of Marrakech is a tick-list destination among experience-hungry globe-trotters, and the highlight of its running calendar perfectly combines an exotic encounter with a simple road race.Thousands of runners - whose nationalities are as diverse as their abilities

in association with Sports Tours International too. EuropeJanuaryEgmond Half-Marathon (Netherlands) Race Website | RW PreviewVila de Santa Pola Half-Marathon (Spain) Race Website | RW PreviewFebruaryCinque Mulini (Italy) Race Website | RW ReviewApeldoorn Marathon

of the course the day before the race. California International MarathonWhen: December Where: Sacramento, California Who: 5,000 runners Why: To run really fast Info: runcim.orgThe California International Marathon is one of the fastest courses

of congestion. But these minor caveats aside, this is quite simply a must-run race.Find out more at nycmarathon.org or visit 209events.com for all-inclusive NYC Marathon trips, which offer guaranteed entry to the race.GET THERE Virgin Atlantic (virginatlantic

, the race still had a lot to offer and, while it wasn't always easy to see five metres in front of your face, it was easy to see why LA had attracted nearly 30,000 runners from 21 countries to run its version of 26.2.For a start, the idea of testing your

in an obituary, so I settled in behind the dust cloud and jogged my way through the next two miles. As excuses go for a poor race performance, a bunch of cowboys is certainly different, but then the same is true about running in Cuba. It's a colourful

distance options for race-hungry punters of all abilities, including the full 26.2, a 30K, a half and a 3.5K fun run – and nearly 13,000 runners from 50 different countries converged on the city to take them on. Just a two-and- a-half-hour flight away

Ever wondered how much carbohydrate those lean, mean elite athletes eat the night before a race? Think of a decent-sized portion of pasta, double it, add rice, then a bread roll and you're just about there. Staying in the same Lisbon hotel

Sun lounger to 45 degrees: check; footballer's autobiography in hand: check; delicious cocktail in the other: check. Now, this is what I call a taper. This is not the kind of pre-race wind-down I'm used to – even as a staff member on the good ship

of the above races: 2:09 Events 0870 3500 209; Sports Tours International 0161-703 8161; Nirvana 01670 859300.If you’re travelling independently, you’ll find that most event organisers speak English, although it is easier to contact them in writing via e