Vacation Racing

There are two races I never got the chance to write about that we ran on vacation. One was in Hawaii and the other was in Italy.

In Hawaii we ran the Rain Forest Runs, which takes place at Volcanos National Park on the Big Island. This is a small town race in all senses. It takes place in the countryside and the course includes what seems to be every side road in the town. After running through the neighborhood where most of the houses are located, it starts gong up a hill, until you reach the end of the road. Then we turn around and head right back to the start. Most of the course is isolated and doesn't have fan support, but that's not a negative. The entire run is through the forest, as it's surrounded by vegetation and is stunningly beautiful Also, the last 4ish miles of the race are downhill and you can get some amazing speed.

After prizes for top finishers after the race aren't medals or trophies, but art, as it's sponsored by the local art center. This was an amazing race and a lot of fun.

In Italy we did the Marathon d' Europa which takes place in Trieste. The city of Trieste of small and on the border of Croatia and Slovenia. It's a point-to-point course that begins outside the city and finishes in the main square. The strange thing about running a race in Europe is hearing all of the race announcements in a different language. But having done enough races, we knew what to do and when to line up. The race itself was very cool. After a couple miles of flat and/or uphill, the last 10 miles are almost all downhill and make for a fast course. It's all along the mountains next to the ocean and has some beautiful views. The day we ran was quite hot and many people were hugging the side of the road to try and get some shade.

The excitement of the race builds as you get into the city and wraps around almost the entire central square of cobblestone road before crossing the finish line. There are large crowds and the support is impressive. Running a race in a foreign country is truly a unique experience and something we'll remember for a long time.

Hawaii:
Overall ranking: 8
Course: 9
T-shirt: 2
Medal: 2

Italy:
Overall ranking: 8
Course: 9
T-shirt: 4
Medal: 2