Destination races offer the fun opportunity to combine a race – especially a long distance one such as a marathon or half marathon – with a vacation. If you are going to travel for a race, it simply makes sense to travel somewhere enjoyable! But oftentimes, a racecation is not as simple as running plus a vacation – it requires a little bit more planning than a local race or normal vacation.
A racecation combines the best of both worlds – a race and a vacation – but oftentimes, you cannot have both a goal race and an enjoyable vacation. For example, Hawaii may be the ideal vacation spot for you, but the Honolulu Marathon may not be your best chance for a marathon PR based on the climate or the course. Decide which is the top priority – a goal race or a vacation – and plan the other aspect around it.
The best action you can take to ensure both a successful race and an enjoyable vacation is to be well-rested. If your racecation includes cross-country or international travel, plan your flights in a manner that sets you up for success. Avoid red-eye trips, arrive a day early to adjust to a different time zone, and even take melatonin or other natural sleep aids in advance to reset your sleep. (Note: do not take melatonin the night before a goal race.) Whatever you can do to optimize the quality of sleep will improve the quality of your destination race.
No matter where you are traveling, the forecast is never completely accurate – and in popular racecation destinations such as Boston, Chicago, or New York, the weather can be downright volatile, Pack more variations of race day outfits than you anticipate needing, in case the weather is warmer or colder for race day.
Air travel, especially with multiple flights, poses the risk of lost luggage. Carry your most important pieces of race gear in your carry-on luggage to ensure a successful racecation.
Sightseeing is best done after your race, as you want to rest your legs before running an event. Rested legs are especially important if you are running a goal race and want to achieve peak performance. That said, even when are finished with the race, you may find that you aren’t physically up for a vacation full of other activities. Consider how you usually feel after a race before making extensive active travel plans such as hiking after a race.
I completely believed I could hike at Yosemite after running the California International Marathon. CIM is a net downhill race and rendered my legs weak and exhausted in the following days. When we attempted to hike at Yosemite, I was able to climb one mile of a fairly steep ascent, but the hike down posed a significant challenge because my quads were so trashed from the day before.
When planning any activities after a destination race, keep in mind that you will likely be physically tired and sore after your race. Physically demanding activities may not be the best option the day after a long distance race. If possible, save those for a couple days after the race or, if you are short on time, find activities that allow you to enjoy the area while also recovering. A leisurely vacation or sightseeing may be a better choice for a destination race than a week of hiking or skiing.
Racing long distances suppresses your immune system, and travel compounds that weakened state with changes in routine, exposure to large crowds, and time on confined spaces such as planes. The post-marathon cold is all more likely when travel is part of the equation. Be diligent about hydration, sleep, washing your hands, and eating enough after the race to support your immune system as much as possible. You may choose not to drive or fly immediately after the race to give your body a few hours to recover and some sleep before exposing yourself to more germs. Even if it’s vacation, don’t skimp on sleep!
Racecations offer a unique opportunity to combine a running event with a holiday. These trips require careful consideration of your priorities, sleep, packing, post-race activities, and immune health, but it can be a rewarding and memorable experience.
9 Responses
Sleep is always so hard for me on racecations. I rarely sleep great when I’m not in my own bed. I’m usually pretty over ambitious after a race too because I want to do everything. Hello vacation! The craziest was after running the Honolulu marathon we walked from our hotel and hiked up Diamond head and then back home. I think we got over 80,000 steps that day. I remember walking home and needed to sit down RIGHT NOW for at least 10 minutes to regroup. I slept well that night! Lol!
Great tips here – especially packing for anything!…and brining essentials on the plane with you in case your luggage gets lost like mine did in Spain 🙂 I actually usually don’t take “race-cations” because of all the moving parts…and exhaustion…I think I need to wait until it’s just me and my husband 🙂
Great post! I have never done a destination race, but I am hoping to do one next year. I completely agree with you that it is really hard to make destination races you “goal race.” I think sleep is the hardest for me on vacation. Even if it costs extra, I always try to get plane tickets that don’t leave super early or arrive late at night.
I LOVE racecations! I try to do one every year. This year, I’m headed to Savannah! These are all great tips!
These are really great tips, especially packing for the worst case scenario! The weather can always be so tricky.
I’ve never done a destination race – I like vacation time to be just vacation. Plus I like sleeping in my own bed before a race.
One more tip I learned the hard way: hydrate like crazy! If you’re flying in the day before, air travel dries you out more than you’d expect.
Those are great tips. I’m planning on doing a “race-cation” for my next half marathon so this is really good info. Thanks for sharing!
Great tips! Honolulu was my first marathon and my first racecation. I did over plan my post race activities. It was probably not a good idea to hike the Kalalau trail two days after my first marathon when I was so sore that I got tears in my eyes on the downhill portions. It’s a good memory now though!