The Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon, a race worth repeating - Nashville, Tennessee
My running journey started back in 2005 training for the Columbus Capital City Half Marathon. And, my first destination race was just weeks later, a run in Nashville, Tennessee at the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon, where I completed my second half marathon. At the time, I only intended to run half marathons, a marathon seemed almost unattainable, and a half marathon was enough of a challenge for me.
Nashville makes for a great running destination as the city goes all out for the marathon and there are lots of things to do in Nashville for you and your group. First, the race is huge, 18,000+ people so you can’t help but get into the moment with such a large event. Nashville also has many great restaurants, parks, and historic places to spend time at when you are not running. In particular, we really enjoy the:
I ended up running in either the half or full marathon for 14 straight years. It also was a family trip for us since my sister-in-law was a leader of a marathon training group who now runs A Train Fitness Coaching in Nashville. Over my time running in Nashville, I got married, had two kids, and expanded my endurance activities from half marathons to marathons, ultra marathons, Ironmans, and solo running adventures around the world. The Nashville Marathon was always the constant, a consistent thread and goal for each year underpinning the runner I am today. The race is also a measure of my progress as a runner, with my marathon time dropping 40 minutes over the years to 3:49 in 2019, the final year I ran in the race.
While a great marathon destination, Nashville is also home to many running trails. Check out the Nathcez Trace Parkway / Highland Rim Trail or the trails at the Warner Parks which are especially convenient. I hope you can make Nashville your own running destination!
