Contact us for story ideas about inspirational people accomplishing tremendous feats in fascinating destinations.
SCC Member David Klein completed the Abbott World Marathon series and received his Six Star Finisher Medal. This month (August 2018) he completed his seventh continent checking off Africa at the Amazing Maasai Marathon (Kenya) with his two sons Jonathan and Christopher by his side (their first marathon) and his wife Song cheering for all. Not only is he a committed runner, but also has a passion for flying and is a pilot with the Tiger Squadron doing amazing formations in the air. Read More
Marathon runners are known for their casual brags about race times and courses. If you want to win every conversation, though, you should run a marathon on Antarctica. You read that right—you can actually run a marathon on Antarctica, and so many people are crazy enough to do it that the event sells out three years in advance. Thom Gilligan started the Antarctica Marathon & Half-Marathon in 1995, then went on to found the Seven Continents Club to celebrate the first four runners who completed a marathon on every continent. You can leave your crampons behind—the course is entirely made of dirt roads, and it starts and finishes outside the Russian base on Antarctica. Runners must be hardy—they will have to be self-sufficient and “cannot expect any access to indoor facilities.” (So no Gatorade rest stations then?)Read More
The AIMS Green Award recognised the significant achievement of the Cape Town Marathon achieving carbon neutral status through offsetting its emissions, the only marathon in the world to have achieved such distinction. This important climate change mitigation action, as well as achieving zero waste to landfill swayed the judges in Cape Town’s favour in a closely contested competition. Gold status is conferred on a limited number of global marathons each year and places Cape Town Marathon on the same platform as the great city marathons of the world. Participation of gold-status athletes, a suitable spread of competing countries at elite level and various other technical and media criteria determine the award of status.Read More
With some smart planning, runners can recoup some or all of their costs in the event they can't make the trip. This informative article provides some great tips of what to do. Read More
“Marathon Tours & Travel is proud to be hosting runners and their supporters for the 37th year in a row at this weekend’s Virgin Money London Marathon,” stated Thom Gilligan, Founder and CEO. “Now one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, the London Marathon was first held in 1981 and Marathon Tours & Travel has been supporting the race since 1982. Included in this year’s group of clients are 60 runners hoping to complete their final Abbott World Marathon Major and collect the coveted Six Star Finisher Medal.”Read More
For runners, one of the most storied—and feared—stretches is Heartbreak Hill, 20 miles into the Boston Marathon. The 90-foot elevation gain over one-third of a mile would be a painful climb in any marathon, but here it’s compounded because it occurs at the distance where many runners hit the proverbial wall.Read More
"As a child I dreamed about exploring foreign places," says Thom Gilligan. Born in a Boston suburb the Marathon became "engrained in my DNA". He combined wanderlust with the marathon urge by forming Marathon Tours Inc and helped give shape to distance running as we know it today. Read more
Cindy Bishop is a Seven Continents Club Finisher and was one of the first American woman (along side with her running buddy Sheri Bush) to complete the Six World Marathon Majors in 2013! Read about her fascinating journey to Antarctica to complete her quest for a marathon on all seven continents. Read More
Marathon Tours & Travel is thrilled to have been involved with Chris Santella's most recent book: Fifty Places to RUN Before You Die. This is one all runners need to check-out! Among the fifty destinations featured include Marathon Tours & Travel signature races: the Antarctica Marathon & Half-Marathon and the Madagascar Marathon & Half-Marathon. MTT contributors included Thom Gilligan (Forward and Madagascar), Jacqui Kaufman (Amazing Maasai) and Karen Hoch (Marabana). Read more
