I have been quite active on Strava for the last 2 years, paying Strava’s premium membership to get all the in-depth stats for all activities I do. I found a way of keeping fit whilst traveling by going for a ‘touristic’ run to explore in every new city or Country I travel to. I have promised myself that I would complete either 5km or 10km run for every visit and I have made this a priority.
For clarification, these are solo runs and not as a part of any organized events as this would cost a great deal more for receiving a medal. This method allows me to save money and be flexible. The best part is that Strava record and keep pictures as memories. However if I plan to run a marathon, I would definitely like a medal.
I will share in a separate article on how I captured my runs using Garmin Phoenix 3 HR.
Here is a list of 10 km runs I have completed:
(1) Honolulu, Hawaii
On our short RTW-2 trip in December 2018, we visited Honolulu in Hawaii for 48 hours. I managed to squeeze in this run on the day of the 2018 Honolulu Marathon. Our stay at Hyatt @ Waikiki Beach happened to be the perfect location as it was part of the Marathon route and with so many people and its contagious energy I was inspired to complete the 10k run.
(2) San Francisco, USA
I visit San Francisco on a regular basis for work and one of my favouriate things to do is to go for 10k run when I am in town. Best routes are around the union square and the coastal track along several piers – starting from the Ferry Building all the way to Fisherman’s Wharf and back. These are great places to take pictures and nothing beats Philz Coffee for a finishing drink.
(3) Barcelona, Spain
I visited Barcelona for work and while staying at Duquesa Cardona, I went for a coastal 10km run. It was 2 years ago in January, and nothing can beat the winter sun shining brightly on your face which made the run superb.
(4) London, UK
I lived in London so I get to run with my local running club called ‘Striders of Croydon‘. The best thing I like about this running club is that runners of all capacity run together and no one is left behind in any long run.
(5) Auckland, New Zealand
I spent over 2 weeks in NZ as part of the RTW-2 and I complete my run in the capital city of Auckland, and I was fortunate to have been accompanied by my new friend Yugal. This was a nice flat route along the sea starting and finishing at Mission Bay Beach.
(6) Sydney, Australia
I was in Sydney on a transit for 48 hours and with busy work schedule did not have time to explore the city however just managed squeeze in a quick run to see the most important tourist spots.
(7) Cairo, Egypt
I was in Egypt for 2 days. I stayed in Hotel Sofitel, the same hotel where the French President was staying with his crew. I even managed to meet and shake hands with President’s wife Brigitte Macron, thanks to my colleague.
(8) Istanbul, Turkey
I have been to Istanbul, several times in 2017 and 2018. Whenever I go, I stay in the city centre and prefer to go for a city run. For this particular run, I stayed in The W Hotel which was quirky. I did this run in February, it was cold, so I wrapped up warm as the running route was along the main road and it was muddy with heavy traffic. I would look for a better running route for next time.
(9) Bangalore, India
This was more like a fast walk and a very slow run, as in India I am unable to run due to warmer temperatures. I prefer 10-17 degree celsius. Anything over 23 degrees its way too hot for my body.
(10) Dubai, UAE
I have recently moved to Dubai and have started loving the winter weather. The Marina is a great place to be outdoors, you can go for run, cycle and even go for a swim at a nearby Jumeira beach (located 8 min walk away). I will aim for a 10k run in future.
- What you need to run a 10k when traveling?
- Running Shoes (only thing you need to carry)
- Shorts and T-shirt
- Shades/Goggles
- Water/lip-balm