A Love Affair

By Hae Bolduc 

Travel -definition-: “The only thing you can buy that makes you richer.” I may be extremely wealthy with this definition, however, there is one additional purchase that makes me one of the richest person – travel plus races, aka destination races.  

Destination racing sounds so romantic; yes that is half-true. The other half-truth is the work that goes into it. Planning out a year or two in advance for some major races, and working out the logistics, flights, lodging, food, life, and training schedule all must come together for successful destination races. I am a firm believer that I must do the work to enjoy a glimpse of the accomplishment & richness.

My open, unsecretive love affair with destination races has given me three, very important life lessons: 

1. Honesty- Races teaches me “honesty!” If I want to be called a runner, I must be brutally honest. I can’t pretend I am faster than what my Garmin watch is telling me. I don’t judge anyone by race, age, religion, or gender … I only look at, and respect, people’s race times. 
2. Knowledge: Traveling is the best teacher, it’s better than classrooms. Destination races are all about learning. Learning about what my body is capable of—how to train without injuries, nutrition, strength training, sleep, rest, and the mental aspects of life. Learning the culture, history, people, language, and unique lifestyle. If I stop running, I stop learning. 
3. Destination Races are a Great Return on Investment -it’s inflation-proof. You don’t have to wait 5-10 years to see return on investment.  The knowledge you gain, the people you meet, the memories you keep, and discovering who truly you are leading me to interesting adventures and opportunities. It boosts confidence (just like public speaking), discover problem solving skills.

Craig, my husband and coach, and I have a goal to run a marathon or half marathon in every state, yes those who are challenged with numbers, It’s total – 50 states. What a great way to explore America the beautiful. Plus, we have a goal to run all six major marathons – Boston, NYC, Chicago, Berlin, London, and Tokyo Marathons. And we plan to run a marathon on every continent. For those who are geographically challenged, total, seven continents. We are five of seven. We are already super-rich. 

The latest destination races are Berlin and London Marathons. Within 7 days, I ran two major marathons. After running the Berlin Marathon, we flight out to Ireland, toured Dublin. And came back to England, run the London Marathon. Then we hopped over to Iceland for 7 days before getting on to 8 hours of flight to Denver. 

People asked me which place I would like to go back to, and I reply, “I love them all, but there is too much more to explore.” Travel –: “The only thing you can buy that makes you richer.”