Caught the marathon bug? 20 races and running holidays for you to tackle

Running holiday? Isn’t that a total misnomer? No, it isn’t. Lots of people think sprinting about in their hard-earned time off is a divine and dandy idea.

Chris Leadbeater looks at 10 of the world's best running holidays, then, for when you're really serious, Sarah Baxter lays out 10 great foreign marathons to tackle. Take your pick...

Trail and error

Jelley Legs (jelleylegs.co.uk), an active-breaks specialist, offers residential running weekends in North Yorkshire. A two-night “New to Trail Running” option, which teaches you the basics of getting yourself uphill at pace, costs from £239pp with B&B lodging.

Highland fling

So it was the London Marathon on Saturday. The appearance of this annual extravaganza of sweat and pain on your television likely sparked one of three responses:

1. “Ugh. I’m going to switch over immediately to an old episode of Friends I’ve seen 17 times before.”

2. “26.2 miles?! Who in the name of Beelzebub thinks that’s a good idea?”

3. “Oh wow, so inspiring. I must book a running holiday right away.”

If it was 3, then the “Luxury Running Weekend” scheduled for Sept 7-9 by Running the Highlands (runningthehighlands.com) is for you. Two full-board nights at Douneside House, near Aberdeen, plus three guided runs, for £375 a head.

Czech your speed

If you’re of the opinion than an urban mini-break isn’t complete unless you have run around a whole city, then you’re in luck. The Prague Marathon (runczech.com) on May 6 still has slots available (from €60/£52). It’s your opportunity to run through one of Europe’s prettiest capitals.

Thai jinks

Marathons? Pah! For children and small kittens. Real men and women do triathlons. Health and Fitness Travel’s “Thanyapura Triathlon” break in Thailand offers seven days’ coaching, from £1,725pp full-board with flights (healthandfitnesstravel.com).

Call of the wild

Dear me, all this sounds exhausting. Anything less frenetic? Sure. How about Wildfitness (wildfitness.com), and its week-long retreats at Binigaus Nou, a private estate on Menorca. You can run a bit, cycle a bit, do some yoga, go out in a kayak. Whatever works. Four retreats in October still have spaces – from £1,300pp, not including flights.

Carte Blanc

The French Alps are a happy playground for runners. Well, they’re a playground anyway. Run the Wild (runthewild.co.uk) deals in breaks for those who like their legs to ache on a near-constant basis. It offers a “Tour du Mont Blanc” group “holiday” that covers 104 miles (167km) and 29,528ft of ascent (that’s a whole Everest) in six days. Spaces are available on its Sept 1 departure for £1,975pp (flights extra).

Wales not wails 

Although you may wail if you sign up for the “Offa’s Dyke Path” break sold by Contours Trail Running Holidays (contoursrun.co.uk). Then again, maybe not. Said eighth-century earthwork ebbs for 177 miles (285km) along the Anglo-Welsh border, and is a great context for a running holiday if fitness allows. The trip can be done in five days (£655pp), seven (£745) or 10 (£935). Prices cover hotels, breakfast and luggage transfers.

Rosa mota

If you love running, you may think the problem with marathons is that they’re, well, a bit flat. And that what you need is a stay at the Rosa Alpina Hotel and Spa. Not for massages. For the “skyrunning” sessions it offers on sloping trails in the Italian Dolomites, coordinated by Diego Zanesco, a fitness guru. Three-night packages, including two skyrunning jaunts (plus three gourmet dinners), start at €1,855 a head (rosaalpina.it).

Watching brief

The penultimate mile of the London Marathon limps along Victoria Embankment – where the rear windows of The Savoy look on to the course. If you’re quick, you can book a room for tonight (from £582), gaze out, salute all that admirable effort, then go for a late brunch. It’s basically the same as running it.

Petra-fied

Too long for a tattoo, but nothing says “I’m really good at running,” like a personal statement of “I’m going to the Middle East – where it’s hot and dusty – to do a marathon. Sponsor me”. Albatros Adventure Marathons is offering a five-day trip (Aug 30-Sept 3; US$950/£665, flights extra) to tackle the Petra Desert Marathon (petra-desert-marathon.com).

More interested in marathons than holidays?

Sarah Baxter looks at 10 of the best – which can easily be combined with some sightseeing while you're there.

On song

Medieval Prague wasn’t designed for a mass marathon – but with the help of Czech legend Emil Zátopek, runners have raced the city’s narrow streets since 1995. This year’s race takes place on May 6, and an accompanying music festival means runners set off from the Old Town Square to strains of Smetana. The course then criss-crosses the Vltava, with bands belting out en route. Stay on for more music: the Prague Spring International Music Festival begins May 12 (festival.cz).

Entries until race day unless sold out; from €60/£52 (runczech.com). 

A roman ramble

Take the 2019 Rome marathon (April 7) at a stroll and you have a first-class tour of the Eternal City: a loop from the Colosseum concentrates on the historic centre, following the Tiber, crossing piazzas and passing 500 landmarks – from St Peter’s Basilica and the Circus Maximus to the Villa Borghese and Spanish Steps. Fortunately, those famed seven hills are avoided and cobbles are kept to a minimum.

Register online; reservations for the 2019 event are open. Fee TBC; 2018 entry cost €55 (maratonadiroma.it).

Cape crusaders

Cape Town’s marathon is held on the Sunday closest to South African Heritage Day (this year it’s on Sept 23) and was designed to deliver a diverse dose of history – the route passes sites such as the Castle of Good Hope fortress, the National Gallery, Nederduitse Kerk and apartheid-resonant District Six. It also showcases the city’s natural advantages, tracing stretches of Atlantic coast, the banks of the Liesbeek river and fynbos-flush Rondebosch Common, all beneath the watchful eye of Table Mountain.

Register online; entries open until Aug 20. Fee R1,100/£65 for international runners (capetownmarathon.com). 

Ready, steady, Reichstag

Berlin boasts what is arguably the world’s fastest course – the current world record of 2:02:57 was set here – and its marathon (taking place this year on Sept 16) is a scenic saunter through the city. It’s an efficient way to see the Brandenburg Gate (race start/finish), the Reichstag, Potsdamer Platz and more. Alternatively, mark the centenary of Bauhaus in 2019 at Weimar’s inaugural Bauhaus Marathon (April 28; 100-jahre-bauhaus-marathon.de).

Standard entry for the 2018 race is closed; the ballot for 2019 will open from mid-Oct until early Nov 2018. From €108 (bmw-berlin-marathon.com).

Washington warriors

Washington DC’s Marine Corps Marathon, taking place on Oct 28, was created to boost the armed forces’ popularity after the Vietnam War. It starts between the Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery, heralded by a military fly-past and the national anthem. Flag-waving crowds line the streets; especially poignant is the mile hung with posters of fallen soldiers. Enjoy the stretches along the Potomac, through historic Georgetown and down the National Mall. 

Standard entry for the 2018 race is closed. The ballot for 2019 will open for a week in mid-March. From US$170/£120 (marine marathon.com). 

The big apple

Tour all five boroughs of New York City along with 50,000-odd people – and very vociferous spectators – by joining the world’s biggest marathon on Nov 4 2018. From the Staten Island start to the finish in Central Park, you experience all sides of New York – not just Manhattan but Brooklyn’s industrial-turned-trendy Gowanus, the brownstones of Lafayette Avenue and Williamsburg. 

Standard entry for the 2018 race is closed; the ballot for 2019 will open mid-January. From US$358 for non-US runners (tcsnycmarathon.org).

Race to the beach in Rio

Rio de Janeiro’s marathon starts early (7am) on June 3, a golden time to tackle this coast-hugging course. The Serra do Mar mountains and Christ-topped Corcovado loom on one side, ocean waves crash on the other, lapping classy Leblon, beautiful-peopled Ipanema and lively Copacabana. Although it’s winter, average June temperatures are 70F (21C), with little rain – warm enough for a post-race beach flop.

Standard entry for the 2018 race is closed; registration for 2019 opens later in 2018 (TBC). From R$140/£29 (maratonadorio.com.br). 

One city, two continents

Istanbul is a cultural crossroads, providing a unique opportunity to run between continents on Nov 11 this year. The race begins on the edge of Asia, quickly crossing the Bosporus to enter Europe, before hopping over the Golden Horn via the Galata Bridge. It ends in central Sultanahmet, which seems fitting: crossing the finish line by the Hippodrome, you’ve reached what has been the sporting centre of Istanbul for almost 2,000 years. Afterwards, consider a restorative rub ’n’ scrub at Cagaloglu Hamami (cagalogluhamami.com.tr).

Register online; entries open until race day or until sold out. From TRY40/£7 (maraton.istanbul).

Sydney spectacles

Sydney’s spectacular marathon is the public legacy of the 2000 Summer Games – the race originally followed the Olympic course, though has since been tweaked for speed and scenery. Those taking part on Sept 16 this year will begin their run with a privileged traffic-free crossing of the Harbour Bridge before circling Centennial Park, passing Sydney Cricket Ground and crawling bar-lined Darling Harbour to finish beneath the Opera House sails.

Register online; entries are open until race day or until sold out. From A$180/£98 for international runners (sydneyrunningfestival.com.au/events/marathon). 

Games on in Tokyo 

Japan’s home-grown stars will be readying themselves for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at next year’s flagship race through the capital on March 3 2019. Supremely efficient, this marathon offers a chance to see the city’s shrines and skyscrapers without traffic, with support from screaming cosplayers and thumping taiko drummers. The race starts at the Metropolitan Government Building, worth ascending beforehand: from the free 660ft-high observatory you can gaze down on the route.

The ballot for 2019 will open in August. Fee TBC but was Y12,800/£84 for the 2018 race (marathon.tokyo).