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From inspirational online fundraising efforts, to the incredible efforts of key workers and the NHS; this year we, at Sports Tours International, have been blown away by the way people have pulled together, and the wonderful things people have done to help each other through 2020. It has been a strange and remarkable year. But we also know…  That there will be hundreds of unsung heroes all over the UK. We want to celebrate their efforts! We’ve set up Holidays Fit for Heroes   to say thank   you the everyday heroes of 2020! We’re going to send a Key worker, volunteer, or all round local hero a Christmas present that they’ve really earnt this year! We want to say thank you. But, to do that, we need your help.   What better way to say thank you to the hero in your life, then by sending them off on the holiday of their dreams? If you know a key worke r  o r  volunteer, who you think would love  £ 1,000 worth of vouchers to spend on a holiday with ...

It has been an extremely challenging period for the travel industry. The situation for the Sports Tours International Group of companies has been no exception to this. As a sports tour operator that specialises in providing travel packages to people taking in international sports events, it’s clear to see how the mass cancellation of events has had an impact us. Throughout this difficult period we are proud to say that we have continued to look after our customers. For us it all started in March. Our spring cycling training camp in Spain just managed to take place but our first main events to be cancelled were Strade Bianche Gran Fondo and the Tokyo Marathon. It took us a couple of weeks to get used to this new situation and to formulate our strategy on how we were going to deal with refunds but we haven’t looked back since. Since then nearly every event has been cancelled. We had a few rays of light with a number of Pro cycling events still taking place like the Tour de France, the G...

Two of Europe’s biggest running events will return to the ‘City of Lights’ next year, with NEW DATES announced for both the Paris Marathon (now due to be held on October 17th ) and the Paris Half Marathon (rearranged for 5th September ). Both of these events are exceptionally popular, year on year, and, with high numbers of roll over entries, and race deferrals from 2020, we expect demand for 2021 to be high. These events are both on sale NOW! Book fast to avoid disappointment. The Paris Marathon  Course Records  Men: 2:05:04 (2014)  Kenenisa Bekele – Ethiopia Women: 2:20:55 (2017) –  Purity Cherotich – Kenya The first marathon in Paris, the Tour de Paris Marathon, took place way back in 1896. It was held on a 25 mile course, and just 191 runners participated. The Marathon, as we know it today, was established in 1976. The route begins along the Champs-Élysées, before heading southeast, through the city to the Bois de Vincennes. It then h...

2020 has been at times a strange and frightening year. It feels as though the global COVID – 19 pandemic has turned the whole world upside down. Almost every aspect of our day to day lives have transformed. From the closure of bars and restaurants, to working from home, and not being able to see or hug some of our nearest and dearest, this has been an endlessly challenging few months. Yet, throughout it all, some people kept us all going.  From teachers to postal workers; doctors, nurses, and everyone in the incredible NHS; people in our communities, going above and beyond, to bring people together, regardless of how distant we had started to feel. Over the summer, you showed your gratitude cheering and banging on pots and pans every Thursday night. But, we know there are thousands of  people across the UK that are still unsung heroes. People who  have done, and are continuing to do, incredible things to help others, and we want to celebrate that!    Here at Spo...

Sports Tours International are the biggest Marmotte Gran Fondo Alps Tour Operator. We’ve been supporting our riders to take on this epic event for years. We of course provide guaranteed entries with a choice of start pen and 3 and 4 star hotels in Alpe d’Huez. We look after everything from overland bike transport from the UK and Ireland to airport transfers, mechanical support, bike rental, massages, private feed stations and much more. For the 40th edition of the grand daddy of Gran Fondos, 500 lucky riders have a fantastic opportunity. The challenge that is the Marmotte, has just become even tougher as in June 2021, you can ride the brand new Marmotte Ultra Fondo. The ‘standard’ Marmotte distance is 177km with 5000 metres of climbing. This ultra format gives you 225 km with 6300 metres of climbing and a double ascent of Alpe d’Huez to finish the day. You can’t do a challenge like this without proper support. That’s why you should book with Sports Tours International. We offer bike ...

FINAL PLACES REMAINING > BOOK NOW SO YOU DON’T MISS OUT Pre-registrations for the 23km, 42km and 90km of Mont-Blanc are now closed. These distances were vastly oversubscribed so a lottery had to take place. The draw has now taken place and pre-registered runners will receive an email informing them of the results from Thursday 12 November at 4 p.m. If you were not among the lucky few but you’d still like to take part then you can still run with us in 2021. Sports Tours International is proud to be an official tour operator of the 2021 Marathon du Mont Blanc which takes place on Sunday the 27th of June 2021. The weekend will consist of five events that include a 90km Ultra Trail and a Vertical KM on Friday (27th), a 10km and Cross 23km on Saturday (28th), before finishing with the Mont Blanc Marathon on the Sunday. We kick-off our awesome weekend itinerary on the 28th of June, with a Mont Blanc ultra 90km, starting from the lively centre of Chamonix. The locals will be cheerin...

In any sport there are records. Ground breaking, landmark times or distances that were once considered impossible to beat. The world of running has been watching records fall and boundaries being broken for decades. From Roger Bannister’s 4 minute mile in 1965, to Eliud Kipchoge’s Inneos 1:59 Challenge just 1 year ago. Record breaking runs like this inspire us. Give us the motivation to keep training and striving to improve. Make us want to get out there, and pit ourselves against the fastest courses in the world…. And, just in case you want to do exactly that, here’s our list of the current World Record Breaking Courses! 1. Women’s Half Marathon – Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon  (United Arab Emirates)  Record Time: 1:04:31 by Ababel Yeshaneh ( February  21,  2020)  Previous Record: 1:04:51, by Joyciline Jepkosgei (Valencia, October 22,  2017) This relatively new race, established in 2007, has already gained a reputation as a Wo...