Runcation: When Marathons Meet Travel

For plenty of, a marathon is concerning fitness, endurance and the satisfaction of crossing the finishline.

Key points

• Dr Valmiki Hari Kishan, managing partner, Valmiki Travel and Tourism Solutions, Hyderabad, additionally sees sporting events as increasingly powerful tourism drivers.
• In Hyderabad, the trend is particularly visible with the growing number of outstation participants at the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon.
• For the city, these numbers translate into more than just participation in a sporting event.
• There is a festive atmosphere and a vibrant scenario to experience.

For plenty of, a marathon is concerning fitness, endurance and the satisfaction of crossing the finishline. But increasingly, the race is becoming just one part of the journey. A growing number of runners are travelling to different cities and countries, combining their love for running with their curiosity to explore new destinations. The trend, popularly known as 'runcation', a blend of running and vacation, is gradually changing the way residents experience travel.

In Hyderabad, the trend is particularly visible with the growing number of outstation participants at the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon. The 15th edition of the marathon, organised by Hyderabad Runners Society in partnership with NMDC Ltd, IDFC FIRST Bank and the Administration of Telangana, will be held on August 29 and 30. With thousands of runners projected to travel to the city, the event is additionally bringing attention to the larger tourism potential of running. "We are one of the marathons which gets a lot of outstation participants. We are getting close to 4, 200 individuals from outside the Telugu states and another 4, 500 from within the Telugu states. Looking at the 32, 000 registrations, roughly 8, 200 individuals are from outside the region, " states Rajesh Vetcha, founder of Hyderabad Runners and race director of the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon.

For the city, these numbers translate into more than just participation in a sporting event. Runners often arrive with friends or family, stay overnight, eat out and explore the city before or after the race. While around 30 percent stay for two nights, "Individuals come with different economic backgrounds, but at a minimum they end up staying one night. It has a major economic impact on the city and showcases the brand Hyderabad, " Rajesh states. For context, the upcoming marathon has close to 90 foreign participants, adding an international dimension to what is essentially a sporting event. For runners, nevertheless, the attraction is not simply concerning collecting medals. Arunkumar Kaliappan, president of Hyderabad Runners Society, believes that running has become a new way of experiencing a destination.

"You see the city in full glory. There is a festive atmosphere and a vibrant scenario to experience. As a runner, you experience the run, and as a visitor, you experience the culture and the confluence of individuals there, " he states. The trend is additionally creating a new sense of community among runners. Race organisers are increasingly putting together circuits comprising three or four events, encouraging participants to travel from one destination to another to complete the series. Completing a circuit often comes with special recognition or a medal, adding another incentive to the journey. "It is like a runner's passport. You want to have an experience of how plenty of different runs you have done, " Arunkumar states. In practice, the growing popularity of running tourism is additionally being viewed from the perspective of the larger travel economy. Sangeetha Parisaboina, incharge, FTCCI Tourism Committee and director, FTCCI, believes marathons can turn a single day of sporting activity into a larger destination experience. "Marathon tourism highlights how sports and travel can create memorable experiences for participants and destinations. It fosters community spirit and boosts local economies, with the potential to transform a race day into a mini vacation, " she notes.

Dr Valmiki Hari Kishan, managing partner, Valmiki Travel and Tourism Solutions, Hyderabad, additionally sees sporting events as increasingly powerful tourism drivers. "Marathons are more than sporting events. In plenty of destinations, marathons become catalysts for pre and post-event tourism, turning participants into travellers and sporting events into powerful engines for local tourism, " states Hari Kishan. Perhaps that is what makes the runcation more than just another travel trend. For context, the race gives travellers a reason to arrive, but the destination gives them a reason to stay. For the modern runner, the finish line may no longer be the end of the journey, it could simply be the beginning of the holiday.

Taken together, the developments around runcation: When Marathons Meet Travel point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.