I ran a marathon while on holiday, here's why everyone's doing it

Pairing travel with an athletic challenge is a winning strategy, especially in a landscape this beautiful.

About the time my friends decided to open a bottle of Otago’s finest pinot noir was when I realised it might not have been the smartest move to combine a holiday with a gruelling athletic event. 

It seemed a good idea when I signed up for the Motatapu Marathon, an annual event that takes cyclists, runners, ultra-trail competitors and walkers through some of New Zealand’s most exquisite scenery between Wanaka and Arrowtown.

“Come along,” I said to my partner. “We’ll plan a holiday around it.”

He was all for it. Of course, he was. As he and our Queenstown mates necked their pinot I fretted about whether a survival blanket was the same as a survival bag. I’d bought the former. Apparently, I needed the latter – and the latest email from organisers warned of spot checks.

Dovetailing athletic challenges with a travel experience is one of the major new trends in travel, according to Accor’s 2025 Travel Trend Report. The opportunity to take part in global sporting events or link a favourite sport with a cultural experience or picturesque location not only combines two pleasures but allows you to gorge on local treats after burning the calories.

The biggest challenge – apart from finishing your event – is working out how to time competition days with the rest of your holiday. Knock it off as soon as you land and you risk jet lag and lost luggage but leave it to the end and you’ll be obsessed with injury prevention and pinot avoidance the whole time you’re away.

I timed my marathon for the middle of our two-week jaunt around the midsection of New Zealand’s South Island. Picture: Angela Mollard.

I timed my marathon for the middle of our two-week jaunt around the midsection of New Zealand’s South Island. Gentle activities for the first week, then rock scrambles, hikes and helicopter flights in the second.

Well, that was the idea. Stunning Lake Tekapo offered a perfect amble around the lake, past The Church of the Good Shepherd, and then an equally low-risk visit to the Dark Sky Project, where an indoor astronomy tour combined tatai aroraki (Maori astronomy) and science with multimedia installations.

But my plans were smashed when the following morning dawned bright and clear. We’d intended to drive to Mount Cook (Aoraki) to glimpse New Zealand’s tallest mountain, Sir Edmund Hillary’s training ground before he attempted Mount Everest. But once there we knew we might never get the chance to walk the Hooker Valley Track in such ideal conditions again. Was it worth risking a sprained ankle just two days out from the marathon?

The last 8km were hell but Sally had wisely booked us into the Onsen Hot Pools overlooking the Shotover River canyon as a reward for our efforts. Picture: Angela Mollard.

Turns out the 10km return trip, crossing three swing bridges, was just what was needed to get the mind focused on foot placement, pace and the liquid replenishment that’s necessary during an athletic challenge. Not only did we enjoy bluebird views of the mountain but rounded a corner to see an iceberg floating on the lake.

The day of the 42km marathon dawned cool and cloudy with no prospect of rain. My friend Sally had flown in to compete with me and as we clocked up the kilometres through the gorgeous highland country, we marvelled at how motivating it was to pair an event like ours with a holiday. It felt like we were participants in the landscape, not just observers.

That said, the last 8km were hell but Sally had wisely booked us into the Onsen Hot Pools overlooking the Shotover River canyon as a reward for our efforts. As we gazed out over the countryside, muscles aching but smiles wide, I finally got to tuck into a glass of pinot.

Originally published as I ran a marathon while on holiday, here's why everyone's doing it