Put on your running shoes - it's time to hit the road, the trails and the great outdoors.

In this comprehensive runner's companion, you'll find 50 of the world's greatest running routes - from short city runs and must-do marathons to cross-country trails and challenging ultras - plus a further 150 courses around the globe to satisfy runners of all abilities.

Each run is accompanied by stunning photos and a map and toolkit of practical details - where to start and finish, how to get there, where to stay and more - to help you plan the perfect trip. Suggestions for similar runs around the world are also included.

Organised by continent, Lonely Planet's Epic Runs of the World takes runners past giraffes, zebras and rhinos in Africa, along courses the length of Vancouver's Stanley Park Seawall in the Americas, offers spectacular views of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak in Asia and jogs along Rome's Tiber River in Europe, while inviting athletes to push themselves to the limit in Oceania's Blue Mountains Ultra.

Runs in Africa include:

• The Lewa Safari Marathon (Kenya)
• Marathon Des Sables (Morocco)
• The Great Ethiopian Run
• The Comrades Ultramarathon (South Africa)

Run in the Americas include:

• The Big Sur Marathon (USA)
• Havana's El Malecon (Cuba)
• Rio at Dawn (Brazil)
• An Illuminating Ascent in La Paz (Bolivia)

Runs in Asia include:

• The Great Wall Marathon (China)
• Angkor Wat Half Marathon (Cambodia)
• A Temple Ascent in Pokhara (Nepal)
• Kyoto's Riverside (Japan)

Runs in Europe include:

• Amalfi Coast's Path of the Gods (Italy)
• A Classic Fell Run in the Lakes (England)
• The Athens Marathon (Greece)
• Dublin's Wild Side (Ireland)

Runs in Oceania include:

• Great Ocean Road Marathon (Australia)
• The Kepler Track (New Zealand)
• Freycinet Peninsula (Tasmania)
• A Ghost Run in Waihi Gorge (New Zealand)

About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.