Runners from around the world congregated at Uluru in Australia to participate in the Outback Marathon, according to Yahoo! News.
The race was held was organized by Travelling Fit, a company that focuses on combining people's love for traveling with their love for running.
The first Outback Marathon was held in 2010 with 187 runners participating, and now has almost doubled in size and attracts participants from all over the world.
"You get to do what you love, but you get this most incredible experience, which is very indigenous centered and it is very respectful of the local communities, and you get to do all of the touristy stuff as well," Michael Walton, the co-founder of Travelling Fit, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Walton and his wife, Mari-Mar, co-founded the business in 1998 after trying to find a London Marathon tour company unsuccessfully.
In addition to the race at Uluru, Travelling Fit also takes runners to London, New York, China and Chicago. Running is partly about exercise, but also focuses on the experience itself.
"Running is one of those fabulous ways that not only can you get fit, it's...not a very expensive way partly to see the world, but also to see Australia," Walton said. "You can almost enter any race and all you need is a pair of shorts and a decent pair of sneakers."
The runners range in age from 22 to 73.
"It encourages people with special interests to visit Uluru and experience the event against one of the most iconic backdrops in the world," Walton said. "Some of these events, partly because of it taking place in Uluru, will gain global broadcast attention."
Travelling Fit is seeing people's passion for running and travelling turn into profit. The company is experiencing growth between $500,000 and $1 million a year.
"We are taking on new events all the time, obviously, we are always looking for new employees, which is a good thing," Walton said. "We've got larger offices now, so the outlook for our company is very bright."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
