2017 Travel Plans and Marathons
It’s time to tear open a fresh 2017 calendar to plan another year of travel. I’m currently polishing off my first trip (and marathon) of the year and I’m looking forward to my next trip in March. I’m not sure if/when I’ll have time for another trip this year so the rest are speculative at this point.
Dubai Marathon (January 20, 2017)
I just finished the 2017 Dubai Marathon a few days ago. This was my eighth marathon and first race in the middle east. I flew BOS-DXB-BKK-DXB-IAD in Emirates business class with my first leg on the old 777 and the rest on the a380. I spent my time in Thailand trekking around Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai and had 5 days in Dubai to run and explore parts of the city.
Singapore Marathon (March 25, 2017)
I’m registered for the 2017 Singapore Marathon and have booked Cathay business class JFK-HKG-SIN and EVA business class for my return. I’m visiting Singapore and Taiwan on this trip. I’ve never been to either country and Singapore will be my 9th marathon. I’m really looking forward to Taiwan.
Rwanda Marathon (May 21, 2017)
I really want to run this race and visit Rwanda. It’s been a dream of mine to visit one of the four persistent lava lake volcanoes on earth and one of them is in western Rwanda. I also want to see the silverback mountain gorillas (our closest relative) in their natural habitat. There are some pretty serious safety concerns so I’m not sure if this will be possible. Brussels or Ethiopian Airlines will be my transport of choice.
Gold Coast Marathon (July 2, 2016)
I’ve had my eye on this marathon for a few years now. Australia is close to New Zealand which is really high on my list. I’d love to combine New Zealand and Australia in a single trip but I’m not sure I have the time to do both. My favorite chef is based in Melbourne and the gold coast seems quaint.
Cape Town Marathon (September 17, 2017)
I want to start ticking off continents and I really think Africa would be a great experience. I know South Africa isn’t very representative of Africa but this race date lines up perfectly for me and South Africa doesn’t have as many security concerns. Taking a look at business class configurations:
Emirates is all 777 angled lie flat
KLM is 2-3-2
Air France 1-2-1 fully flat!
LH a340 2-2-2
Turkish is 2-2-2
Qatar is 2-2-2
Air France also flies an a380 out of IAD which, combined with the 1-2-1 fully flat, make this an easy decision.