Take a vacation, run a marathon

By RON STATON

updated 2:48 p.m. ET May 30, 2006

HONOLULU - Boston, the most prestigious of America's marathons, has its "brutal" Heartbreak Hill, but Bostonians "come out in droves" to cheer you on. The New York Marathon, the world's largest with more than 34,000 finishers, is - like the city itself - "larger than life."

And you can be hugged by Winnie the Pooh at the Walt Disney World Marathon, or by - what else? - a pig with wings at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati.

These are the observations of Elise Allen in her new guide for people whose idea of a vacation is to watch or run a marathon, "The Traveling Marathoner" (Fodor's, $19.95). The book has chapters on 12 marathons around the country, one for each month, from the Disney race in Orlando, Fla., in January, to the Honolulu Marathon in December.

Allen selected the "most outstanding race" for each month, and admits that's a bit subjective. But she said her choices represent "a solid mix of marathon types and locales."

"If I was not impressed with the race, I didn't put it in the book," she said in an interview in Honolulu during a promotional tour. "I didn't want to include races I can't stand behind."

She says she tried to describe the pros and cons of each race honestly.

"I tell people the Deseret News Marathon (in Salt Lake City) is very challenging and not for beginners," she said. The run drops 3,200 feet from start to finish, which can be hard on the knees.

She also says the Los Angeles race "has its flaws," which might be why elite runners bypass it.

"But the Los Angeles Marathon isn't made for the elites. It's made for the pack," wrote Allen, herself a back-of-the-packer.

Allen ran her first marathon in Chicago in 2000, and finished her seventh in her hometown Los Angeles race in March. She plans to run three more marathons this year, saying "I'm an addict. I can't get enough of it."

But planning trips to marathons wasn't as easy as expected, said Allen, 34, a writer for television shows who lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their 18-month-old daughter. "I found information on the city and the marathon, but nothing that put it all together," she said. "This is the guide book I've always wanted," a book that would help readers make the marathon the centerpiece of a vacation that also includes sightseeing and dining out.

The 358-page guide, in addition to general descriptions of the races, provides details to how and where to register, the pre-race exposition and race course, and how to get to the city and get around. Allen also suggests places to stay and eat, nightclubs, sightseeing and other activities. The book includes are maps of the city and the race course, and a human interest profile in each chapter called "Anyone can run a marathon."

"The human interest is what it's all about for me," Allen said. Her Honolulu profile features Glady Burrill, who completed her first marathon in 2004 at age 86. The resident of Prospect, Ore., who keeps a condo in Waikiki, returned to Honolulu last December and cut 14 minutes off her time with a finish of 8 hours, 55 minutes and 39 seconds.

For those who'd rather watch the races than run them, listings also include the best places to stand and the best places to have breakfast while waiting for the runners to return to the finish line.

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