Coast to Coast Vacations Afoot in Costa Rica
If there’s one thing that vacationers, honeymooners and adventure enthusiasts agree upon about Costa Rica, it’s that the unspoiled natural environment and the country’s commitment to preserving it make for a memorable experience. The many running and biking trails and events for endurance runners also provide ample opportunities to take in all that there is to see about Costa Rica while getting plenty of exercise, and a race or other trail adventure will leave you feeling like a participant in something truly special. If you’ve never made a vacation out of running – or if you have, but Costa Rica’s still on your bucket list – one of the following trail running events would be a great reason to make it happen in 2014.
The Irazu Volcano 5k, 10k, 21k half-marathon and 42k marathon will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2014. Registration is 185 USD for international participants and 50 USD for locals. The marathon start time is 7 a.m., and all other races begin at 6 p.m. The marathon begins in the town of Tres Rios, just a few miles from the volcano, and the night races take off from San Juan de Chicua, a small town along the Irazu Volcano Trail where all of the races will finish. This is not for the faint of heart. It’s a run uphill toward a volcano, and the race features a gain in altitude of up to 2,360 meters, or 7,800 feet. Most of these races will be relatively easy for someone with a decent mileage base to train for, but a training plan should include lots of hill repeats.
The La Transtica Coast-to-Coast Ultra Trail event will take place from Wednesday, Nov. 19 through Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014. Participants arrive in the capital city of San Jose on Nov. 19 for a couple of days of medical and administrative checks, as well as a chance to look at the crocodiles. Runners head out on Nov. 21 to complete the race. It’s approximately 117k for the adventure race and 198k for the extreme race, in stages of 25k and 40k respectively. It’s a good idea even for experienced trail runners and ultra-marathoners to begin training several months out. Each leg of the race will have between two and four aid stations, and a catered dinner in the town where that stage ends. Runners will go through several towns before finishing in La Transtica for the award ceremony and a well-deserved celebration dinner and overnight hotel stay before being transported back to San Jose.
Costa Rica is the perfect place for runners of all ability levels to explore new surroundings while experiencing a natural environment that’s unlike any other in the world. For the running destination vacation of a lifetime, contact us to book your Costa Rica adventure tour today.

Check out more photos from La Ruta here….