This week's topic: Dream Races!
I'll take this in a couple of different directions. First, here are the qualities that I always appreciate in ANY race:
- Easy, convenient logistics both for the runners and the spectators. Day-of-race packet pickup is a huge plus.
- Good communication and information from the race organizers.
- Something memorable or unique about the race (e.g. scenic course, cool theme, a rocking post-race party, etc.)
- A starting time that doesn't require me to get up at some ungodly hour. (Sadly, this can be tough to find, since so many races start in the early morning.)
- Good value for the registration fee, whatever the amount is.
- Nice swag. I am all about fabulous medals and a quality race shirt (or whatever other participant giveaways are included in the goody bag). I love receiving product samples or discounts.
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| RunDisney gives out the most amazing medals. The Disney Coast to Coast medal is my favorite! |
Now, here are some of the races on my dream list (and for many of them, I am dreaming REALLY big)!
- All of the World Marathon Majors. (I feel very fortunate to have run the Chicago Marathon before they went to a registration lottery.)
- All of the Disney races. (Given how quickly the Disney races sell out, I am fortunate to have run Wine and Dine last year and the year before, plus Disneyland last year.)
- Any race in Hawaii, especially the Honolulu Marathon
- The Big Sur Marathon
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| Big Sur. Big sigh! Source |
- Sparkasse Marathon (you run in three countries!)
- Paris Marathon
- Marathon de Medoc in Bordeaux
- Rome Marathon
- Dublin Marathon
- Rio de Janeiro Marathon
- Inca Trail Marathon to Machu Picchu
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| Machu Picchu! Source |
- Reykjavic Marathon
- Sydney Marathon
- Bangkok Marathon
- The Great Wall Marathon
- The Big Five Marathon in Limpopo, South Africa
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| The African savannah! Source |
Honorable mentions that I may actually get to cross off the list in the foreseeable future: Rock N Roll Las Vegas, and any races in Vancouver and Montreal.
How about you? What characteristics do you like most in races? What other races do you have on your dream list?
ANY Hawaii race would be so awesome! I looked into Maui a couple years back - I think they have a marathon every quarter! It'd be cool to explore the islands that way.
ReplyDeleteI'd highly recommend R&R Vegas!!! It was so much fun, especially for my first time there! And if you do Vancouver anytime after October of this year, let me know and I'll come spectate ;)
Amen to any race in Hawaii! Only in Maui would they be able to have a marathon every quarter. I definitely agree that running the islands would be one of the coolest ways to explore!
DeleteYay for Vegas! Thanks for offering to spectate in Vancouver - that would be AWESOME!!! I am currently targeting RnR Vancouver, which takes place on October 25. Is that too early for your schedule?
Nope, that would work! The plan is to move west the last weekend of September, so I'll definitely be out there by October 25th!
DeleteThat's so awesome!!! I will keep you posted on whether or not I pull the trigger on RnR Vancouver!!!!!!! Let me know if you have any interest in running it yourself!!! WOO HOO!!!!!
DeleteEh, I'm pretty much in running retirement now :) Long walks are more my speed these days (especially since I'm by so many forest preserves now!). But if I can make a trip to Vancouver that weekend happen, I'll spectate for sure!
DeleteWalking is awesome, too, and such a great way to enjoy the great outdoors. Sounds great for Vancouver!!! Fingers crossed the plans work out!
DeleteHm ... dream race. That's a tough one!! I think I'd actually like to run the infamous Bay to Breakers half just to see the if the craziness is fact or fiction. I've heard some stories... :-)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it sad that I was in Rome the day before the marathon and had no idea it was taking place until I stumbled across the finisher's chute? I was SO disappointed in myself that I missed such a great opportunity to race abroad (though I am definitely not in Marathon shape right now).
**Correction - I went to check into the race and see if I could do it this year ... it's actually not a Half but a 12K.
DeleteI have heard a lot of stories about Bay to Breakers, too! That would be a great race to check out!
DeleteOMG on the race in Rome! That is unbelievable! What did the finisher's chute look like!?!? Although, I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about it. You had packed so strategically and you had been doing so much walking in all of the cities you visited. It would be hard to have to add running gear and a race amidst everything you had going on. Who knows if you would have been able to pick up your packet in time, etc, etc.! So it's all good either way!
So true to everything you said. But you know how it is when you're a runner at heart ... any chance to run a major race that's missed still rubs a little!! :-D
DeleteTOTALLY understand. I'm going to Korea next month, but I'm going to miss a Nike Half Marathon in Seoul by 1 weekend! I am really bummed about the timing. =(
DeleteThat is some list Emily! I'm pushing the Caveman to go to Machu Pichu in 2017. Yes the seed needs to be planted now. Didn't know there was a race there....but of course there is. Ha!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, get those seeds planted now for the international races! I remember you were talking about planting London and Berlin in the future. Get the Caveman prepped. =)
DeleteThe Oak Park Runners Club is planning a trip to do the Marathon de Medoc in 2016. Not sure I'll join them but I'm just putting it out there if you're interested :-) Some of them have done it in the past and loved it so much they want to go back.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! The Oak Park Runners Club clearly is awesome for putting together a kind of trip like that! I can certainly imagine that anyone who has done the race in the past would want to go again. The description and pictures make my jaw drop! And how fun would it be to go to France with a bunch of runner friends? It would be like our ZOOMA Lake Geneva weekend multiplied by about tenfold!
DeleteMy biggest dream race: Boston. I would love, love, love to run Boston, but I honestly don't know if my body is even physically capable of qualifying. I know speed training can work wonders, but I'd have to run somewhere between my 5K and 8K pace to even squeak into Boston, and let me tell you, when I finish 5Ks and 8Ks, there is nothing left in the tank to give! Even using my half PR as an estimate, I'm still about 45 minutes away from qualifying. So Boston is probably a bit of a pipe dream, at least for now. But I'd love to run all of the World Marathon Majors as well. The LA Marathon and the Big Sur Half are also on my bucket list. Logistically, I think I'd rather run big time halves than marathons. Trying to think about how on earth I'd run a marathon far away from home and all that that would entail (traveling, figuring out food, sleeping in a hotel, not knowing the area, etc.) all makes me very nervous! But halves don't freak me out as much, so that seems more attainable :)
ReplyDeleteI am right there with you on thinking that my body is not physically capable of qualifying. I've joked for years that I have to wait until I'm 80 years old to have any prayer of BQing (I think you have to run 5:27 at that age). =D So yeah, I will probably never get to run Boston, either, but we can still always dream, right? I do enjoy half marathons a lot more than full marathons, too. They are so much easier! Yes on how the travel would create a lot of variables to deal with. I have enough trouble just getting my hydration strategy down right here in Chicago, let alone traveling halfway around the world! I think the LA Marathon would be awesome to run, as well. (ASICS was selling LA Marathon shirts on their website a year or two ago on clearance. It was a beautiful palm-tree design! So I ended up buying one even though I didn't even run the race. Shhhhhhh!)
DeleteI'll let you know all about the Sparkasse Marathon when I get back in October!! I'd love to run most of the marathons you listed, especially Dublin and Reykjavik!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, Nina, I am so excited for you to run Sparkasse!!! I don't know if I'll be able to join you this year like we were discussing over Twitter... plus, I feel like if I'm going to do Sparkasse, that I would want to do the full instead of the half. TBD. In any event - I will live vicariously through your experience this fall!!!!!!!
DeleteAmanda!!! HOW COOL that you and Derek might run Rome together! That is the most amazing idea for a honeymoon trip that I've ever heard of!!! SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!! I really hope that you are able to make the plans work!!!
ReplyDeleteMy dream race is finally happening this year, the NYC Marathon ☺ Otherwise, I'd like to run the Avengers Half, Rock n Roll Savannah, and one of the Boston melody races.
ReplyDeleteShannon!!! That is awesome that you'll be running NYC this year!!! Truly a dream come true! Did you have to wait a long time to get entry? Yay for Avengers, and I have never been to Savannah but I hear it is gorgeous. I've never heard of the Boston melody races until now - off to research!
DeleteThat is an incredible wish list. I'd be happy at any one of those. I agreed with wanting something unique. I appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking that some put into it.
ReplyDeleteThanks HoHo! I think that since racing has grown so tremendously in recent years, there is an ENORMOUS number of races to pick from. So we should only register for the races that we are truly enthused about! I always appreciate when races are organized by folks who are runners themselves, too, because they understand. =)
DeleteWould love to do the Rome Marathon and the Inca Trail Marathon to Machu Picchu. Oh, and definitely Boston.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see your full race wish list! You've done so many races that you've got such a strong basis for comparison!
DeleteFor now I want to run in each state.
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