I love combining running and travel, and one way to do so is signing up a trail running series like Xterra, that has races around the world. Featuring runs ranging from 5 kilometers to 80 kilometers Xterra races are split up by region, with each area offering three to seven races that runners can compete in to accumulate points towards series championship totals. Series champions are then awarded free entry into the national championship, which is an off-road half-marathon, held this year in Snowbasin in Utah in September.

But if you, like me, care less about competing and more about signing up for a race in order to also get to travel to a new place, just sign up for the first race in the region. I signed up for the race at Beaver Creek. The course was beyond scenic, although climbing 2,400 feet from a starting altitude of some 8,000 feet is intense. Still running with such awesome vistas, through aspen glades and along skyways and singletrack, makes it a pleasurable intense. And after you finish, there is a post race party in Beaver Creek Village at the start and end point.

The race was well organized, and I loved the camaraderie of the course. There were plenty of aid stations, not just for hydration, but also for cheering on the athletes. One of the coolest parts about doing these races is they are good motivators to push yourself beyond your usual limits as you’ll be running with others at a faster pace. It’s also always fun seeing the Xterra sponsored athletes rocking it, but if you like me, are just getting back into shape post baby, you won’t feel overwhelmed as all abilities are catered too.  

Xterra trail runs have also gone global, so if you want to do some trips that require a passport to run, you can check out schedules for trail runs in locations fro Costa Rica to Brazil, the Philippines to New Zealand. And at the end of the year, international race participants can unite in Oahu, Hawaii for the Xterra Trail Run World Championship, which is a race on my bucket list for sure.