Thinking of Joining a Race Overseas? Here are 5 Tips to Prepare for Your Racecation

Posted On February 26, 2020

Guest post by Minie of Fitness and Finance Redefined

“Racecation” or Race and Vacation has been one of the trends nowadays for athletes of all levels. Because why not? It’s combining two passions — travel and joining a race. Recreation and rest rolled into one.

Racecation has become popular, especially for long-distance runners. Usually, runners would register either a half marathon or full marathon to fully experience the race overseas.

However, traveling for a race is quite different from your usual leisure travel. Aside from your months and months of training, you also need to prepare for your travel and your race day.

Longer distances, particularly 42.195 kilometers will entail more preparations than a half marathon or a fun run.

You are probably reading this because you have been selected to participate in a big race overseas or you are thinking of participating in one.

Here are my five tips to fully prepare for your racecation:

1. Research As Much As You Can About The Race

Doing a lot of research about the race will eliminate some of the uncertainties that you may have at the beginning.

First, you need to ensure that your race registration is accurate and complete. Do not risk the possibility of finding out later that you will not be running the race or that your category is different from what you are expecting.

The following are some of the things you need to research on:

• Is there a race expo? Where is the venue of Race Expo?
• Where and when can you get your race kit?
• Where’s the starting line and finish line?
• What is the gun time of your specified distance category?
• When is the closing and opening time of your corral?
• Where you can get your finisher medal and finisher shirt?
• Where are the hydration stations along the race route?
• What things can you and can’t bring during the race?
• What will the weather be like? Will it be humid or cold?

The more that you research about the race, the more you will be prepared for the race.

If you have done this right, you will run and finish the race with less stress because you will be more focused on your performance on race day.

2. Attend The Race Expo

No matter how busy you think you are, your attendance to the race expo is a must.

It will not only give you more information about the race (more than what you have researched) but you can also enjoy the exciting vibes in a room full of hopeful finishers.

Usually, there are discounts and perks that are available to the runners during the race expo.

If you would like to buy some souvenirs that are running related, the race expo will be your resource for that.

3. Book an Accommodation Near Start/Finish Line

Book an accommodation that is either near the start line or the finish line. This way, you will be familiar with the place where you will be running on race day.

Some runners prefer to book near the finish line so when they are already too tired from the run, they will just walk a little going back to their accommodation.

However, accommodations in these particular places, especially during big races or events, can be fully booked already.

If you can no longer find an accommodation near the start line or the finish line, be sure to visit the start and finish line instead. By doing this, you will know how to navigate going to these places and what could be the best transportation options during race day.

The starting line is the most important because you don’t want to run the risk of being late on a race just because you can’t find where the starting line is.

4. Be At The Country/City at least 2-3 Days Prior to Race Day

Being in the country or city of your registered race prior to the event will help you get accustomed to different situations that you might encounter in that foreign country.

Remember, you are flying in a foreign country in order to race first. Vacation is secondary.

This means that you need to prepare and know how your body will respond to the weather of that country.

You also need to consider whether you will be eating local foods. Or better yet, stick food you are familiar with so you don’t run the risk of having an upset stomach before race day.

You can always try all the food that you want after your race. So while your race is not done yet, be very conservative with what you eat.

5. Prepare a Travel Itinerary

I find itineraries to be very helpful. Having a planned-out itinerary saves time when you are already in a foreign country.

You don’t want to waste time researching where to go, what to eat, and what to buy when you are already in the country. As much as possible, once you arrive, you would like your time to be as efficient as possible.

For budget travelers, having an itinerary will also save you money. You can get discounts by purchasing your train tickets, accommodation, and tours ahead of time.

In preparing your itinerary, consider the fact that you will be racing on one of the days that you are there. Do not schedule tours that are physically exhausting before race day.

You should also schedule trial short runs before the race to check if your running attire will be appropriate to the current weather.

Conclusion:

A racecation is an active vacation.

It can be physically exhausting but emotionally rewarding.

All the training and planning for the racecation can be overwhelming at first. But it will be exciting since you will be racing in a totally different environment.

And if you plan your travel well, which includes proper training and rest, this racecation will definitely be one of the memories you will treasure forever.

---

About the Author

Minie blogs at Fitness and Finance Redefined where she talks about fitness and personal finance and how these two are directly connected to each other.

She is a one-time ultra-marathoner (50K), a fifth-time marathoner (42K), and a one-time duathlete (5Krun-30Kbike-5Krun).

Read also her 10 recommended running books for beginners in her blog.