The Long Run Issue 3

issue 03

the long run.

26 of the Best Destinations

races & PLaces to run

tips for training on holiday events to get you motivated the latest News and gear

The Travel Issue Nothing beats a running holiday

warning

The following pages contain: - Offensive language - Highly opinionated articles - Possible nudity - Poor spelling - Bad grammar - Stolen photos

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contents 6 All the gear, no idea 8 Stuff & things 10 where would you like to run?

15 session: quarters 16 Tips for training on holiday 21 top spots and events to travel & Run

Editor’s note:

Having spent much of the last couple of months either on holidays or travelling with work, I was inspired to create a ‘Special Edition’ of the blogzine with the theme being travel. After all, a large part of the reason why I run is for the places it takes me and often a holiday is all about what the runnning will be like, not so much about the art galleries or food at the destination. That said, the local beverages of the alcoholic variety do play a major role in my post training recovery ritual, so a decent selection of beers and wines is important.

Rest assured there’s a small amount of the opinionated and somewhat agro content in here to mix things up a bit. Should you feel I’ve left out some must visit places ideal for runners, then pop a note on facebook so I can check it out!

www.thelongrun.com.au

All the Gear. No Idea!

Regardless of needing half the crap we buy, every runner loves new stuff. Below are some non-essential essentials worth looking at, or avoiding.

Sony SRS-BTV5 It’s cute, it’s relatively inexpensive and best of all, the sound is fantastic!

Compact travel speakers are becoming increasingly popular. With mobile phones and MP3 players holding loads of data, it’s easy for someone to take their entire music library with them on the road. Plus if you’re anything like us, you don’t mind having a few tunes in the background while playing cards in a hotel room or getting ready for a run.

This little egg-shaped guy is small and looks kinda cool, but it was the way it filled the room with great audio that was most impressive. The 360 degree sound means the audio is diffused better and not as directional as most speakers. It also has decent bass for such a small unit. The NFC technology that allows you to pair it with similarly equipped phones, or you can just use Bluetooth.

Connecting wirelessly adds to the cool factor and means one less cable in the backpack!

Available in pink, white and black.

The battery lasts approximately 5 hours on wireless playback.

RRP $60

s-lab sense set ss15

This definitely falls into the ‘want’, not ‘need’ category. Why do I want one? Well, it looks rad, which is very important if you’re not the prettiest bloke and need to distract people from your face and chicken legs. It also, believe it or not, is functional. Despite being small and very light, it comes with two 500ml flasks that go on the front and has a couple of zip pockets and strtetch pockets too. So basically it’s perfect for minimalist racing where you still need a few things, or as a lightweight vest to keep your luggage weight down when travelling and planning a few long runs while away. The guys at Pace Athletic have them on sale for $144. www.paceathletic.com

Hydralyte

When it comes to keeping healthy, staying hydrated when travelling is about as important as anything else. And in the unfortunate circumstance that you get the delightfully named ‘Traveller’s Diarrhoea’ you’ll want to be on the mend as quickly as possible. Well, as part of everyone’s inflight kit should be a bottle of this stuff – Hydralyte. Plus pop a tube of the effervescent tablets in your toiletries bag.

Hydralyte is one of the quickest and easiest ways to overcome many of the effects of dehydration caused by illness, long haul flights, lots of sun, excessive alcohol consumption and increased physical activity.

Basically, one dose of this tasty drink contains lots of the stuff that you lose when you have an upset stomach or expose yourself to conditions and activities that lead to dehydration.

Along with vasoline, headache pills, bandaids and sunscreen, this should be part of your travel essentials!

This is the minimalist option for long training runs or shorter races where there’s a no cup policy.. It’s also great when you don’t have much space in your luggage.

With the Hydro Set you have a very comfortable fitting glove that holds a soft flask from 150ml to 500ml.

However we found that anything over 250ml is a little big and if you’re a runt like most distance runners then you might get a tired arm.

The flasks fit very snuggly, secured by elastic straps and a band at the top. Then as the volume decreases the elastic compresses, ensuring it’s always safe. The soft flasks don’t slosh around which is much more pleasant when you’re carrying the things for several hours.

What’s also great is that if you have several soft flasks as spares, you can quickly get in and out of checkpoints where a support crew is helping you.

The downsides to the Hydro Set are that the fit tends to be tight around the hand but loose on the wrist. Also, the desingers must have based their sizing on prisoners of war or malnourished Africans as the sizes are very small, so make sure you try them on before purchasing.

In all these are fantastic for those runs or races where you want a little bit of fluid but not so much you need a backpack and bladder.

Sold by pair, with 1 x 250ml flask. Cost: $59

Salomon Sense S-LAB Hydro Set

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Stuff & Things Kenny powers on triathlon

Static stretching is good for ya There are plenty of coaches and so-called running experts out there that will tell you “There’s no science supporting that static stretching does anything for you.

It’s actually not good for runners.” These coaches are dipshits and completely lack an understanding of the wholistic apporach to body maintenance.

There is plenty of science to say it’s good for you and there are qualitative benefits, such as pre-race mental prep and relaxation that come with static stretching, which science cannot measure.

A smart coach will combine static and dynamic stretching in a warmup and recovery routine. A dumb coach will have their head in the sand and tell you otherwise. They’ll also fail to notice how their top athletes, and the best in the world, do it (even unconsciously) prior to running...maybe there’s something in that?

P8 www.thelongrun.com.au

the world's longest footrace is the sri chinmoy self transcendence 3,100 mile race. you need to average close to 100km per day for 52 days straight to complete it. Here's the kicker: the course is on a concrete path with laps measuring only 883meters! Bugger that.

The buffalo Stampede 2015 Bleakman

bixley

V Shit is gettin real!

100km Treadmill World Record ON DECEMBER 4TH, 2014 Britain’s world 50km silver medallist Phil Anthony did something absolutely awesome, and just a tad bit insane. This Pommie lunatic ran 100km on a treadmill in the stupidly fast time of 6:40:35. In doing so he broke a 10-year-old world record.

Hailing from Kent, he later described the record attempt as one of the toughest challenges he has ever faced both physically and mentally. If this was just “One of the toughest” I’d hate to see what else he’s been doing!

Phil had never run 100km before, which adds to the awesome factor. The previous world 100km treadmill mark was 7:21:41 held by Canada’s Arulanantham Suresh Joachim.

Toilet Paper or Eco terrorism The best way to describe this book is: a tragic waste of paper. If it were an attempt at humour I would maybe rate it one out of five. But due to the inaccuracies of the information within the pages of this title, I can only rate it as minus 3 turds.

Apart from being written by a selfproclaimed running guru that has a handful of years in the sport and minimal experience beyond a couple of coaches and a small amount of runners, the book pervays the minimalist running fad that in most cases is bad for people.

The biggest problem with garbage like this is that it leads to runners thinking too much about tiny things, when in all honesty the best thing you can do for your running is to.... run. Take a common sense approach, talk to actually experienced runners and coaches and you’ll be fine. Don’t read this, start doing stupid drills and obsessing over foresoot striking. I can tell you now. Only the best runners in the world run fast enough to do it for any distance beyond 5km.

Where would you like to run?

One of the best things about running is the places it takes you. So we asked a few athletes to tell us where they would most like to race

Caine Warburton: “Annapuna trail 100

or The Everest Marathon, because Nepal and its mountains are atop our to do list.�

If a mix of mountainous scenery, climbing and culture are your thing, then this is the perfect event. There’s a 100km or 50km option, both featuring epic scenery and loads of vert. The cost to enter is cheap but getting there can be a bit of a hassle. One thing to note is that it reaches a decent altitude which can be very taxing even for the fittest among you. www.annapurna100.com

P10 www.thelongrun.com.au

Brendan Davies: “I have been

eyeing off Africa for a long time, to do an epic safari-style holiday, so naturally this would have to incorporate Comrades.”

It’s an event hailed as the world’s largest and oldest ultramarathon.

Unfortunately it’s held in a horrible place and the course is boring.

That aside, it attracts 18,000 runners and typically is very competitive. The race alternates between the 89km downhill course (Pietermaritzburg to Durban, South Africa) or the opposite way which is marginally shorter. www.comrades.com

Sarah-Jayne Miller: “NY marathon for pure iconic

must do race and UTMB. Chamonix was my first time overseas and I was gobsmacked at the beauty of the alps. How truely amazing to run through three countries - remarkable!”

New York Marathon is a big city race with a seriously fast pointy end. Held on the first Sunday in November, it’s the biggest mara on the planet, with over 50,000 finishers.

Because of the popularity participation is chosen largely by a lottery system. www.tcsnycmarathon.org

Ben Moreau: “For me, the criteria would have to be somewhere I haven’t been, something different to races I’ve run before (so not a big city marathon), also nothing TOO taxing (i.e. no ultras), plus with atmosphere and pretty scenery. So Lidingöloppet in Sweden fits the bill!”

Lidingöloppet is 30km of XC trails in Sweden with 35,000 people runnning. Essentially it’s the world’s longest and biggest cross country race, held not far from Stockholm.

It’s a challenging course with a different distances to choose from.

Whether you want to improve your time from last year, run faster than your neighbour, take your first steps in jogging or even try the Little. The main event is 30 km and www.lidingoloppet.se

Marcus Warner: “Zegama-

Aizkorrie Marathon in the Basque country. Incredible terrain, elite field, amazing passion from the fans lining every part of the course (louder voices than crowds at the NYC marathon IMO) and wonderful rustic cuisine and cider before, during and after the race. A party like no other in the town square. It truly embodies what small races can become and yet still retain that unique aspect where a whole community gets behind a race.” www.zegama-aizkorri.com/en/

Vlad Ixel & Blake Hose: “The Antarctica marathon, before all the ice melts down!”

This is about as adventurous as you would think a race could be. There are a couple of varying events you can on Antarctica, organised by different people. Distances include half marathon, marathon and 100km. The commonalities are that they’re VERY expensive and you can expect to be extremely cold and slow. Typically run in January to March, to do one of these events you not only need plenty of cash, but to book a package that’s all inclusive.

Ben Duffus: “Not strictly a running

race but from a “travel” perspective I think that the Red Bull X-Alps would be awesome. I’d get to travel across the entire European Alps and appreciate the view from up high!”

So this is an extreme adventure race that combines paragliding and hiking/ running as athletes are faced with a 1,000km traverse of the Alps. It’s held every two years and one for the seriously adventurous. ww.redbullxalps.com

Jo Brischetto: “UTMB for me. A

trail that is as spectacular as it gets, has an amazing festival surrounding it and has an amazing field of the world’s best runners. Chamonix is also a brilliant ‘basecamp’ location to visit surrounding mountains and cities after the race. Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Andorra...2016 for me!”

Not much needs to be said about this event. It’s the most prestigious of ultras and on just abot everyones must do list. The festival of running has events from 53 to 300km, but the 100 mile race is the big dance. www.ultratrailmb.com

Dave Byrne: “I’m really keen to do

the Marathon du Médoc! A combination of wine, running and great scenery makes for the perfect day out.”

As the website says, this is well established as the running event for bon viveurs.

Starting near Bordeaux, it passes through dozens of vineyards – and participants are actively encouraged to sample some of the regional vintages en route (there is water on offer, too). Some have described the race as “the most fun you can have running a marathon”, (so personal bests are probably unlikely). The number of places is limited to 8,000, and many of those going will be in fancy dress. www.marathondumedoc.com

session: This is a winter session for 5km runners and a year round speed endurance workout for longer distance athletes. If you are tending towards marathon length or greater, then change it to 10/20 or even 20/20.

Session: 2 x 10mins with 5min jog recovery Total Duration: 25mins – 45mins The efforts should be slightly under half marathon pace and the jog recovery as slow as you feel necessary in order to recover adequately for the second effort. The fitter you are, the quicker the recovery jog should be and the goal is to run as far in the second effort as you did the first, ideally building in pace as you progress through each efforts. The flatter the course the better as it allows for a more steady efforts.

10/10

long, hard intervals are one of the best ways to improve your engine and teach yourself to maintain good form under fatigue.

This session is also awesome when you’re travelling as it’s easy to do on any surface and over in a flash!

PACE GUIDE:

10min efforts Elite: 7km+ Serious: 6.5km+ Club: 6km+ WOMEN Elite: 6.5km+ Serious: 6km+ Club: 5km+

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Tips for training

on holidays\ Many of us find it a challenge to maintain the training regime when on holidays. Jet lag, new locations, site seeing, alcohol consumption and generally just having new and exciting distractions can play havoc on your motivation. It’s often a case of going away with the best intentions of keeping the ball rolling, only to find yourself spending more time at the bar than training. There’s nothing wrong with having a break or taking it easy when you’re abroad. That’s what holidays are for. But if you have a longer-term goal you’re working towards, then it’s important to keep focused. Here’s a few tips to help maintain the training rage on your next vacation.

P16 www.thelongrun.com.au

Train early in the day Motivation to run after a day of seeing the sites is always tough. So get up early, beat the traffic and heat, and get your run out of the way. You’ll feel refreshed and relieved for having done it.

Include your partner Whether they run part of your journey, take a walk while you’re training or simply meet you at the end point to take a few photos, by getting your partner or travel companion in on the act you’ll have more motivation to do it.

Plan an event It’s always great to take part in races while away from

home. There’s something special about getting out there and racing on foreign soil. Plus of course the roads will generally be clear and there will be aid stations along the way. A good way to look at it is to make the race a hard training run.

USE the hotel gym or try circuits Do something different and hit the hotel gym for a cross training session or some weights. It’s easy to smash out 40 minutes of circuit training of an evening before dinner or to tap out a bike session as a way to do some added training on top of the running. Gyms are also good when you’re stuck in

a polluted or busy city and finding a place to run is hard.

Site-see on the run Create a route that allows you to take in a bunch of landmarks or sites. It’s pretty cool to hit the pavement and beat the tourists to major landmarks around town.

It also makes for awesome training photos!

Train short and sharp Long runs are the hardest thing to do when you’re on holiday. Apart from being time consuming it can be difficult to find places to rack up the miles. Also, most days you’ll be on your legs for many hours anyway, so it’s not as necessary to do long

runs. Instead, do interval sessions or threshold work.

You’ll get great training value in minimal time, leaving more hours for touring.

Look for local running groups In just about every corner of the globe there are clubs and squads that welcome visitors. They’re a great way to find people to train with and also discover the best spots for a run.

Plus you’ll typically make friends for life once you’ve slogged through a few hard sessions with them!

Do some research before you go It’s always a good practice to do a little Googling before you head away. There are plenty of websites that have information as to where to run in most places. It’s also good to find out if there are any cultural sensitivities you should be aware of, entry fees for parks, if it’s safe to run at night and any other little tips you might pick up from reading what others say about jogging in your destination.

Train hard before going away By periodising your training so you’re in a recovery phase at least at the beginning of your trip will remove a lot of the pressure to train hard while away. It also enables

you to recover from your flight without risking illness by trying to keep pushing your body when it’s stressed.

Increase you fluid intake It’s an obvious one, but for some reason most of us tend to not drink enough when we travel. Flights, hotel air conditioning and spending your days site seeing can sap the water from you. It’s good to drink loads in the morning before setting out for the day’s adventure and always carry a water bottle around with you.

Hand wash your gear!

Keeping on top of your washing is hard when you’re travelling.

But if you hand wash your training clothes immediately after every run, then you’ll be better able to keep yourself from getting stinky or not having enough apparel to see you through the trip.

Hand washing is fine for training gear when you’re travelling. After all, it just ends up getting sweaty five minutes into every run anyway!

Take new shoes away Chances are you’ll be doing a lot of your training on roads or

hard surfaces, unless of course you’re in a rural or mountainous area.

Either way, it’s always a good idea to travel with a relatively new pair of shoes. This way you won’t fall into the trap of running in worn out footwear under the guise of buying some new ones when you get home. New shoes also feel better and when you’re running on tired feet you’ll be thankful for it.

Stretch Lots Sitting on long flights, walking all day, carrying luggage and sleeping in a different bed than you’re use to can lead to stiff and sore muscles. The best way to keep on top of this is to stretch as much as possible. Take the time to do 15 minutes of stretching each night and you’ll be thankful for it when you run the following morning.

Run with ID It’s good practice to have some form of ID on you when you run and even something that indicates what hotel you are staying in. That way if something happens and people need to know who you are and where you’re from, then you’re covered.

Top spots & events to travel & Run 26 of the best events and destinations for the running enthusiast

BLue mountains, Australia Home of Australia’s most prestigious ultra marathon, The North Face 100, this spectacular and mountainous area is only a couple of hours drive from Sydney and provides you with loads of great trails to run, nice restaurants, accommodation of every level and plenty of opportunities to connect with other runners. There are also several races here throughout most of the year.

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gold coast marathon, Australia

The Gold Coast is the ideal place to take a family vacation. Couple it with the GC Marathon and you’ve got something to keep the runner in the group happy too!

The event itself features a 10km, Half Marathon and Marathon, all held on fast courses with a little bit of scenery. The July temperatures are cool but not cold, so while the beach is generally quiet, the weather makes it great for getting outdoors and being active in the hinterland or one of the many nearby theme parks. Plus there are plenty of options for training.

Tasmania, australia

A short flight from Melbourne or Sydney takes you to trail running paradise on the island of Tasmania. There are trails to suit everyone, from short journeys that end at waterfalls, to epic 80km plus slogs across mountains. There’s no shortage of pristine wilderness and stunning vistas to be enjoyed and best of all you can travel around the entire state in a campervan and park at most trail heads - so it’s cheap and easy to get around. We woud say this is the most underrated running holiday destination in the Southern Hemisphere.

P20 www.thelongrun.com.au

BRIGHT, VICtoria, australia

This is the place for lovers of big hills, great beer and getting away from the masses. It’s a small township surrounded by mountains, where you can find a different track to run every day, have a refreshing swim in the river and then indulge in a beer and pizza at the brewery of an evening. If you time your visit right you can take on the might of The Buffalo Stampede or Bright 4 Peaks.

city 2 surf, sydney, australia

Yes, there are 80,000 people in the event and if you’re not in one of the fast packs it can be shit for the first 2km. But if you’re willing to handle the slow crawl at the beginning then this iconic Sydney race is loads of fun.

Starting in the heart of the city and finishing at Bondi Beach, the course is challenging (14km) and scenic. There’s loads of support along the way with cheering locals along the way and a final kilometer packed with spectators. Best of all is a refreshing swim at the end.

tromso skyrace, norway

Not that you need an excuse to go there, but now there’s one more reason to head to Norway, and that’s to take on the Tromso Skyrace. New in 2015 it’s the brainchild of Emelie Forsberg and features an ultra and vertical kilometer, both part of the Skyrunning World Series.

This type of event will test even the best runners, so it’s an awesome challenge in a spectacular part of the world.After the race there are great galleries and museums to visit as well as fishing, hiking etc. www.tromsoskyrace.com

everest marathon, nepal

Known as the highest marathon in the world, the air is thin, the course is tough and the backdrop is spectacular. The start is at 5184m, near Everest base camp and the finish is at 3446m. Naturally, you will need to acclimatise to the altitude, so typically you do this race as part of a longer Nepalese adventure.

The trail is rocky, cold, wet and snowy in places, so you need to be physically prepared and equipped up for the journey.

It’s held in November so a mid-October arrival is advised. www.everestmarathon.com

Mumbai marathon, india

It’s stinky, humid, poluted and at best you could say the organisation is good, but hey, it’s kinda cool to be able to say you’ve run a marathon in India.

As a place to holiday, Mumbai and the country in general is exciting, colourful, inexpensive and dynamic. Get beyond the crowds and smell and you’ll love it. As a place to run, aprt from the mountainous regions, it sux. Crap air and loads of traffic makes for shitty running. However after racing you’ll need a week to recover so training won’t be so important anyway. www.scmm.procamrunning.in

Sky rock ‘n run, new zealand

This is quite possibly the toughest marathon you’ll ever run! With 3,600m of vertical gain across the 42km journey, it’s one of those races that will enter legend status. This is the final event in the 2015 Skyrunning Oceania Series and will have a crack field, but it’s open to everyone.

The start is a short drive from Christchurch, so you can base yourself there pre-race and then afterwards head off on a South Island adventure. There’s no better trout fishing or hiking on the planet than you’ll find here. www.skyrocknrun.co.nz

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venice marathon, italy

Held in October, this is not a race you do for a fast time, even though it is a relatively quick course, it’s one for the bragging rights. The route passes numerous historic landmarks and features numerous bridge crossings that traverse the famous canals of Venice. There are loads of spectators that line the latter part of the course and cheer you on to the finish. The downside is this is a pretty expensive place to visit and not so good for training. The upside is that you’re in VENICE! www.venicemarathon.it/en/

Great wall of china marathon

You want stairs? This event has your fill. It’s ridiculously full of stairs so the running is slow. But hey, you’re not here to ru a PB. The views are breathtaking, as can be the polution if the wind is not in your favour. The May weather is hot and humid and having steep climbs and being exposed to the sun, it’s bloody tough...and did I mention the stairs?

The best place to base yourself is in Beijing so you can explore the city before and after the race. www.great-wall-marathon.com

The hillary, New Zealand

NZ aint short of spectacular trails and races and one of the newest events to come along is The Hillary (80km/34km/16km).

This is a very tough and mountainous race that traverses the event’s namesake, The Hillary Trail. Being only a short drive from Auckland it’s easy to access and incorporate into a roadtrip around the North Island.

The event is very well organised and supported, with a course that rivals the most diverse and scenic you’ll find. www.thehillary.co.nz

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the hounslow classic, Australia

October 2015 will see the first running of this exciting new event. Being held in a part of the Blue Mountains that’s never had an event in it before due to the pristine environment, this will quickly become one of the ‘Must do’ Australian races.

The courses are incredibly tough (75km/21km) but the scenery will help take your mind off the suffering. If there’s one event you do in 2015, then this should be it. Be prepared for insane climbs, sheer cliffs, awe inspiring views and pain! www.hounslowclassic.com.au

great ethiopia run 10km

In a country where running is a national pastime, it’s no surprise that this mass participation event attracts 30,000 runners, mostly local! There’s an exciting atmosphere and the sheer chaos of so many people on a poorly managed course makes for fun.

It’s a tough challenge thanks to a handful of climbs and the altitude in the capital Addis Ababa.

For visitors, this is as much a cultural experience as it is a race. Try to run with the leaders, I dare ya! www.ethiopiarun.org

the paris marathon, france

It’s another of those checklist events. A race that yes, you can do to run a quick time, but it’s more about having another reason to travel to Paris and good dinner table conversation with your running buddies.

The course is quick and scenic and the huge number of participants makes it a buzz to be part of.

Best advice is to enter early and book accommodation well in advance. Look for somewhere near the start as it makes raceday way easier. www.schneiderelectricparismarathon.com/fr

flagstaff, USA

One of the best places in the USA for the running junkie is Flagstaff in Arizona. It’s a place where many of the world’s elite go to train and for the average punter that just likes to run in an amazing place, it’s perfect.

There are countless trails to run, from mountains to pancake flat, plus a track for speed sessions.

There’s plenty of places to stay and great local dining, plus different races throughout the warmer months. A highlight of the calendar is the US Skyrunning Series final in October.

The dolomites, italy

Mountains aint mountains...if you know what I mean. In Australia we have hills or rounded lumps of earth. The Dolomites on the other hand are towering peaks of limestone that tower ominously, often cloaked in snow and cloud. They are rugged and awe inspiring and during the summer months you can run the mountain trails, eat pizza and drink carafes of red wine and it will cost bugger all. This is mountain running heaven and there are plenty of events both large and small to take part in.

What’s more, accommodation is cheap too!

Chamonix, france

Home of The Ultra Trail Mont Blanc and Mont Blanc Marathon, this is a mecca for any ultra or trail running enthusiast. The place is built for outdoor adventure and in the Summer months the hundreds of kilometers of mountain trails become the ultimate runner’s playground.

Accommodation is relatively inexpensive and ranges from backpacker style to luxury.

There are loads of restaurants to dine in and plenty of shops and things to keep you entertained outside of running.

If you can, visit during the Mont Blanc Marathon weekend and have a run in one of the races.

The atmosphere will blow your mind, as well as the scenery.

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jungfrau marathon, switzerland

Ok, so the Swiss can be cocks and it’s a bloody expensive place to visit despite all the money the country gets from African despots, war criminals and tax evaders, but if you can get beyond that you’ve got a pretty amazing place to run.

A highlight of the local running calendar is the Jungfrau Marathon. Starting at Interlaken, you climb pretty much the whole way to the finish, reaching 2,100m.

It’s said to be the most scenic marathon in the world, which may well be true. www.jungfrau-marathon.ch/en/

berlin marathon

One of the world’s great big city marathons, Berlin might be a sod of a race to get an entry in, thanks to either needing a fast time or getting in via a tour, the lottery or charity, but it’s worth the effort. The course takes you on a sightseeing tour of the city and has an amazing festival atmosphere. The event is held in September and attracts tens of thousands of runners and a very fast pointy end. Outside of the race there’s loads to see and do in this beautiful city, so the non-runner that travels with you will be entertained, as will you when you’re limping around in the days after the event.

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Shotover Moonlight marathon, NZ

This event is like running through Middle Earth.

The mountainous landscape of Ben Lomond Station, from Skippers Canyon to Moke Lake is some of the best you’ll encounter in New Zealand.

The February weather can get warm, but typically it’s ideal for running.

The place to base yourself is the adrenalin capital of the world, Queenstwon, so there’s no shortage of fun to be had when not running. With race options from 5km to marathon, there are several distances to suit whatever your ability. One thing they all have in common are the views. www.activeqt.co.nz/events/shotover-moonlight/

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Japan

The running culture in Japan is as big as anywhere else in the world.

The people love their distance runs, so there are loads of events to take part in, particularly marathons. But the best event has to be Ultra Trail Mt Fuji. Impeccable organisation, an epic course and great community spirit makes it a must do for any ultra running enthusiast.

Across the country you’ll find loads of trails and mountains to run, all clearly marked, well maintained and within easy access from a major centre.

Outside of the running the food is great and the quirk of the country makes every experience one to remember.

Mauritius

It’s hard to believe that such a small place would have so much to offer. Apart from the obvious spectacular, tropical scenery, Mauritius has a rugged and mountainous interior, laced with lots of trails. This makes it perfect for exploring on foot. The hills are steep and provide epic views, plus for recovery runs you can simply jog around the quiet roads or beaches on the perimeter of the island. There’s also an awesome Skyrun held here in late July called The Dodo Trail. Think lots of climbing and stunning vistas! www.dodo-trail.com

Hawaii, USA

Whether you want to run in a fast marathon in Honolulu, jog along a coastal cliff or tackle an ultra marathon, there are loads of events and tracks you can tackle across Hawaii.

A highlight is the Kalalau Trail on the island of Kauai. It’s one of the most scenic runs you’ll ever do (Read more here). But if you’re looking for somewhere to base yourself and then have loads of options for both running and relaxing, then Honolulu is the spot. Nearby are plenty of hilly trails or flat roads for training, and when not exercising the beaches, shops, dining and other attractions will keep you entertained.

BoulderBoulder 10km, USA

BolderBoulder is so much more than just a 10km trot through the city’s downtown area. This is an all-out Memorial Day (Late May) celebration and the third largest timed road race in the States. The course is lined with entertainment that features everything from live music and belly dancers to slip ‘n’ slides and surprise beerand-bacon stops. It’s a moderately tough course that attracts top Africans, as well as around 50,000 other punters. www.bolderboulder.com

Reggae marathon, jamaica

Held in December during the ‘Cooler’ months, this is a fun and relatively low key event. What else would you expect from a race held in Jamaica! The party-like atmosphere makes for a relaxing event and being an out and back course it’s great for spectators.

The heat and humidity make it tough but the coastal scenery and swaying palms make for nice distractions. www.reggaemarathon.com

www.marceauphotography.com lyndon@marceauphotography.com 0402 812 445

La Sportiva athletes Gill Fowler & Stephen Upton on Mount Feathertop Photo: Stewart Aickin

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