This week, we were invited to write a post for the OC Marathon Blog, and we were honored to participate! You can find the original post, as well as other great blogs from the OC Marathon here: http://ocmarathon.com/for-runners/running/blog.aspx
Where are they going to stay?
You have been working so hard preparing for this race. For months or even years, you have been hitting the pavement, counting the miles, nursing your sore legs, annoying your running buddy when they don’t feel like running, and having them do the same to you. You’re registered, you have your race day shoes, you have the route memorized, and you know exactly what you are going to eat and drink before, during, and after the race. But where are you going to sleep?
The OC Marathon draws about 20,000 runners every year, and not all of them are Orange County natives. Each year, the OC Marathon partners with Newport Beach and Costa Mesa Hotels to make sure that all out of town runners can get a great night’s sleep before race day. The hotels in Orange County are as individual and varied as the runners of the race, and there is a hotel to fit every traveler and every budget, but with everything else that goes into running a marathon, the last thing on our attendees’ minds is researching every hotel in Orange County to find a place to stay for the marathon.
Coast to Coast Conferences and Events has been the OC Marathon’s housing partner since 2015, and in that time, we have helped thousands of runners from all over the country reserve rooms at our partner hotels throughout the city. What most people don’t know, is that the process for setting up these reservations for 2018 started well before 2017 was finished. We start a year ahead of time to gather the history for the event at each hotel, negotiate discounted rates with our partner hotels, and create the hotel booking site, so that by the time you cross the finish line and are ready to register for next year’s race, we are ready to book your room. Once the hotel reservation page is up and running, we also provide live phone support, answering all of your questions about our partner hotels, and assisting with race day transportation. After the event is complete, we work with the hotels to get an accurate picture of just how many people traveled to Orange County for the Marathon, and we use that information to make sure that we are providing the best possible hotel booking experience for the marathon, year after year.
Marathon housing is only a part of what we do at Coast to Coast, but when I get to talk to each of you individually through the Marathon Reservation Support line, it is the highlight of my day. In the few minutes that we are on the phone together, I get to hear a little bit of your personal journey to race day, and it inspires me to put on my shoes and get going as soon as I get home.
If you haven’t already, you can book your room today! Reservations are open for the 2018 OC Marathon here: https://aws.passkey.com/e/49154419, and if you would like to learn more about Coast to Coast Conferences and Events, you can visit our website here: https://ctcconferences.com/.
See you at the finish line!