Holiday on the Run: Literally!

Last week I completed my first race of the season, the Chicago Spring Half Marathon, with my mates Chris and Jen. It was the result of a pact we made last year to keep busy during the long Midwest winters. Along the way, it turned into ‘let’s do a race overseas to meet the locals’ in conjunction with a mates trip to New Zealand that Jen and I were taking.

The idea definitely piqued my interest. First, it would be a good balance to all that wonderful New Zealand food and wine we’d try. Second, it would be interesting to see what it would be like to run a race abroad.

A little research resulted in finding the Rotorua Half Marathon and The New Zealand Ironman on at the same time we would be there. Remembering we were on holidays, we quickly opted for the Rotorua 10K/Half Marathon ( www.rotoruahalfmarathon.co.nz/ ). My knowledge of the area and the images of the running course sold me. It’s an off-road race through temperate rainforest, but no trail map. Perfect! A little suspense.

The race lived up to everything we imagined. We walked part of it, both to take in the scenery not and not be sore the next day while on holidays.

The perks:
•    we ran on trails not usually open to runners, everyone was excited as we were following the mystery path through the woods;
•    hearing them announce USA as you crossed the finish line was a buzz, all of the local runners were loving Jen and Doug’s American accents and were so polite;
•    the number of racers was a lot less than US races I had done.

Things I will remember for next time:
•    bring a hydration belt or camel back; there weren’t as many water stations as we were used to;
•    unlike US races, only the people who place receive medals. I bought a T-Shirt to remember the race, but they had run out on the day, so I handed over my NZD35 for the shirt, expecting never to see the shirt and considered it a donation for such a well-run event.

The best part, 3 weeks after returning from my trip, a parcel arrived in the mail, covered in foreign stamps. It was my t-shirt! I was able to re-live the whole trip again, it got me through the rest of the winter and started me looking for my next event.

Packing your running shoes on your next trip? Down Under Endeavours can help you find a local race, event or festival to add a truly unique element to your next trip so you can experience the local terrain and personalities in a completely different way. Prefer to be a spectator? No worries, we can do that, too.