As a part of expanding the attention and focus to cover more 5Ks and 10Ks, I will be posting the Weekend Dash. These posts will be to highlight races that are upcoming in the next weekend or two as well as how to get there. Especially for the snow-trapped runners in the US, finding possible races that get you out of the snow during your training can be very helpful! In addition, these races give you a nice excuse to check out various cities.
The best part about this feature, however, will be the spontaneous nature of it. These runs are to give you creative ideas on where you can take off to for a night or two on an upcoming weekend using miles or points. So, enjoy and feel free to add your suggestions as well.
Down2Earth 5K, 10K, and Half-Marathon Train Runs
Details:
- Distances: 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon
- Date(s): December 14th (Amelia, FL) and December 15th (Oleta, FL)
- Cost: $35 (5K), $40 (10K), $50 (Half-Marathon) – for both race events
- Must register by: December 12
- Location: December 14th event – Amelia Earhart Park (7 miles from Miami International Airport)
- Location: December 15th event – Oleta River State Park (30 miles from Miami International Airport)
- Website: Down2Earth
Trail races are an incredible way to get out and enjoy a run! If you are a road runner, you can try one of these with no time expectations. For someone like me who always sets time goals, a trail race can be a welcome reprieve from that. It gives you a nice chance to just take in the nature around you while getting in a nice run. Some trail races are quite challenging while others are more like nature paths.
The event company that puts this on does many such events throughout the year so you should be just fine running a proven race. Not only will it give you a chance to look around but it also gives you a chance to escape to Miami during this winter weather.
Getting There
Airlines
Whenever we are talking about Miami, the best option of flying there is on American Airlines using British Airways Avios. This is the best if you can fly direct and under 2,000 miles. This is because of Avios’ distance-based awards. Refer to the map below to see if your departure city is included in the map. The numbers on the map are for one-way travel.
Map to show Avios for travel to Miami
Another option for flights is with Delta as they have many non-stops to Miami as well. Those flights are 25,000 Skymiles round-trip. Obviously, American Airlines with British Airways Avios are the better option. United and US Airways also have flights into Miami. The bad part about travel on US Airways, American Airlines, and United is that they charge close-in booking fees – not worth it! To be clear, if you use British Airways Avios to fly on American Airlines, you will not have to pay close-in booking fees.
Yet another option is with Southwest Airlines. They flight into Fort Lauderdale and do not have close-in booking fees. Their points are tied to the revenue cost so it varies based on your departure city.
Hotels
Club Carlson
There is only one Club Carlson – Country Inn & Suites. It is not the best option for points, even with the 2nd award night free for cardholders. It takes 38,000 points for the two nights and the hotel is not worth that many.
Hilton Hotels
Hilton has 16 hotels available in Miami this weekend with costs ranging from 20,000 – 80,000 per night. There are several fantastic options available!
Hyatt Hotels
There are 5 Hyatt hotels in Miami with point options available for this coming weekend. They range in points from 8,000 Gold Passport points to 15,000 Gold Passport points. Anyone of these hotels would be fine options for the weekend.
Marriott Hotels
There are 25 Marriott hotels in Miami with availability for this weekend. The hotels range in cost from 20,000 – 120,000 points. The options pretty much offer just about every type of hotel experience from the cheaper options all the way up to Ritz-Carltons.
Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove
Starwood Preferred Guest Hotels
There 8 SPG hotels in Miami with availability for this weekend. They range from 7,000 – 30,000 Starpoints. These run from airport hotels to the high-end St. Regis hotels.
St. Regis Bal Harbour
Summary
There are many different options and they are wide-open for this weekend! This could be a great way to pop down for a couple of days to sunny Miami and run a great trail race! If you go for the smallest point expenditures, you can take in Miami for a total of 9,000 Avios points (if departing within 650 miles of Miami) and 7,000-8,000 hotel points for a one-night stay. Not a bad way to take in some sun for a nice one-day getaway!
