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  Up & Running has been an integral nationwide organisation for over 25 years and for three key running events in 2018, they will be partnering with leading mass participation running event organisers, Sports Tours International. This years editions of the famous multi-day Tour of Tameside, UKFast We Love Manchester 10k and UKFast City of Salford 10k will officially partner with Up & Running and the sports retailer will be on hand to share their knowledge with training hints and tips, product reviews, special offers and experiential offerings on the race days. Kevin Harmer, UK Events & Sponsorship Manager said; “Sports Tours International are delighted to be working with one of the UK’s leading running retailers. We here at Sports Tours International only work with businesses and organisations which we feel will improve our offering and add to the experiences of our participants and we firmly believe that that Up & Running fit that bill”. Jonathan Midwood, Up &

With the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon less than a month away and the 2018 Manchester Marathon less than two weeks away, the running bug is taking the U.K by storm and has started to work it’s way into the Sports Tours International office. We are used to taking runners around the world to compete in some of the world’s most iconic races and again this year some of our team are taking on a Spring marathon themselves. Similar to every runner in the U.K, this year has been particularly hard as they have been battling with the elements throughout the winter months, but spring is finally here and we hope the change in seasons brings around a change in weather so we can all start enjoying the outdoors again. Meet the Sports Tours Marathon runners  Julie… …will be running the 2018 Manchester Marathon on the 8th April 2018. The 2018 Manchester Marathon will be her 10 th marathon and she’s using it as part of her training for the 2018 Ironman Bolton, so for Julie “It’s just about get

The 3 Grand Tours of cycling are the Giro d’Italia , the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana. These amazing feats of human endurance finish in Rome, Paris and Madrid respectively. At Sports Tours International we offer excellently located 4 star hotels with the opportunity to purchase some excellent VIP access and hospitality to make these into 3 brilliant weekend city breaks. Find out more below. Rome and the finish of the Giro d’Italia The 101st edition of the Giro d’Italia has its spectacular final in Rome with a circular stage that starts and finishes in Rome. A classic and historic finale in the capital city of Italy which takes in all of Rome’s famous landmarks. Our hotel is in the heart of Rome, within easy access of all the action. You have the choice to book 2 or 3 nights at the hotel and a great addition to your weekend away will be booking some fantastic Giro d’Italia hospitality. All major tourist attractions are within walking distance from the hotel. The Roman Foru

Venice The Venice Marathon is now available with Sports Tours International. The beautiful city of Venice is the perfect running and city break destination. Read a bit more below about this fascinating, historical city. BOOK THE 2018 VENICE MARATHON NOW La Serenissima Venice is called La Serenissima, “the most serene,” and as anyone who has threaded the narrow streets and some 400 lithe footbridges over twisting canals to link pigeon-filled Piazza San Marco with the Titan– and Tintoretto-filled Accademia painting gallery or the shop-lined Rialto Bridge over the majestic Grand Canal will tell you, that nickname is absolute hogwash. What makes Venice one of the most beautiful cities in, well, the world? Let us count the ways… There’s Venice’s unique, lovely architecture (learn the secrets of Venetian symbolism in our blog on how to “read” Venice’s palaces!), its beautiful churches, and, of course, the show-stopping St. Mark’s Square. But what really makes Venice beautiful is the fa

One Week in the Sun by Roy Pearson Albir Gardens Spanish Cycle Training Camp 2018 This was my first time on the Sports Tours Training Camp. I came to this same resort two years ago for the Vuelta Espania, Spain’s major 3 week tour. We stayed at the same complex and had 3 pro teams for company. That was September 2016 and temperatures were hot. For this camp, in March 2018, I was expecting cooler temperatures. Weather was pretty perfect really. 12’c to 23’c! It was windy some days, but you are by the sea. I arrived late Saturday from Liverpool, but had food waiting for me when I reached Albir Gardens. Flying into Alicante is good with a bike, not many cyclist so no big queues waiting for your bike. Also working were Darrel & Tony, who have been coming here for the last 15 years. When asked why here, they say it works. The routes, weather, choice of cafes which they have built up contacts with over the years. The routes each day heading in a different direction. Most of the

We all know about the big sell out marque events of Marathon running; the 6 Marathon Majors. But what about running one of the many other international marathons that are on offer? We’ve asked legendary Marathon runner and Sports Tours International Ambassador Dr Ron Hill to have a look at the ‘best of the rest’; alternatives to the Abbott World Marathon Majors that you can use as alternatives to the 6 WMM events or that you can use as your main event. CLICK HERE FOR OUR OVERVIEW OF THE 6 WMM Tokyo Marathon – The first Major of the year Alternative Marathon – Malta Marathon – 24 February 2019 Ron says: ‘”One of the most enjoyable places to run a marathon, as it’s mostly downhill and a great place for a holiday!” Both the Marathon and Half Marathon routes are predominantly downhill, with the start being at 200 metres and the finish at sea level. Whereas the Half Marathon heads directly to the finish after the 1st km from the start, the Marathon deviates from this direction wit

Alongside our range of cycling and running holidays across the world, Sports Tours International also organise a wide rnage of UK running events, including the UKFast We Love Manchester 10k, The UKFast City of Salford 10k, The Alder Hey 10k, The Preston City 10k, The Tour of Tameside & more! To keep these events running, we are very fortunate to have the help of volunteers. Volunteers are as we all know ‘worth their weight in gold’ and it’s no different for us here at Sports Tours International. We are very luck that to have a core of regular volunteers who help on our events, working on areas such as Race Marshaling, Cheering Stations, Medal Presenters and much more. For 2018 we are really pleased to open up our Official Volunteer Programme again for anyone and everyone who wishes to be part of an amazing day. Being a volunteer on our races means you become part of a great team, part of a really important team, you are giving something back that the runners really do appreciate