Destination Athlete

A destination athlete is that sportsman – a runner, a swimmer or a triathlete for the purpose of this article – that pursues specific races overseas, or uses them as an excuse for a getaway. It involves two industries that have become huge over the years: leisure and sports.

This idea is not new for runners, whose ultimate race has its roots in the small town of Marathon in Greece, and was first established at the 1896 Summer Olympics. Only in the US and Canada, there will be over 800 marathon races with over half a million finishers in 2017. Extrapolate that and you have thousands of events attended by millions of people every year around the globe.

In 2006, World Marathon Majors was set up to group six of the largest and most renowned races: New York, Chicago, Boston, London, Berlin and Tokyo. Interestingly enough, it does not include Paris (world’s third largest marathon) or the original Athens Marathon, however it has become a highly sought-after dream for many runners, who try to qualify by time, charity or lottery and travel to these cities just to tick those boxes. Only 1,714 people have managed to complete all six (kudos, Stuart!). If this was not enough, there are a number of extreme versions such as the Great Wall, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Everest or Antarctica Marathons – the last of which gave birth to the Seven Continents Club – that require further traveling, training and money spending. And let’s just not get into the (crazy) world of Ultramarathons.

Something similar happens with open water swimmers, who are increasingly keen to face seas, rivers and lakes around the world. Marathon swimming is said of any race of at least 10 km (Olympic distance) and generally following English Channel rules (trunks, goggles and cap). We also have our ultimate trophy, the Triple Crown, comprised of the English Channel, Catalina Channel and Manhattan Island swims; with the difference that there is no fancy medal here, and it is an even more elitist club, with barely 142 members to date. Swimming fees are also considerably higher – and crossing the Channel can easily cost you up to $10,000.

The other major difference with running is that training open waters can be very challenging during winter. Sure, you can practice in a pool but it is a completely different ball game. For any New York resident that is relatively sane and averse to extreme water temperatures, swimming in the ocean is limited to the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, i.e. 3 months, which may not be enough when you are preparing a 48 km race. So, I have found myself becoming a “Destination Swimmer”, traveling to different parts of the Caribbean to use smaller races as practice. Haiti and St Kitts are done; Florida and Cancun are next. Enjoyable? Sure. Costly? Quite a bit.

Lastly, when you are a good swimmer and a decent runner and rider, you naturally become a triathlete. The problem is that this can boost your costs, as you start spending money on bicycles, gears and other accessories. The ultimate race for triathletes is the Ironman (3.8 km swim, 180 km ride, 42 km run) and is now offered in 40 cities around the world, including the widely known Hawaii and Lanzarote events. If you add the complexities and hard conditions of training for such race, and the elevated costs and sacrifices involved, you can understand why triathletes can resemble a sect of (highly fit) athletes.

Those lucky few to excel in these sports and considered professionals, are sponsored and can dedicate themselves fully and travel accordingly to the training program. The rest of us, amateurs, will keep aspiring to close the gap in times, by training, traveling and working full time to be able to afford it.

This article forms part of the personal blog Global Islander. Opinions expressed here are of the author and are not intended to malign or defame any individual or organization. The writer bears full and sole responsibility for any views, errors and omissions, which he would be grateful to be informed about.