. If you are seriously considering running a specific event, visit their website to learn how to sign up and get detailed information about the event. You might also want to friend people on Facebook who have done the event to get additional tips.

Bring Your Cheer Squad

If you are bringing your loved ones to cheer you on, decide ahead of time which locations (mile markers) they will be waiting by, and let them know the approximate time range you should be passing by. Some marathons allow spectators to sign up to receive text message notifications when their runner passes certain mile markers. I've volunteered at the race events my husband ran, and have been able to place the finisher's medal around his neck, and hand runners cups of water while helping at the water stations.