Hey Runners! Are you planning your race calendar for 2018? Let us help you plan your first (or next) destination race! What an excellent experience for yourself or the entire family to take your passion for your sport and combine it with an awesome vacation. it’s a great way to see a new city up close and sets a fun, energetic vibe for the vacation!
Maybe you live somewhere with a lot of hills and want a flat course, or you want to enjoy the scenery at a beach or in the mountains! Vacationkids offers flexible packages with payment schedules, such as Vacation Layaway for qualifying bookings, that can make your destination race dreams a reality.
Running is a sport the entire family can easily enjoy together share. Many family friendly races are stroller friendly. Every child and family is different but generally kids ages 5-8 can start to walk/run up to to around 2 miles Kids 8-12 are ready for a 5K. Kids 13-17 are usually ready to compete in a half marathon. At 18 seasoned runners should be ready for their first full marathon or ultras.
My husband and I both run...a lot. Our 6 year old has been doing 5ks with us for a couple of years, and our 2 year old is starting to keep up. Coming up on our 10th wedding anniversary, we wanted to do something that was very “us”, that would be memorable. We’d taken many anniversary trips and didn’t even remember several of them. I happened to notice that the Rock and Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon was a day after our anniversary, and we hadn’t been to Las Vegas in years. We agreed it would be memorable, fun and unique way for us to celebrate our marriage. It was a fantastic race, and a fantastic trip. I can help you find every happy hour in Las Vegas - my favorite is the Harvest Hour at Harvest in the Bellagio - and help you book your carb load pre-race.
Want to run New Orleans or Nashville, Seattle or San Diego? How about international events, like Dublin or Madrid? Beach destinations like Key West, Myrtle Beach or the Bahamas! There’s Half Marathons in all of them! How about an iconic 10k, like Bay to Breakers in San Francisco, the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC or the Peachtree in Atlanta, GA on the 4th of July. Families always enjoy Run Disney events. Disney Cruise Line even offers 5K runs on their private Island of Castaway Cay. The 3.1-mile out-and-back event is free and family friendly; it's open to walkers and runners ages 10 and older.
Travel Tips for Destination Racers:
- Plan in advance – when you buy your race number is the time to start thinking about getting there. VacationKids can make it easy, and you may be able to book low deposits and make monthly payments!
- Splurge on accommodations that are close to the start or finish line. In many cities it’s worth the few extra dollars to not have to wake up an extra hour early on race day. Your race day self will thank you!
- Many larger races require you to attend the Expo a day or two ahead of the race. Arrive early enough to pick up your number, or pay the extra to have it shipped (where available).
- Work with a Travel Agent that can help you extend your stay and make a fun outing for the entire family.
- Take advantage of group discounts - Invite other families that love to run to join you....invite your race team, your running club, even buddy runners to join you for a 5K or 10K out of town. It's a great way to share a wonderful new travel experience with your favorite people. Group discounts usually start at around 10 to 20 adults and group leaders (aka...you!) can often travel for free. Turn this fun run into an annual event or a fundraiser for your favorite charity.
We can set you up with flights, book hotels with easily accessible to the start line, plan transportation and fun things to do outside of the race. You just show up in the start corral! Your family will think you're a winner right from the start. The only thing you need to tell us is "where" and "When".
