Tomorrow morning is one of the biggest races in Columbus and thousands of walkers and runners will be pushing through the miles for Nationwide Children’s Hospital champion kids.  This is an amazing race in a city we love for a cause that can’t be better!  Good luck to all participants and BIG hugs to all the patient champions and their families!

Some of us live for races, run some every month and even plan vacations around them.  Others do one or two a year.  Maybe you’re even thinking about signing up for your first race ever!  Regardless of what your racing calendar looks like, sometimes its fun to try something new. Here are some ways you can find that next race (or plan out your whole racing season!)

1.Find a local race & support your community.  Businesses, run clubs, schools and even individuals plan races right in your backyard! Ask friends for favorites or use the good old internet to search for upcoming events. Great Columbus-based races and racing companies (that help host races) are M3SSports, Columbus Running Co, and Premier Races.

2. Plan a destination race.  Some may find a favorite and visit year after year, while others may chase those bucket list goals and go somewhere new.  Run for fun with a group or find a fast, flat course and hit a new PR… the options are endless!  We usually travel for half marathons and try to plan a fun weekend around the race.  We have a personal goal to “run a half marathon in half the states” & daydream by visiting sites such as Runner’s World Bucket List: 9 Destination Halfs and NY Post’s 15 Best Half Marathons in America.  This past spring we ran the rolling countryside of “America’s Prettiest Half” in Lexington, Kentucky… planning spring 2018 very soon!

3. Join forces for a good cause. Races such as the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & St Jude Memphis Marathon as well as the recent races series organized by Rocky Fork Running Club bring awareness and raise funds for a variety of causes. Really, there’s no better reason to run. #WillRunForBlingAndCharity

4. Try a virtual race.  Maybe you’re not big on 4:55AM wake-ups on a Saturday morning for a regular race start.  Or maybe you can’t find one near you that fits your schedule.  A virtual race allows you to run (or walk) on your own time, at your own pace, at a location of your choice, while still having the support of other online friends! Many have budget-friendly entry fees and several we’ve found support charities.  Here’s a quick video blurb from GoneForARun.com if you want to know more.

5. Create your own! If you have a group of friends & some bibs or medals… its considered a “race,” right?  Our September race was canceled last minute and we needed to fit one in…. so we gathered each other, made our own bling (thanks to Brokeman’s Running Co for the inspo!), ran our hearts out & took some photos at the end!

We hope you find all the races your hearts desire as you plan your next one, two, twelve!  Keep us updated on your favorites!

What races do you love?  What’s on your race bucket list? How do you choose your races?  We’d love to hear from you!