Planning an Adventure Race
what you need to know: race vacationscanada
(Sep.12.11)
There’s a new trend in town when it comes to vacationing — and it means a lot more than bellying up to the swim-up bar. More travellers are mixing fitness with fun by signing up for races in other cities, provinces, states and countries. Destination races are a great way to combine exercise with travel, and we have the inside scoop on this active vacation idea.
To learn more about the new trend, we turned to Matt Fitzgerald, senior editor of Competitor Magazine. Matt recentlyraced in several locations, including New Orleans, San Francisco, New York City, St. Maarten and Bermuda. He shared some of his best tips for anyone interested in taking a race vacation this year.
Choose wisely
Be sure to put as much care into choosing a race as you would put into choosing a location. Not every destination race is well organized. Online resources like MarathonGuide.com offer race reviews from all over the world from past participants.
Do your research
Since you won’t be running on your home turf, Fitzgerald suggests reading up on your race destination before your feet hit the pavement to make the experience easier. Find out which hotel is the most conveniently located to the race site, what measures you need to take to stay on your normal pre-race diet, where you can do your pre-race training and whether there is a language barrier you need to account for.
Plan ahead
Before you leave, decide what holds more weight: your race performance or your travel experience. Make this decision early and then plan your trip accordingly. For example, if you decide that the travel experience is your top priority, then you won’t be stressed out if long flights and sightseeing leave you too tired to set a personal best time.
Know your priorities
One of your most important considerations will be whether to do your sightseeing before or after the race. Fitzgerald recommends saving sightseeing for after the race, since doing it before can tire you out and distract you from your preparation.
Check out the Rock n’ Roll Marathon series for a list of races happening all around the world.
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