Best Running Trips | Running Vacations | Travel Awards – runnersworld.com

Lying on the beach has its merits, but in our sweaty minds, running is the ultimate vacation activity. In fact, we’re betting that the time you carve out for a run often ends up being the best part of your trip. When you explore a new place on foot, you experience sights, smells, and sounds that can’t be found in heavier-trafficked tourist spots. So why not take a runcation: a running-centered getaway where lacing up is the very reason you hop on a plane?

There are runcations to fit every athlete, from city mile runs to African safaris. We researched hundreds of races in dozens of places—and our own staff’s running logs and bucket lists—to find the events and destinations that are worth your hard-earned time off. Whether you’ve got a week to spare or just a few days, pack your shoes and energy gels in your carry-on. These trips are worth leaving home for.

BEST ULTRA

This mountain run is steep, technical—and exhilarating. Runners tackle singletrack trails and alpine ridgelines as they climb 10,500 feet toward the summit of Lone Peak. After the race, basecamp at Big Sky offers ziplining, lift rides, and a blessed, blessed spa.

RW says: “Montana is known for having some of the most challenging terrain in the Lower 48, yet it flies under the radar as a quiet relaxation destination once the adventure is done for the day.” —Pat Heine, Video Producer

BEST URBAN ADVENTURE

Follow the best running routes through the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan for an intimate, open-course tour of New York City. The small field (just 130 runners) and the volunteers pulled from the heart of the city’s running community give the TGNY100 a tight-knit vibe that no marathon major can touch.

RW says: “The dozens of neighborhoods and cultures certainly make it the most diverse urban run in the world. You experience the full 24-hour life cycle of the city (unless you’re really fast) and see corners of the city that its own residents—let alone tourists—would never venture through.” —Matt Allyn, Features Director

BEST 10K

One of the most consistent endorsements from RW editors, this 10K traces the rugged Maine coastline before ending at Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the country. Aside from the scenery, the small-town atmosphere (among the more than 800 local volunteers is a designated “watermelon cutter”—with her own tent!) makes this race feel like a getaway.

RW says: “There’s a reason Maine is called Vacationland. Casco Bay is gorgeous, and the race, founded by Joan Benoit Samuelson, is iconic. After the run, the Portland area offers plenty of restaurants and craft breweries for refueling. (Go for the lobster roll at Saltwater Grille.)”—Kristen Parker, Photo Editor

BEST HALF

This out-and-back route takes you along the Hawaiian coast to the sound of local guitarists, the smell of ocean salt, and maybe—just maybe—the sight of breaching whales at dawn.

RW says: “Hawaii is a bucket-list paradise regardless of your reason for going there, but add a breathtaking half marathon, during which you can watch the sunrise above the beach, and you have a no-brainer trip worthy of your vacation days.”—Christa Sgobba, Deputy Editor

BEST MARATHON

From the course’s towering redwoods to the belly dancers at mile 25, Big Sur preaches one message: Your training was worth it.

RW says: “If [former RW chief running officer] Bart Yasso says a race is a must-run, you find a way to run that race. After nearly a lifetime of FOMO, I’m running Big Sur this year. I’m ready to see if the hills are as epic as the views, and if the Bixby Bridge is as majestic as all those car ads make it out to be.”—Derek Call, Video Producer

BEST 5K

A race that’s been called “the toughest 5K on the planet”—there’s more than 3,000 feet of elevation gain in under a mile—might not feel like a vacation. What will: Watching the fireworks light up the sky over the glacier-draped mountains surrounding Resurrection Bay the night before the race.

RW says: “Images of runners sliding down scree have long made me want to do this race. Scoring a bib via the lottery—only 700 runners are accepted every year—may be more challenging than the race itself.”—Jeff Dengate, Runner-in-Chief

MOST FUN

From the starting line’s tortilla toss (exactly what it sounds like) to the array of costumes to the (we’re not kidding) naked racers, Bay to Breakers is a party worth seeing in the flesh. Do it for the stories.

RW says: “You could aim for a PR here, but that’s like bragging that you were first to leave a party. This is a race where negative splits are less important than mid-run shenanigans (though the race organizers do implore you to wear clothing—even if they don’t fully enforce that rule).”—Kit Fox, Special Projects Editor (who promises to run clothed)

BEST NIGHTTIME RACE

This half starts midafternoon, but because of the lack of sunshine during Norway’s winter months, you’ll race the whole course in the dark. The upside: If you’re lucky, you’ll spot the aurora borealis.

RW says: “This race is on my must-run list. A nighttime race always feels more relaxed, like a party, but pair that with international travel and the Northern Lights and you have the experience of a lifetime.”—Danielle Zickl, Associate Health & Fitness Editor

BEST INTERNATIONAL

The route takes you past 1,000-year-old temples, ancient pagodas, and through pastoral Burmese farmland, where you’ll see oxen pulling carts of grain and local farmers tending their peanut fields. It’s like time-traveling via endurance race.

RW says: “Nothing is more transcendent than a 26.2-mile excursion through the largest archaeological site in the world. I think the best way to understand an ancient world’s devotion is by the cadence of faithful runners.” —Caroline Dorey-Stein, Assistant Special Projects Editor

BEST GROUP EXPERIENCE

This 199-mile relay sees teams travel from Mt. Hood National Forest to Seaside, Oregon, on the Pacific via 36 different race legs. Have the entire team cross the finish line together in spirit of the event.

RW says: “I’ve only done one other overnight relay, but it brought together my random team of acquaintances in a way that made Hood to Coast a must. We entered the lottery, and we’re in for 2020!”—Brian Dalek, Director of Content Operations

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