Running in Cancun

We run nearly every day without exception. As we travel from destination to destination we always have to figure out where to run in our new, temporary home. Sometimes this is easier than others, but more often than not, it is a challenge. We scan the internet, we look for blogs, we check Strava and Mapmyrun.

We wrote what we couldn’t find on the internet: a quick guide for running in new locations. If there is info you’re interested in that we didn’t think to include, or there are places we should be running in that we’re not, please tell us. It’ll make our lives better, our research easier, and it’ll help all the other runners out there that are looking for places to run in new locations.

Julie walking along the one running path we either went left or right on.

Julie walking along the one running path we either went left or right on.

 

Fast Facts:

When: 28 June 2016 – 1 July 2016

Miles run: 33.2

Where we lived: Hotel Zone (3 nights in a hotel)

Pollution (self-made index 1-5): 2 – ran along roads each time but it wasn’t bad.

Elevation: Sea level

Shoes Worn: Nike Pegasus 31

Paavo’s age: Almost 7 months

Quickscore (1-5 scale): 3

-Where did you run? – specific routes or areas

  1. Right – In the hotel zone, you’re on a narrow swath of land with only two options, right or left. I went right (toward Cancun city center) on all but one of my runs. This proved to be my favorite of the options. The bike path was wider, less crowded, and went through less shopping areas than going left. This all depends on where in the hotel zone you are.
  2. Left – However, from our hotel (Fiesta Americana) I did go Left once. I also went in the evening. Lots of people, the bike path disappeared at times, and other times the path simply became a sidewalk right along the busy main road. Not nearly as nice of a run. Either direction was hot and humid though!!! My favorite route had more shade though and there was a guy that offered to spray me with a hose as he was watering plants too, which further solidifies my pick for running in Cancun.

-Safety

I felt completely safe and never once thought about safety, apart from watching out for traffic, which felt standard.

-Weather

Holy cow it was humid! The temps were only in the 80s but I sweat so much! My heart rate spiked during each run and even though I had gone from living at altitude for 2 months to three days at sea level, I wasn’t able to enjoy any of the purported benefits because the weather zapped my strength within twenty minutes of being out the door.

-What was the running vibe?

There were plenty of people out running on the path. Plenty of travelers getting in their exercise.

-Running community?

Didn’t seem like a local community of runners, just lots of travelers getting their workouts in.

-Best parts about running in city

Totally flat. Pretty along the water. Dedicated path to run.

-Least favorite aspect of running in city

Sweating my ass off!

-Special tips/pointers for others

Be ready for the heat! Cold showers are a beautiful thing. Cold juice waiting in the hotel room when you’re finished is a nice thing to remember too!

-Best stories from running there

Running Right does offer more emergency bathroom options. On my one evening run in the right direction, I ended up having emergency poops twice in one 60 minute run! Maybe we shouldn’t have been drinking the water (it said potable!)! Thankfully there were some spots on the lagoon side of the land strip that were not developed and had some tree cover that I could dip down in so that I could take care of business. Not a fun experience, but certainly memorable!

What did we miss? Are there more options other than Right and Left? Other great places to run in Cancun?

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2 Responses to Running in Cancun

  1. Paul RYKEN says:

    Hey Matt, stumbled upon our post regarding running in Cancun. Thanks.

    We are staying in an AirBnB in the town (not on the strip) so I plan to run along it to see what it is like. I normally head out at 0515h to miss the traffic and the heat. That said, we have just spent three months travelling around the Caribbean so am sort of used to the hest and humidity.

    Will review your site for any other run routes now. Cheers, Paul

    • Matt says:

      Thanks Paul – the biggest thing I remember now from running in Cancun is sweating my butt off! Sounds like you’re better prepared for that than I was – good luck and enjoy! I tend to find that running in a new place is a great and unique way to see it.

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