When some people travel, they collect refrigerator magnets or shot glasses. Eugen Godun collects marathon medals.
Last March, the 34-year-old software developer earned the coveted Six Star Medal for running the Boston, Chicago, New York CityLondon, Berlin and Tokyo marathons, known as the original World Marathon Majors. When Godun crossed the finish line in Japan, he burst into tears, overwhelmed by a mixture of pride, happiness and sheer exhaustion.
Godun took up running in 2014 and completed his first international marathon in Poland the following year, shaving an hour off his previous time of 4 hours and 6 minutes. Over the past ten years, his pursuit of medals and… faster finishes has taken him from his home in Kiev to eight countries in Europe, the US and Asia.
For amateur runners like Godun, destination races kill several birds with one stone: a trip abroad, one great athletic achievementand some serious bragging rights. Godun is particularly proud of being one of only 60 Ukrainians to receive a six-star medal.
For all their rewards, international marathons demand a lot in return: vacation days, family time and money. Godun said he has spent about $40,000 on international marathon travel in 11 years, or an average of $5,000 per race.
Godun sometimes wonders where he would be financially if he had saved the money. “If I traded these marathons to save money, maybe I could buy my own apartment,” he said.
Still, he thinks it’s worth it. “I like to spend my money on experiences, not on things,” Godun added.
Godun received his Six Star medal after running the 2025 Tokyo Marathon. Thanks to Eugen Godun
Pursuing distant finish lines
The heyday of the running pandemic shows little sign of fading, and Americans are prioritizing fitness and… experiential travel.
According to the Outdoor Industry Association’s 2026 Running Report, which is based on data from the Physical Activity Council, more than 52.3 million Americans will take up running in 2025, more than a million more than in 2024. In KPMG’s summer 2026 consumer survey, half of respondents said physical fitness as their top wellbeing priority, while 54% of those planning to travel more were looking for a specific experience or event. Destination marathons combine the two.
Godun has plenty of company in the expensive pursuit of distant finish lines. Demand for marathon spots has grown in recent years, with international competitors accounting for an increasing share of participants, according to data shared with Business Insider by five of the now seven World Marathon Majors, the global series of marathon races.
Godun ran the New York City Marathon in 2019. Thanks to Eugen Godun
Since 2023, international registrations for the London Marathon have almost tripled, from 89,108 in 2023 to 258,502 in 2026, when the race attracted a total of 854,452 registrations. The Boston Marathon share of international runners has increased from approximately a quarter of the field of participants in 2023 to roughly a third of the 30,000 participants in each of the past three years. The Sydney Marathon has seen even more dramatic international growth. The number of foreign finishers rose from 260 in 2022 to more than 13,500 out of a total of 32,963 runners in 2025, when it became the seventh World Marathon Major.
“People love a challenge, especially one that is tough but achievable, and completing the six, or now seven, race series has become the ultimate running challenge,” says Steven Seaton, the founder of British sports tourism company 2:09 Events. “The fact that participation in the races is becoming difficult and increasingly expensive only seems to increase demand.”
The costs for international participants participating in the World Marathon Majors series from about $237 for Sydney to $333 for New York, before taking into account flights, hotels, food and other costs.
For example, Godun has tried to cut costs by staying with friends whenever possible, and has drawn a line on what he is willing to spend. He gave up a spot in the 2026 Sydney Marathon because he couldn’t justify spending thousands of dollars on flights.
He said he has since set aside about $1,000 a month, or about 20% of his monthly income, to avoid future races being foreclosed on due to cost alone. Godun also found himself working harder at his work. “To do this, I have to make more money,” he said.
A second job to continue chasing marathon medals
David Boyce, 59, is so dedicated to running international marathons that he has become a part-time job three years ago he taught at a local university to, in his words, “feed my addiction.”
The extra income has allowed the Canadian government worker to pay for a bus, participate in races further afield and spend longer abroad exploring destinations. In the run-up to a marathon, Boyce prioritizes rest and saves the indulgences for later. “Then you can do all the things you want to do, like have a beer, have a decadent meal or things like that,” Boyce said.
Boyce ran the Boston Marathon in 2022. Thanks to David Boyce
In his early forties, Boyce couldn’t have imagined organizing his vacations around marathons. Then, 16 years ago, he had a terrifying wake-up call when his heart started pounding during an uphill bike ride. A stranger called an ambulance and he ended up in the hospital. “They put me on a heart monitor and found out nothing was really wrong,” he said. “I was just really out of shape.”
He started running on the treadmill, then switched to 10k running, before completing a local marathon in 2016. Two years later, he traveled to Chicago for his first international run. Now he’s a five-star finisher, with only Tokyo left to complete the set.
His first marathon took him more than four hours. Ten years later, as he approaches 60, Boyce is running closer to 3 hours and 30 minutes and is considering pushing himself even further with an Ironman or an ultramarathon.
“For me, it’s the feeling of accomplishment,” he said. “The personal goal, to see if I can do it, to push myself to another limit.”
Boyce said the improvements to his health and fitness make the sacrifices, such as having a second job, worth it. His goal is to “beat back the old man.”
Almost all vacation days are used
Besides money, runcations can also eat up another valuable resource: time.
Next year, Boyce plans to spend three of his four weeks of vacation in Japan for the Tokyo Marathon. In the past, Godun has spent as much as 80% of his twenties days of annual leave to runcations. Last year he used some of the time freed up by achieving his Six Star in a two-week period beach holiday in Spain. “This kind of fun is not for me,” he said.
Every year, Kevin Lock, a 45-year-old bank employee, and his wife, who is also a marathon runner, painstakingly map out their four weeks of vacation days in a spreadsheet. They divide their free time between races and other personal travel, prioritizing races held around federal holidays to preserve vacation days.
The couple doesn’t always race together. Since 2022, Lock has run three marathons, including New York, Chicago and Boston, and sixteen half-marathons across the US. His wife, meanwhile, ran the Sydney Marathon without him.
Kevin Lock has run marathons in the US, including the New York City Marathon. Thanks to Kevin Lock
The couple, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is just as strategic with money. “I am quite handy to use credit card pointssaid Lock. He generally uses his points for flights to and from races, while his wife uses hers for hotels and helps them “minimize the financial impact” of marathon travel.
They draw from a savings pot, top it up regularly and pay off their credit card balance in full every month. “We want to do these things,” Lock said, “but not with the intention of taking on debt.”
Loss of family time
Not all costs can be offset with credit card points, careful budgeting, or a vacation spreadsheet. For Vincent Hsu, an Orlando doctor, money isn’t a big concern. The biggest trade-off has been family time.
“I’m trying to balance my desire to really achieve running goals that I never thought possible, and the need to make sure I’m meeting the needs of my family,” he said.
Hsu said he’s trying training early in the morning while his wife and 15-year-old son sleep. Yet the trips to races and the enormous amount of time he spends training have both become “stressors” at home. His wife sometimes asks, “Oh, are you running again?”
“I’m a little sheepish about that,” he said.
Hsu’s marathon hobby has become a source of stress at home, he said. Thanks to Vincent Hsu
Hsu plans to run the Tokyo Marathon next March, but he doesn’t know if his wife, who often likes to travel, will be able to join him. They haven’t yet found someone they trust to care for their teenage son.
Despite all the sacrifices, running has contributed to significant weight loss, introduced him to new friends and given him a sense of accomplishment. It has also proven difficult to quit. “It’s addictive,” he said.
Hsu said the prestige of participating in the Six Star Medal Club is also part of the motivation. “It’s a great goal. It’s coveted. It’s wanted,” he said. “People are jealous. I readily admit that.”
For world-traveling marathon runners, the medals can be invaluable. Collecting them is anything but.
