When Elizabeth Arnold and her daughter visited Greece from Denver, Colorado in August of 2021, it wasn’t to sunbathe on a beach in Mykonos or take in the ruins of Athens.
Their sightseeing looked pretty different from that of the typical tourist as they ran along a coastal trail in Kastro, on the island of Sifnos, pausing to take in the sound of a piano from a nearby window, inhale the scent of crushed eucalyptus leaves or dip their feet in the ocean.
For Arnold, a longtime runner and senior retreat leader of Run Wild Retreats, travel and running are inseparable — and she’s not alone.
More and more jet-setting fitness fans are embracing “runcations” — getaways centered on running, which can include everything from destination races to resorts with scenic trails to hotels that employ their own “running concierges.”
Runcations have surged in popularity since the pandemic, when many people turned to running as a way to stay active when gyms were closed. Social media and the growth of run clubs accelerated the trend, drawing a new generation into the sport.
According to a 2026 Strava report, global participation in running clubs rose 59%, with clubs on the platform now exceeding 1 million.
TripAdvisor’s 2026 Trendcast identified “sweat jetting” — trips built around athletic experiences — as one of tourism’s fastest-growing avenues. Accor also predicts “athletic adventures” will be a major travel trend, citing a 50% increase in searches for “workout holidays.”
Runcations fall into two categories: race-focused trips, or vacations where running is the primary way to explore a destination. As interest grows, hotels and resorts answer with guided runs, curated routes and wellness recovery programs.
Marathoning around the world
Molly Baker, 34, has been running since childhood and now structures many vacations around destination marathons. Even on trips without races, she and her husband pick places where they can run.
“I typically don’t love going to the Caribbean because it’s really hard to run on some of those islands,” Baker told The Post. On a recent babymoon in St. Barths, she still found a way to keep up the habit. “There was a little, teeny, tiny gym. But it had a huge window, so you could look out at the ocean while you were running.”
Most of the time, the race itself becomes the starting point for a longer trip.
“Usually we’ll go do the marathon first and then travel afterwards,” Baker said. After running the Tokyo Marathon, the couple continued to Kyoto, where they found scenic river routes and squeezed in several more runs.
For Baker, running also provides a way to connect with people and places that traditional tourism rarely does.
“Most recently with Tokyo, we met people on the plane who were running the marathon,” she said. “I went on a shakeout run at the hotel with someone from Australia. So you really get to connect with people in ways that we don’t have very often anymore.”
Running ‘round the world, seeing the sights
For Andy Solarz, running fits into any trip. The 36-year-old lifelong runner, marathoner and founder of PR Running Hats sometimes picks race destinations, but most often uses running to immerse himself in new places.
When traveling, he’ll often ask hotel staff for route tips or check Strava, but sometimes he simply explores on his own. He typically logs anywhere from three to 10 miles a day, leaving time to recover.
“Last weekend we were in Madrid, and I didn’t know where I was going to go,” Solarz said. “Any time I saw a cool little corner, I’d just run down that way and make my own little path.”
Following the Berlin Marathon, Solarz and his partner kept up their routine, running through Paris and Portugal. Sometimes, they’d run to a bakery, grab a pastry and keep going. “You have to get there one way or another. So why not run?”
A (running) world tour
While some people plan their own itineraries, demand for organized marathon trips have more than doubled since the pandemic, according to Jeff Adams, president of Marathon Tours & Travel. Many runners bring friends or family, and women aged 25-34 remain a fast-growing group.
“There’s that feeling of being a global citizen and the athletic accomplishment,” he says.
But not every runner is chasing a finish line. Michael Mazzara — CEO of Rogue Expeditions, the largest multi-day running tour operator in North America — says many travelers are drawn to multi-day trips that combine running with exploration.
“There’s a whole bunch of people that don’t necessarily want to train for a marathon,” he says. “Being able to run five miles a day for a week in Morocco is way more appealing.”
Even hotels are capitalizing on the trend
With runcations on the rise, hotels are designing services for guests who want to maintain training while exploring new destinations.
Westin Hotels & Resorts has long supported runners through its WestinWORKOUT program, which offers curated running routes — and, at select properties, guided runs led by a concierge. The brand has also partnered with the Abbott World Marathon Majors to support race participants in cities such as Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Tokyo.
“Long before wellness became an industry talking point, we noticed something simple but meaningful: Our guests wanted ways to stay active and feel like themselves on the road,” said Peggy Roe, executive vice president and chief customer officer at Marriott International. “They weren’t just looking for a fitness room; they wanted the freedom to keep their routines while experiencing a destination in a way that felt authentic and energizing.”
Luxury resorts are leveraging their geography to get in on the action. The Four Seasons Tamarindo, which sits on a 3,000-acre reserve along Mexico’s Pacific coast, introduced a Run Concierge program featuring guided runs ranging from casual jogs to longer routes through jungle trails or along the coastline.
“A lot of guests were really interested in continuing the routines that they had at home,” said Ali Tighe, the resort’s marketing manager. They see several guests training for marathons or Ironman competitions.
At boutique hotels like Nômade Tulum and Be Tulum, some guests build their days around sunrise beach runs, followed by recovery routines like yoga or cold plunges.
Urban hotels, such as Athens’ Hotel Grande Bretagne, offer guided runs past landmarks like the Acropolis and Panathenaic Stadium.
Movement over relaxation
For years, runners often squeezed workouts into the margins of vacation time.
“If you think about the type of person who goes on vacation with their family, the other people in the family are non-runners,” said Mazzara. “They’ll try to plan a run before breakfast or after lunch.”
Runcations, though, place running at the heart of travel. For Elizabeth Arnold, this means favoring exploration over speed.
“It’s ironic, because when people think ‘run,’ there’s that level of intimidation — like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to be fast,’” she said. “We take the fast out of running. It’s a slowdown on everything.”
Arnold says many of her run retreat guests return year after year for the same reason.
“Our repeat customers say they come because it’s a reconnection to values,” she said. “It’s a transformation of what’s important — a reconnection to self.”
For these travelers, vacation is not a break from routine; it’s a chance to take that routine to new surroundings. Roe relates to this instinct as someone who travels often.
“There’s something incredibly grounding about lacing up your shoes and heading out for a run in a new city,” she said. “It clears your mind, connects you to a place, and brings a sense of rhythm to days that can otherwise feel nonstop.”
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