If you started running, completed several races in your city and decided to run your first marathon, then the best motivation not to give up running training during the cold season will be a trip to your dream race in another country. The thought of traveling is truly invigorating early in the morning in the piercing wind, and the race itself, combined with the ride, is guaranteed to bring satisfaction. And just jogging in a new city is a new experience: the speed of perception and attentiveness while running increase, you notice new things and get to know the city from an unexpected side. We’ve rounded up the five best cities for running and running.
1.Paris
Romantic Paris is a long-worn cliché. But running Paris ? It’s a rare case when, having arrived in the city of bakeries for the weekend, you can not be tormented by a feeling of guilt, but calmly eat croissants as part of a healthy lifestyle and preparation for the race (or a reward for the morning kilometers along the embankment). Running in Paris is a pleasure, either early in the morning, around the glass pyramid of the Louvre and through the still empty Tuileries Garden, or in the evening, along the embankments, past dozens of companies with wine. But the most pleasant thing, perhaps, is coming to the big race in the spring. At the beginning of March, a half marathon takes place in Paris with a start from the Bois de Vincennes, with a route through the city and back to the forest. By this time, daffodils are already blooming along the way, and it’s not yet hot to run. And in early April it’s time for the Paris Marathon, starting from the Arc de Triomphe. Along the way there are not only all the sights, but also food stations not with the classic bananas and water for races, but with red wine and Breton cider. What’s good: it happens closer to the finish line and really gives you strength in the last kilometers.
2. San Francisco
Running in California is a kind of religion or a hygienic procedure, depending on how you look at it. It has long become a habit and has become a daily routine for adherents, like brushing teeth, but it remains a hot topic of debate between runners and non-runners. In this regard, San Francisco, with its steep hills and serious distances, looks inaccessible for a beginner – it seems that only experienced professionals can overcome such climbs on the run. At the same time, running along completely flat sidewalks along piers and piers or along the famous bridge seems tempting even to those who have never run. The main race in the city – the marathon, held in July – takes place along a route that includes hills, highways along the ocean, and magnificent parks with huge trees and constant fog.
3. New York
The cradle and epicenter of the development of mass running around the world is, of course, New York. It was from here, from Central Park, that running as a hobby for hundreds of thousands of people spread throughout the world. When you arrive in New York, going for a run in the park seems as important as strolling across the Brooklyn Bridge or stopping by the MET. That being said, Central Park is not the most beautiful running route. There are jogging and cycling paths along the perimeter of Manhattan: the most beautiful sunsets in the city can be seen while jogging along the Hudson in the evening. And a morning run of five kilometers through the High Line Park – along the former railway tracks above the city streets – is the best way to start the day. The New York City Marathon takes place on the first Sunday in November and runs through all five boroughs of the city. This is the most important, lively, emotional marathon in the world – for 50 thousand participants, about two million people come out into the streets to cheer.
Tours from Locals in New York
4. London
Not only does England have the most eccentric fashion, but running is also the most unusual. This is where charity races in incredible costumes in support of hundreds of funds are most developed. Such races take place every weekend in dozens of London parks. In addition, it was in England that the park run movement was born – conventionally competitive five-kilometer runs on Saturdays at 9 am, which are held in any weather in hundreds of cities around the world. In London there is a tradition of run commute – clerks running to work with a backpack and a business suit; there is a running community called Breakfast Club, with paid runs on Saturdays, accompanied by brunch. Of the dozens of London races, three can be singled out. This is the London Marathon on the last weekend of April – on the course there will be not only military bands, Big Ben and bridges over the Thames, but also hundreds of the notorious charity runners in carnival costumes. The second worthwhile race – the July 10 kilometers – is accessible to beginners due to the distance and takes place in the city center. And the Hackney Half marathon through the most fashionable and hipster area of the city in the East. The runners are cheerful bearded men and models, along the way there are all the trendy cafes with the best coffee and craft beer, on the route there is only good music.
5. St. Petersburg
You don’t need a visa to go on a running trip. Going to St. Petersburg for the weekend always seems like a great idea, and running could be another good reason to do it. Not only can running help beat bad weather (running in a drizzle is much nicer than walking), It will also give you a chance to photograph the completely empty Palace Square if you run out at dawn. You can always sleep later. The main race in St. Petersburg is the White Nights marathon, which takes place in the city at the end of June. But the most worthwhile ones are the difficult January marathon and the Road of Life half-marathon. He walks along the same blockaded road of life, which in winter is Lake Ladoga covered with ice and snow, through the forest and along the highway, with the finish line near the Flower of Life monument. Hot tea and buckwheat porridge at the finish seem tastier than anything in the world.
Excursions from local residents in St. Petersburg
Author: Alexandra Boyarskaya
