When I first started racing in marathons and half marathons, I took it all very seriously. I trained hard, I ate healthy food, I cut down on drinking and late nights out in favor of bed by 9 and Gatorade and Powerbars for breakfast. That was fine when I was at home, but I found as I traveled and ran that I didn’t want to be so limited – after all, we travel so we can experience new things, not to simply bring our lives with us. On the other hand, how would I know where to find an ATM in Reykjavik? How will I hydrate enough in Dublin? How do I know how close my hotel is to the finish line? What kinds of things are there to do when I’m not running? And most important, where do I go for the post-run party?

Run Amok Tour participants train hard, we go out and hammer on the course, and then we have fun and celebrate our accomplishment. We eat local foods, drink local wine, beer, and/or liquors, and meet friends from all over the world. We swap race shirts, compare courses we’ve run, brag about our PRs, and moan about our worst races. Running is a great equalizer, a fodder for conversation, a common denominator. When we’re not meeting friends from across the globe, we’re getting to know our small group of American runners. Run Amok purposely keeps its groups smaller than 16 so that we can connect with each other and get to know everyone we’re traveling with. You’ll have an instant group of running and traveling buddies, so if you want to go out for a quick run the day before the marathon, you won’t have to find your way alone. Or if you want company when you visit the hot springs in Reykjavik or the museums in Dublin, you’ll know where to find us. Group activities are available throughout the trip – some are included in your trip, many of them are optional. Join us for drinks, dinner, dancing, touring – or spend an afternoon on your own; it’s up to you.