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From marathons in Amsterdam to HYROX in Hamburg, autumn is shaping up to be the season of the “race-cation”.
Google searches for “marathon abroad” have soared by some 1,255% in the past year, as runners increasingly combine race day with a quick city break – and new data suggests they’re already planning what to do once they cross the finish line.
Findings from Bókun, a Tripadvisor-owned company, have revealed that searches for overseas marathons have hit an all-time high in 2026, and it’s perfect timing, as research shows that a quarter of marathons globally take place in October.
Now, searches for 24-hour itineraries in marathon cities have surged by up to 500%, leading travel experts to predict that race-cations could drive trip bookings well beyond the summer peak.
But what is a race-cation?
Another trend in the world of travel, it’s popular with people interested in health and fitness who want to combine the challenge of a major race with visiting a new and exciting destination.
Here’s everything you need to know about the trend – and how to do it yourself.
Marathons spark growing interest in whirlwind city breaks
In addition to Bókun looking at Google search data and drawing insights from the trends observed over the past five years, it also examined social media trends.
On platforms like TikTok, videos focusing on the likes of “the best locations to do a Hyrox in” and “marathon holiday itineraries” can gain thousands of views, which highlights the growing appeal of combining fitness events with travel experiences.
While marathons are typically year-round events, 42% of them take place in the autumn, with October alone playing host to 23% of all events.
Some of the top European sporting events this autumn include HYROX Rome and Berlin marathon in September, as well as the Amsterdam, Munich, Lisbon and Budapest marathons and HYROX Valencia in October. HYROX Hamburg runs from 28 October to 1 November.
With those dates in mind, Bókun analysed Google Trends data from the past 30 days for searches relating to 24-hour trips to cities hosting major marathons and fitness events coming this autumn.
It found that interest in 24-hour city break queries has increased across almost every destination ahead of these events.
Hamburg saw the most traction, with a 500% surge in Google searches for “what to do in Hamburg” in the last month.
Searches for “what to do in Lisbon for a day” increased by 400%, while “what to do in Munich for a day” rose by 250%.
There was also a 119% increase in people googling what to do in Berlin for a day, “24 hours in Budapest” was up by 84%, and tips for a day-long trip to Amsterdam rose by 70%, all over the course of the last month.
Race-cations also seem to be tapping into another travel trend: micro-adventures.
While sporting events do play a part in search demand for 24-hour trips to European cities this autumn, the increase also highlights the wider trend of micro-cations, or short getaways where travellers can maximise their experience of a destination within a limited time and, often, immerse themselves in a city for just 24 hours.
For marathoners and micro-cationers alike, guided tours and organised experiences are a decent way to get to know a destination and soak up the local culture.
Bókun’s research also showed that search demand for day tours and experiences across different European cities has surged in the past year.
Searches for “Budapest day tours” have increased by more than 400%, while search demand for “Amsterdam day tours” has increased by more than 100% and searches for “day tours in Lisbon” have increased by more than 70% in the past 12 months.
It’s not just seeing the sights that matters to these travellers.
Searches for “Lisbon cooking class” were up by a significant 488%, and “Rome food tour” searches increased by 94%, too.
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