Autumn has always been a season of golden leaves and crisp air, but now it is also becoming the season of the racecation. A growing number of travelers are lacing up their running shoes and booking trips around marathons, fitness races, and endurance events. According to fresh data from Google and Tripadvisor, the trend is exploding, with searches for “marathon abroad” jumping a staggering 1,255% in the past year.
The phenomenon has a name, coined by industry watchers, and it is reshaping how people plan their getaways. Instead of simply sightseeing, travelers are seeking destinations where they can combine a physical challenge with cultural exploration. Europe, with its dense calendar of autumn races, is the perfect playground. In fact, 42% of the world's marathon calendar unfolds during this season, from the Berlin Marathon in September to events in Amsterdam, Budapest, Lisbon, and Munich in October.
More Than Just Marathons
It is not only traditional marathons driving the trend. HYROX, a fitness racing community that launched in 2017, has gained tens of thousands of members and now hosts events in cities as varied as Birmingham, Bordeaux, Karlsruhe, Oslo, and Valencia. These races blend running with functional fitness stations, appealing to a younger, social-media-savvy crowd. On TikTok, videos offering travel tips for international HYROX events regularly go viral, fueling the desire to race abroad.
The running boom is also visible on Strava, where new running clubs nearly quadrupled in 2025, pushing the platform past one million active groups. Worldwide participation in running-related activities jumped 59% year-on-year. Runners are no longer content to train at home; they want to race in new cities, and they are bringing their travel plans along.
Where the Searches Are Spiking
Bókun, a travel technology company, analyzed 30-day Google Trends data and found direct links between race dates and spikes in travel queries. Hamburg, which hosts a HYROX event at the end of October, saw a 500% surge in searches for “What to do for a day in Hamburg.” Lisbon was up 400%, Munich 250%, Berlin 119%, Budapest 84%, and Amsterdam 70%. These numbers tell a clear story: travelers are actively planning trips around race calendars.
This shift aligns with a broader trend in travel, where consumers are increasingly seeking immersive experiences. They want to dive into local culture, whether through sport, music, gastronomy, or other passions. A racecation is just one way to do that, but it is a powerful one. For destinations, hosting a major event can tempt visitors to extend their stay beyond the race weekend, exploring neighborhoods, trying local food, and soaking in the atmosphere.
Practical Tips for Racecationers
If you are planning your own racecation, consider booking early to secure accommodation near the start line. But if you are flexible and do not mind missing the race itself, traveling just before or after a big event can mean cheaper room rates and fewer crowds. As Samuel Jefferies at Bókun puts it, “The rise of racecations presents an exciting opportunity to attract new customers and drive bookings beyond the traditional summer peak.”
For those inspired to combine travel and fitness, the options are vast. You could pair a marathon in Lisbon with a weekend exploring the city's hills and trams, or take on a HYROX event in Hamburg and then wander the Speicherstadt district. The key is to treat the race as the centerpiece of a larger adventure, not just a stop along the way.
And if you are looking for other ways to make your autumn travels memorable, consider visiting Balmoral Castle's gardens, open for a rare five-week season, or plan a trip around one of Europe's many cultural festivals. The racecation trend is just one example of how travelers are turning their passions into journeys, and the possibilities are endless.
