Want to really get to know a city? Run a race through it

At 5am outside Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the sky was the colour of ink, the air heavy, like an extra layer of clothing. Runners shifted in place like ghosts — headlamps bobbing, race bibs damp — ahead of the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon. Somewhere in the darkness were the ancient temples I’d come to see.I still remember how my shoes sounded on the packed red dirt as dawn lifted shadows off the stones to reveal intricate carvings.But I also remember the exhaustion and the heat. I’d crammed too much into the day before, motorcycling past rural rice paddies and eating fried bananas on Pub Street.Since 2014, the first time I’d centred travel around a race, I’ve learned a lot. Here are some tips on how best to plan a trip around a race.CHOOSE A RACE REFLECTING THE CITY’S HEART When choosing a race, look for routes that showcase a destination's character, from its scenic landscapes to its vibrant neighbourhoods. (Photo: iStock) There are advantages to running close to home: You know how to get to the start, where to find friends along the course and how to make a quick exit afterward. But there’s also a thrill in running through a place you’re just discovering.Pick a destination you’d love to visit. Websites like RunSignup, World’s Marathons and Half Marathon Guide have detailed race descriptions with search filters for various distances, including 5K and 10K. Look for routes passing through different neighbourhoods, not endless loops in a park or on a highway. Read reviews on sites like RaceRaves or Racecheck for notes on scenery, crowd support and terrain — which can all change how a race feels.PLAN AHEAD SO RACE DAY FEELS EASYOnce you’ve registered, lock in the practical: your transportation, hotel and pre-race dinner reservation.If you can, aim for guaranteed overhead bin space on your flight to keep close your trusty shoes, socks, fuel and other essentials. After all, the adage is “nothing new on race day.” Pack a backup outfit and hat and consider compression socks for the flight.Staying close to the start — within a 15-minute walk or a short transit ride — eases race morning stress; street closures make relying on a vehicle unreliable. Look for in-room, runner-friendly basics: a bathtub for an Epsom salt soak, and a coffee maker and a minifridge for race-morning energy. Request late checkout in case you’re moving slowly the next day.For international races, I aim to arrive two days beforehand to get my bib at the expo and adjust to the time change. I’ve also found rest matters more two nights before rather than on race eve, when sleep can feel elusive.BUILD YOUR SUPPORT CREW INTO THE TRIP Having friends and family cheer you on along the race route can make the experience even more memorable. (Photo: iStock) Before the Boston Marathon, my father and I studied the course map for the best place for him to cheer. Google Street View helped me choose Mile 10: an easy-to-spot church he could walk to from the train without crossing the course. I found him right away. He’d made friends in the crowd, and they were screaming my name like they’d known me forever.Unjin Lee, 46, a film producer from Manhattan who has done several international races, said her runner friends were her supporters. “It makes me feel safe knowing a friend is somewhere up ahead and another somewhere behind — always someone looking out for you, and someone you’re looking out for,” she said.MAKE SURE RACE DAY IS ALL ABOUT THE RACEAfter the race, your body might want to celebrate, or it might want to nap — and you most likely won’t know until then.After running a London half marathon, Lee said, she went straight to a soccer match. By halftime, she needed to return to her hotel. Her advice? “Build in downtime, and stay somewhere close.”THE BEST RACE TRIPS DON’T FEEL LIKE RACE TRIPSTheodora Yardley, a 60-year-old biotech executive whose husband is a New York Times editor, takes breaks to plan trips with the US chapter of Women Running the World. She doesn’t even bother with her home city (now New York).Her most memorable trips, she said, let her experience the spirit of a place, like the sweeping vista of China’s Great Wall or the unexpected energy of crowds cheering in Hannover, Germany.“Every destination has a flavour,” she said, “and you want to taste it.”During a half marathon in Portland, Maine, a friend and I had just panted uphill before we were rewarded with a view. The water sparkled like crushed glass, the air smelled faintly of salt and pine, the houses looked lifted from postcards.Crossing the finish line, we dissolved into the neighbourhood, the highs from the race breaking down our typical tourist armour. We stumbled into a bar pool tournament. And there was a potluck, a small miracle to two runners still in race shirts, starving and sunburned. My friend even ventured onstage for karaoke, a roomful of strangers now friends.“Vacation” quietly turned into something closer to a quest. It’s made me realise that I don’t feel like I’ve really visited a place — unless I’ve run it.By Amisha Padnani © The New York Times.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.