Even on holiday, there’s no excuse to lay off the running training. Wherever you’re heading – beach, city break or countryside – all you have to do is find room in your bag for a pair of trainers. To help motivate you, we bring you this guide to running in five of the most popular foreign destinations for Britons. Enjoy your hols!
Spain
Nuggets of advice: mild winters and hot summers mean the off-road trails are almost always dry at any time of year. The Canary Islands, the most southerly part of the European Union, are particularly mild in winter.
List of running camps: Club La Santa (www.clublasanta.co.uk); Purple Patch Running (www.purplepatchrunning.com); Trail Run Spain (www.trailrunspain.com); Fitscape (www.fitscape.co.uk); 2:09 Events (www.209events.com).
Famous races: The Running of the Bulls (a drunken, shambolic affair at Pamplona’s San Fermin festival); Barcelona Marathon; Cursa El Corte Ingles; Madrid Marathon; San Silvestre Vallecana (annual New Year’s Eve 10k in Madrid).
Famous Spanish runners: Carlos Fermin Ruiz was the first Spaniard to win Olympic gold in the 1,500m; Fermin Cacho won gold in 1500m at the 1992 Olympics; Catalonia’s Kilian Jornet is arguably the greatest mountain runner of modern times.
Did you know? Since 1925, a total of 15 people have died while running with bulls at Pamplona’s annual San Fermin festival.
Italy
Nuggets of advice: Carb-load with the best pasta and pizza in the world.
List of running camps: Racescapes Trail Camps (www.footfeatherscamps.wordpress.com); Sports Tours International (www.sportstoursinternational.co.uk); Fitscape (www.fitscape.co.uk).
Famous races: The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (an ultramarathon run partially in Italy); The Rome Marathon.
Famous Italian runners: Stefano Baldini was the 2004 Olympic marathon winner; Gabriella Dorio won gold in the Olympic 1500m in 1984.
Did you know? At the 1908 Olympic marathon, Italy’s Dorando Pietri was cruelly disqualified after being helped by race officials. He later became a celebrity athlete.
France
Nuggets of advice: With three major mountain ranges (Alps, Pyrenees and Massif Central), there’s no shortage of stunning scenery to run in. Follow the well-signposted and extensive network of long-distance trails called grandes randonnees.
List of running camps: Tracks and Trails (http://www.tracks-and-trails.com); Tri-Topia (www.tri-topia.com); Le Sancture des Sportifs (www.sancture-sportifs.com); The Sports & Outdoor X-Training School (www.xtrainingschool.com); Embrace Sports (www.embracesports.co.uk).
Famous races: Paris Marathon; the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (an ultramarathon run partially in France).
Famous French runners: Alain Mimoun won the 1956 Olympic marathon; sprinters Christine Arron and Christophe Lemaitre.
Did you know? When Christophe Lemaitre ran the 100m at the 2010 French national championships in 9.98 seconds, he became the first Caucasian to break the 10-second barrier.
Greece
Nuggets of advice: Greece is home to the original marathon (in 490BC) when, according to legend, Greek messenger Pheidippides ran from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated. Message delivered, he promptly collapsed and died.
List of running camps: Athens Marathon (athensmarathon.com); Apostolos Greek Tours (www.runathens.com).
Famous races: The Athens Marathon; Olympus Marathon; the Spartathlon (following the route presumed originally taken by Pheidippides in 490BC).
Famous Greek runners: Spyridon Louis (first Olympic champion in marathon, 1896); massively successful ultramarathoner Yiannis Kouros.
Did you know? After Spyridon Louis won the first ever Olympic marathon, the king of Greece offered him any gift of his choice. He opted for a donkey-drawn carriage to help him with his water-carrying business.
Portugal
Nuggets of advice: Don’t forget about the Portuguese island of Madeira, which, at the same latitude as Morocco, offers great warm-weather training in winter.
List of running camps: Running With Us (www.runningwithus.com); Full Potential (www.fullpotential.co.uk); Embrace Sports (www.embracesports.co.uk); 2:09 Events (www.209events.com)
Famous races: Lisbon Marathon; Douro Valley Marathon; Fim da Europa (which ends at Europe’s westernmost point).
Famous Portuguese runners: 1984 Olympic marathon champion Carlos Lopes; 1988 Olympic marathon champion, Rosa Mota; top sprinter Francis Obikwelu.
Did you know? Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo would give Usain Bolt a run for his money. In one match, he was observed running 96 metres in under 10 seconds. And that’s on grass, in football boots, with no starting block, halfway through a match.
