California’s scenic coastal marathon makes five independent lists, followed by the Boston Marathon on three of the same lists and Paris, London, Honolulu, New York and Napa Valley races on two.
The Big Sur International Marathon’s reputation as one of the world’s top destination marathons has been confirmed, five times over, during the last few months. In rankings of the world’s top footraces by five prominent travel media websites, Big Sur made the cut in all, surpassing other notable destination races such as Paris, London, Honolulu, New York and Napa Valley.
Beginning in January 2012, Forbes.com listed BSIM as one of the world’s “Top Ten Marathons Worth Traveling For,” mentioning California’s Highway 1 race route as the “most beautiful drive,” saying, “the gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean serve as inspiration to keep going.”
The Forbes.com inclusion was followed by similar accolades in April in Outside.com, FoxBusinessNews.com and Away.com. Just this month, another popular travel website, Departures.com featured the Big Sur Marathon in its article, “Ten travel-worth races that make for truly memorable journeys on the run.”
“We’ve been honored as a top destination race in running publications for many years, but it’s great to now also be recognized in travel, adventure and news publications,” said Wally Kastner, race director of the Big Sur International Marathon.
In the Away.com article where the Big Sur race was listed number one among the world’s Top Destination Footraces,” author Nina Kokotas Hahn comments, ” As a marathon runner and travel writer, I can’t imagine a more spectacular experience than the Big Sur Marathon. With cliffs and bridges that take you to the edge of the world, rugged Pacific coast scenery, merciless character-building hills, and a tuxedo-wearing pianist on a baby grand at mile 13, this remarkable race will inspire and challenge you like no other.”
Away.com, which reaches a million readers monthly, focused not only on marathons, but on interesting races around the globe. In addition to including popular marathons like Paris, Chicago and Marine Corps (Washington, D.C.), some of the more quirky top ten contenders were the challenging 7.5 mile Dipsea in Marin County, the oldest trail race and one of the most exclusive in America; the Bermuda Triangle Challenge, a 3-day, 3-event race; and the Bourbon Chase, a 200-mile overnight relay through historic cities, stunning horse country, and world-famous distilleries along the scenic Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
The Big Sur International Marathon takes place annually on California’s Highway 1, a national scenic byway. Runners enjoy 26.2 miles of spectacular scenery, beginning in the redwood forests of Big Sur and opening out onto pastoral ranchland, imposing cliffs and rainbow arch bridges, all with expansive vistas of the Pacific Ocean. The race concludes near Carmel-by-the-Sea, a popular tourist destination on the Monterey Peninsula. Other nearby sights and attractions include Pebble Beach, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row, and the quaint seaside town of Pacific Grove.
Registration for the 2013 race opens on July 15 and is expected to sell out within a few weeks. For more info, visit www.bsim.org.
Author
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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