Out of thousands of miles logged — and dozens of running shoes worn down and replaced — there are a few runs that are truly special and that stick with you.

I’ve traveled a lot and running has afforded me the chance to experience different places from a runner’s vantage point. Some places are best described as idyllic and serene, others as buzzing and vivid, yet others are… well… less serene — but still spectacular in their own right!

Beyond location, it is the people you run with: Family, friends & fellow runners on the trail that make for memorable runs, adding to the stock of life experiences you don’t want to miss out on.

Lastly, there are runs and races that are odd, offbeat and quirky. They unfold in ways entirely unforeseen and make for good or funny stories at a later point, or serve as a lesson for the future.

Places

Going for a run to explore a new place is amazing:

If you visit cities, you get to breathe in the unique rhythm that makes a city move and have a chance to see people follow their early morning routines as they set out to go about their day’s work;

Out in the countryside, you get to experience solitude and serenity on a trail shared between just you and a few hares while waves crash against rugged cliffs — or you run with birds of prey gliding through the sky during sun set.

Whether cityscape or land, running allows you to see the many small and often glorious things that make each place special in their own way. To name just a few of the places I have had the chance to visit and explore:

Abuja — Annapolis — Apia — Berlin — Bogotá — Brighton — Cape Town — Copenhagen — Covington — DC — Denver — Dresden — Grado —  Hamburg — Hannover —  Jakarta — Key West — Kilifi — Kriftel — Kuala Lumpur — Istanbul — Mannheim — Morogoro — Nienburg — Oak Island — Oxford — Paris — Qatar — Quito — Rehoboth Beach — Richmond — Ritterhude — Rovinj — Sagres — Schladming — Sevilla — Tallinn — Tirana — Trieste — Tunis — Ulaanbaatar — Vienna — Vilnius — Walsrode — Winter Garden — Yerevan, and many more!

Running in Bliss

People

Other memorable runs have to do with the people you share the road with, whether during a base run, at a race or when hanging out over a coffee or beer after a joint run.

I wouldn’t want to miss a single one of the countless base runs I have completed in DC, packing the kids into our Thule Running Stroller (really a bike trailer), putting on running music and jogging down MBT, past the REI, past the Capitol, down the Mall, up 14th Street, past Garrison and back home. Spectacular — time and time again!

Another treasured memory is running with my brother on trails around Balderschwang, in Tegernsee, the always-vibrant Capitol Hill Classic, or in our hometown. With Eike I ran in Vienna, in DC and all over Peru many years ago; With Jason I ran in Nairobi, Kilifi, and DC; with Klonkie in Mannheim and just recently in Vienna; with Michael around Hains Point in what feels was a different era; with Falk and Immanuel in Richmond, with Timo in Soltau some 35 years ago — and soon again in Hannover! Early on, I happily tagged along when my parents went out for a quick run!

In addition, it’s been absolutely delightful to find family and friends rooting for me along the race course or at the finish line: Giving high-fives to fellow runners, holding up signs or the kids joining me during the last few strides to jointly cross the finish line: there is nothing better! Thank you all for making running such a joyful experience.

Offbeat & Quirky Runs

Last but not least, there are odd, offbeat and quirky runs where things go unplanned.

A 5k turning into a Half Marathon unexpectedly; A three-part reconnaissance run across the District to check out venues to host a birthday party; Returning home realizing that a 30-minute run was long enough to miss the firefighters come to your home on Christmas Day; Running as the only human in heavy snow at 3am past the Capitol and the White House; Going for a third run on the same day to try to win a steps challenge. Running the MCM 10k with the entire field slowing down to a careful slide & crawl across Arlington Memorial Bridge because of black ice; Running a half-marathon with Alawi in Bogota at 2,640m altitude to explore the city; Leaning into 55 km/h wind gusts that (almost) topple you over during the Istanbul marathon; Realizing the wonders of the human body when running a sub-2 half marathon after 5 days of fasting.

Runs to remember!