Posts filed under "places to run"

Places to Run in Morocco: The Palmeraie Marrakech

  I started this series of posts a few weeks ago describing several great places to run in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Now, I return to the topic of the best places to run with the Palmeraie of Marrakech. I do not know the formal name to this part of the city but when ever I talk about it people know exactly where i am talking about.

Name: The Palmeraie in Marrakech 

Location: on the right while driving North out of the city on the N9 before your get to the stadium

Points of Interest:

  • The view over the golf course is spectacular
  • There are bunches of camels along the side of the road
  • Not a lot of traffic and exhaust 
  • Nice and flat (good for a speed workout)

  The Palmeraie is one of the beautiful resort areas in Marrakech. I have never stayed in any of the many hotels in the area due to their prices but from the outside they look very nice. There is also a nice golf course that the hotels overlook. I would not recommend running on the course due to the nice security men that politely ask people to stay off the course. 

Golf course

Nice security man preparing to do His work

  I discovered this part of the city while running the Marrakech Marathon back in January, around mile nineteen, and I was glad a did. On the few runs I have done since the marathon I have ran here twice. There has not been a time I've been on the street and not seen people out running in the area. That is always a good sign. 

  You can really divide the road into two parts. The first, is the section where the golf course and all the really big resorts (Holiday Inn, and the Golf Palace and Spa, to name a couple) are located. This part has wide sidewalks and and the road is really well kept. 

Hotel Entrance and the Moroccan Flag

 Hotel Entrance

 Hotel Entrance

  The second part, is just...different. There are hotels and spas but most of them you can't see because they are behind large walls. There aren't sidewalks and the road is not as well kept. However, all of this is forgotten once you see the camels. About every half mile there is another group of men with 3-6 camels waiting for the tourists to come and spend their money. We asked the price and I think it's cheaper to ride them here than some of the other areas in the city.  I know that camels have nothing to do with running but I think they are cool and definitely worth mentioning. 

 This camel came right up to us on the road

 Camels just hanging out

 Another camel, sorry

Last camel

  The road is about 4.1 miles long if you stop at the last resort and don't go back into the city. It really is a great road to do some intervals on or a medium length long run. One side note is that there really isn't any where to buy water from on the main road. On the opposite end of the area from the golf course are a few little convenience stores that will definitely have water but its a good ways from the resorts.

  Also, as always in Marrakech you kneed to keep one eye open for the scooters, mopeds, and motorcycles. They are everywhere in this city. It is actually quite entertaining. 

Two people on one scooter is not uncommon

 Two ladies on a scooter getting close to the camels

 They are everywhere

Sadly, three people on one scooter is not uncommon either

Directions:

  If you are driving north out of the city heading for the auto-route there will be a roundabout about 1/2 a mile from the bridge (before the stadium). After going through the roundabout you will see a sign indicating that Casablanca is straight ahead and the Palmeraie is the next right. Take that right and about half a mile after you turn you should see parking on the street outside the hotels. 

Road sign

  If you do not have a car you can ask one of the many taxis in the city to take you to the 

Palmeraie and you will be there sooner than you know it. There are plenty of taxis waiting outside the resorts so you wont have to walk back to the city... on the other hand you might want to.

  Well, that's it for this installment of 

Places to Run in Morocco. 

 I hope that if you're ever in Marrakech you will not only enjoy all of the normal tourist things there are to do but also get to know the city a little by getting a good run workout. As always if you have a question or comment don't forget to leave one below. Thanks for reading, now get out and run!

Posted on February 10, 2013 and filed under "marrakech", "morocco", "places to run", "route".

The 2013 Marrakech Marathon Race Report

    It has now been four days since I ran the Marrakech Marathon in Morocco.  Normally in the first few days after a marathon or some other big race, people tend to kick back, relax and take it easy. That has never been the case for me. This is not because I didn't want to but because I just could not do. So between work and family obligations, this year was no exception. Now that I am not quite as busy and my body is out of the soreness stage, I am ready to look back and share my experience from this past weekend. 

    I guess I will start with packet pick-up. I wrote a detailed post last week about packet pick-up and the marathon village so I will be brief here. The marathon village was set up in front of the big post office near the center of town. After I registered online for the race, I got an email from the French company that did the registration saying that the race number pick-up would begin on Friday afternoon, two days before the race. This ended up being nice because my Saturday was already looking to be quite busy. 

 The marathon village

    So, Friday afternoon we went over and got my race number and it turned out online registration included a t-shirt, nice! I had heard that you could register at the village on race weekend, but everyone that told me had never actually ran the race. It turned out that you could. From what I saw the price seemed to be the same as it was for online registration, but I do not think I would have received a t-shirt. With race number in hand, some flyers about future races, and the excitement building, I was ready for the Sunday morning race.

Race packet

    It doesn't seem to matter how much training I do, how well I prepare the night before, or how confident I feel the days leading up to the race, when I get up on race morning I always feel under prepared and this year was no different. My wife and son came along as my cheer squad. As we parked behind the big mosque, Katobia, I was confident that I'd finish but unsure of how I would arrive to the finish line.

    We walked the half mile to the starting line, getting passed by people warming up the whole way. Seeing as it was about 40 degrees out, I too should have been warming up, but I was just to cold. We arrived at the starting area about 30 minutes prior to the race, which turned out to be a good thing because there was no rhyme or reason to the way people were lining up.

Lots of people

    As the starting time drew closer and I became colder, the starting area filled up. The elite runners came out of a side tent and did their warm ups. I was standing on a curb talking to my wife, on the other side of a barricade, and enjoying the exciting race atmosphere when my said, "Wasn't that the starting gun?" and we were off. The age group runners began about 100 yards back from the start but since this race has chip timing it wasn't a big deal.

The starting line is under the red tunnel thing

    After we went across the starting line the course goes about half a mile before turning to the right. This is really nice since it is also the last half mile of the race and its good to see the final stretch before hand. The route then goes to the Marrakech train station and then takes the runners through one of the side entrances to the popular Menara Gardens. It was here in the gardens that the race provided its first water station. The stations were placed about every 5 km the entire race. The water stations provide you with an average sized bottle of water which was good because I was carrying a small Nathan water bottle and it made it super easy to refill. After running through the gardens on a nice paved path we exited through another side gate. 

Running past the Marrakech train station

Exiting the Menera Gardens

    The race then proceeded south, out toward the city's race track and the Agdel Gardens. Let me take a second to describe the aid stations. As I said every 5 km from the start was an aid station. These always had water bottles and starting at the 10 km aid station they began offering whole oranges and little baggies of dates.  I was carrying my own energy gels but I probably in the last three aid stations ate four whole oranges. It gave me a surprising boost. Also, every 7 km were sponge stations, at the first one since it was cold I thought the idea of a sponge station was crazy but by the last few stations, as the day heated up quickly, I was very thankful for these soaking wet sponges.

    OK, back to the race. As I got close to the Agdel Gardens I began to chat with a "65ish" year old man named Mustafa. He lives about a mile away and was running a strong pace when we met. We talked for a while, he told me this was not his first race. After a few miles I realized he was speeding up. I began to worry that if I couldn't keep up with this guy maybe I should not be out here. I decided to stick to my plan and not chase him down. This ended up being a good call since at the next aid station I passed him as he was walking and eating an orange. He looked strong so I'm sure he ended up doing well. 

Mustafa is the guy in white on the right

    After the gardens the course loops around the back side of the old city and then follows the city wall back into town. At about the 15 mile point, the half marathon course which started an hour after (9am) the full (8am) met up with ours and we ran with the other runners for about two or tree miles. At the Bab El Khemis the half turned to the right to head to the finish line, as the full went right back out of town. 

    Up next the race took the runners up to this small back road that I did not even know existed but is apparently a major road. This is the road that leads to the Palmeraie Golf course and a bunch of rally Fancy hotels. There were also lots of camels for the tourists to ride here when they are not running a marathon.

    Finally came the last big road, 5 miles down the Road to Casablanca,  before turning after the train station for the finish line. This 5 mile stretch and a little bit before is where my race fell apart. Looking back at my training I realized that after doing several shorter distance races in December in the States I did not give my self enough time to build up to some good quality long runs before the race.  So, about the 20/21 mile area my feet began to just feel awful. So, instead of giving up i adjusted. I finished slower but I finished and to me that is always my primary goal.

I crossed the finish line in 3:58 and had a smile on my face. I had enjoyed my first marathon in Morocco. At the finish I was given a little finishers metal and met up with my wife. It really was a great race and I really am looking forward to next year already. I would recomend this race to anyone looking for a destination race whether it be the half or full marathon, this would be a great choice.

A couple of side notes:

  • There were lots of police and security on the race course keeping traffic at bay and providing general security.
  • The city turned out in force to cheer on all the runners not just the pros. All the way to the end of the race there were kids wanting high fives and cheering us on.
  • Although there were some things I would like to see improved (like at all races), this race was very organized.
  • There were 662 full marathon finishers and 3,675 half marathon finishers.
  • The race winner was Tum Stephen from Kenya with a time of 2:06:35.
  • Very flat and fast race route.
  • While I was running the race my wife went to a cafe in Jemaa El Fna and watched the race leaders on the TV.

My wife's view of the race

Here is a list of the Marrakech Marathon posts I wrote leading up to the 2013 race this year:

The International Marathon of Marrakech: An Introduction

Marrakech Marathon Race Poster

Packet Pick-up at the Marrakech Marathon Village

Best Places to Run: Rabat Part 3

    This final installment of Running in Morocco's Best Places to Run Rabat edition is going to be a little different than the last two. Instead of writing about just one of the many great places to run in Rabat, I am going to write briefly about two places. Before we get into it, if you have not read Part 1  about the Hilton Forest or Part 2  about the route that goes along the river and ocean front in Rabat, I hope that you will go back and read them as well. 

    Since I have two places to cover I am not going to waste time with a long introduction but just dive into it. First up, a hill with a rewarding view at the top.

Name:

The Chellah Hill (there really is not a name for it.) 

Location:

The Administrative Quarter,starting near the Marjane (giant grocery store) and ending at the historic Chellah ruins.

Points of Interest:

  • The route is approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long
  • It climbs about 132 ft (40m)
  • Ends at the historic Chellah, where there are ruins from a Roman settlement, and an awesome view of the valley and the river.

Description:

    I mentioned in Part 2 that there are very few big hills in Rabat. I think that this might be the biggest one you will find that is easily accessible to run within the city. I ran this hill during a couple of my 20 mile long runs on Saturdays mornings and because I was out early enough I did not have to deal with the car exhaust. I would have loved to use this hill for my hill workouts but I lived to far away. It really is perfect for these kinds of work outs because although it is really not that high, it is still a formidable hill.

The Chellah Walls

    There is a good size sidewalk all the way up and it is well maintained. There are a lot of embassies in this area and the Palace is near by so the whole area is well kept up and safe. Sadly, there is not anywhere nearby to buy water except for the grocery store at the base of the hill. So, make sure you keep that in mind.

Directions:

    It is nice to have so many inexpensive taxis in Morocco, because it makes getting to places very easy. To get to the base of the hill you simply need to ask a taxi to take you the the "Marjane" close to Quarter Hassan. From there run up the hill, if you come to a bridge then you have gone the wrong way. If you are driving this grocery store is near downtown on the river and there is plenty of parking.

    Next, is another park. This park is not technically in Rabat (I think that the border between the two cities runs through the park), but lets just say that it is in the greater Rabat area. 

Name:

Forest in Temara

Location:

The main entrance and parking area is in Temara

Points of Interest: 

  • Large park away from traffic and the hussle of the city
  • Lots of trails
  • There are more than five miles of different trails

Description:

    OK, although this park may not be the easiest for a visitor to the city to find or all that close to the center of town, I am including it because of its size. In the metro areas of many large cities it would be hard to find the number of miles of trails that are at this park. On the far south-west side of the park in Temara, is the main entrance with a parking lot as well. However, around the perimeter of the park is a low wall and in several places there are gates that are open and can be used as alternate entries. 

    If you look at the forest on a map you will notice how large it is. Just keep in mind that the park is only a small section of that forest. If you start getting close to an area not part of the park you will probably notice that the trails aren't nearly as well used and my advice would be to turn around and find another path. If you go on the weekends or in the afternoons there are normally enough people there that you should be able to see where everyone else is running.

    This park was is one of my favorite places to run when I am in Rabat. I love trails that are remote and out in the middle of nowhere or in the mountains. Being a city dweller this park is the next best thing when I can't just get away. It's close enough to Rabat as not to take forever to get there but when you're there it is remote enough to lose yourself to the trails and your own thoughts. Just be careful that while you're lost in your thoughts not to let the occasional sheep, goat, or cow hearder with their livestock scare you as you turn a bend in the trail (which can also happen in the middle of any city in Morocco). 

    Also, unlike the Hilton Forest there is no where inside this park to get water, so you're on your own.

Directions:

    This one is a little tricky. My best suggestion to get here would be to ask a taxi to take you to the "Aswak Al Salam in Hay Riad." That is another grocery store and it is less than half a mile from one of the entrances through the wall. 

    Once you are at the grocery store you will want to cross over the large road at the round-about (this is part of the auto route that goes around the city). Once you cross the auto route you will have villas on you left hand and across the road will be what looks like a forest, thats not it. Continue down this road (Avenue Mehdi Ben Barka) until you reach the park on your left, it is about 3/10 of a mile after that huge intersection. 

    Well, that finishes it up for our series about the best places to run in Rabat. I only covered four of what I considered to be the best, most accessible and scenic running routes in Rabat. There are still many other great places to run. In all the time I spent in Rabat, I was never at a loss for a good place to run. Sometimes it is even good to just run through the different parts of town to observe and enjoy the wonderful culture that makes up Morocco. 

    I love running in Rabat and I hope that this series will help you the next time you are out for a run in this great city. As always, if you know of any other places to run in Rabat or have any comments or questions about the places I have mentioned, please write in the comment section below.

Here are links to the other two articles in the 

Best Places to Run: Rabat

 series: 

The Best Places to Run: Rabat Part 1 - The Forest Hilton

The Best Places to Run: Rabat Part 2 - The River and Ocean Front Route

Posted on January 16, 2013 and filed under "forest", "hill workout", "morocco", "park", "places to run", "rabat", "route".

Best Places to Run: Rabat Part 2

    Welcome back to Running in Morocco's Best Places to Run Rabat edition. This is Part 2 in a three part series of some of the most interesting, scenic, easy to get to, and runner friendly places in Rabat to visit on your next run in the city. Make sure if you haven't read Part 1 to go back and check it out.

    In my first post in the series, we looked at a forest/park with trail and trees. Today, I want to show you somewhere located a little more in the urban jungle. 

Next up is a path that runs along the outside of the old city, the river, and the ocean in Rabat. 

Name:

The River Bouregreg / Atlantic Ocean Path

Location:

By the Kasbah Udayas on the river side of Rabat's old souq and stretching down 

Rabat's coast

Points of Interest:

  • Awesome views and never a dull part to the run
  • Only a short distance from Rabat's old market
  • Easy to get to by taxi, foot, bike, bus
  • Traffic free running path / sidewalk
  • Route can be as short as you like or as long +12 miles 
  • There is parking if you have a car

Description:

    This run is a mix of a recreational running path and sidewalks. If you want a truly scenic run this is possibly one of the best in all of Rabat. Starting on the river Bouregreg's boardwalk you will pass by several well known landmarks and sights. 

Rabat's famous blue boats on the river

    First, as you run along the river toward the ocean, you will see on your left the old city situated inside its fortified walls. Straight ahead you will see the Kasbah Udayas (an old fort/castle) situated on the mouth of the river. Once you reach the Kasbah you will run around a recently constructed tunnel and then onto a sidewalk that leads up a good sized hill to the Kasbah entrance. 

    Side note: if you are in the midst of training for a race and you are in Rabat on a day that calls for a hill work out, this hill is one of only a few you will find in the city. The best way to do this is to start on the backside of this hill (by the beach) and run up toward the Kasbah facing the river. It's not long but it is steep near the top.

Kasbah Udayas

    As you crest the hill you will notice two more sights. First, ahead will be Rabat's only beach area and on your left will be a huge cemetery.  If your up for it you can take a quick detour and head out on the pier(you should be able to see it as you are coming down the hill). 

    As you follow the path you will pass Rabat's lighthouse, this is the last of the landmarks. From this point forward you can run along the ocean road (there's a sidewalk) for really as long as you would like. There is a conference center that is about 6 miles from the riverfront and a convenient place to turn around. 

    As far as places to get water, there are several restaurants on the river front and on the beach, near the pier. If you choose to go the 6 miles out, there are cafes where you can buy water about 1/2 a mile before the conference center.

Note of caution

:

I would not recommend using this route close to dark. Why? One main reason, it's close to the ocean! A large part of this area of Rabat's ocean front is along cliffs, they aren't crazy high but to me a cliff is a cliff. There are some places where the path comes very close to the edge. Therefore, I urge extreme caution at all times and I would recommend not using the path any time when visibility is reduced (dusk, night, rain, fog) and there aren't people around to help.

Directions:

    The directions to get to this one is much easier than to the Hilton Forest. Again, from anywhere in Rabat get a blue taxi and ask to go either to the "Kasbah Udayas" or the "River Bouregreg". If you are staying close to the old market you can easily walk through the market exiting near the river.

Map of the Rabat's river and ocean front 

    Well, that is it for part 2 of the Best Places to Run in Rabat. Make sure you go back and read Part 1 if you haven't yet and look out for part three coming soon. I hope you get the chance to run this scenic part of Rabat. As always, please exercise (haha) caution whenever you are running and especially in an unfamiliar place. As much as we all love running it would not be good to remember Morocco as the place where you got injured on vacation. 

    Again, if you have any questions or suggestions please leave your comment below. Then get out and go for a run.       

Posted on January 15, 2013 and filed under "morocco", "ocean", "places to run", "rabat", "river", "route".

Best Places to Run: Rabat Part 1

    As I mentioned before, running in big cities is always interesting. Dodging traffic when crossing busy intersections, avoiding unaware pedestrians, while trying to maintain a certain pace / heart-rate and keeping a keen awareness for hidden dangers that may threaten to twist your ankle.

    That said, city running is also just as rewarding in its own right. I spent some considerable time in Rabat, Morocco and found that although my marathon training long runs took me to the heart of the city, through the old Souq, past parliament, and other amazing sites there were other times that I just wanted an easier, safer path or just something with a little less traffic. So, here I want to present to you, in a three part series, three of the best places to run the next time you are visiting the beautiful city of Rabat. 

    First up is a park close to the center of town, the Hilton Forest. 

Name: The Hilton Forest.

Official Name: Forêt Hilton

Location: Agdel, Rabat (Close to the neighborhood Souissi)

Points of Interest:

  • Close to the city center (10 mins from the market)
  • Easy to get to by taxi
  • There is parking if you have a car
  • Wide dirt trails
  • Main loop is about 1.75 miles (2.8km)

 

 

Description:

    This is a small plot of wooded land right in the middle of Rabat. The forest, think large park, has wide (maybe ten feet wide in some places), well packed dirt trails. The main loop is about 1.75 miles and there is also a smaller loop that is in the center with trails leading off in all kinds of directions. The whole park is fenced in and has gardeners working all day long keeping the forest groomed. There has been security every time I have been there.

    I have never been to the park when there were not a good number of people there, both men and women running in groups and alone. There are fast runners, slow walkers, and parents pushing their children in strollers. When I have intervals to do and I am in Rabat this is the perfect place because its almost flat and I never need to watch out for cars or other dangers associated with typical running in cities.

    Also, one of the nice things about this park is that there is a cafe inside the park, near the entrance by the Sofitel Hotel. This is important because although Rabat, and really all of Morocco, has an abundance of little stores and cafes to buy water from, where the park is there aren't any. That little cafe has come in handy more than once. I don't know when the cafe is open or closed so I would only rely on it as a back up option for your water needs.

Directions:

If you are staying anywhere in Rabat the easiest way to get to the park is to catch a little blue taxi. Ask the driver to take you to the Sofitel Hotel. This is one of the most prestigious hotels in all the city (all the famous foreigners that I have heard of visiting, stay there) and it overlooks the forest. Anyways, once you arrive, if you stand facing the front of the hotel the forest is on your right. Just walk / run through the park gate and have fun.

Map of the forest from maps.google.com

    This concludes the Best Places to Run in Rabat Part 1. Make sure to look for the next two installments. Rabat is a wonderful city to visit with lots of amazing sights, museums, restaurants and other things to do. If you don't have time to go for a run on your next visit or forgot your running shoes, make sure you at least get out and explore. If you know of another good running place or have any questions about something I have mentioned just leave a comment and I will try to give you an answer. 

Posted on January 14, 2013 and filed under "places to run", "route", "rabat", "morocco", "park".