PERU

Executive summary by darmansjah

Temple Run Marathon mania has spilled over into mainstream adventure travel, spawning running-focused trips around the world, including this twist on the classic Inca Trail trek. Runners tackle the ancient Andes route in two days, from the Urubamba Valley, through the “Pass of the Dead Woman” at 13,780 feet, and into the cloud forest to the Intipunku “Gateway of the Sun” at 8,923 feet, where they’ll get their first eyeful of Machu Picchu in its full splendor. Trip veteran Joshua Price calls the experience “challenging, but incredible.” The big event is sandwiched between acclimatization runs, stints in the cities of Cusco and Lima, and a day spent touring the ruins. Andes Adventures: “Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Running Adventure,” 9 days; $2,975

THE PROFESSOR A lecturer  in South American history at Yale, Hiram Bingham (1875-1956) became fascinated with lost inca cities after exploring Choquequirao in southern Peru in 1909. Though counterclaims of discovery have emerged, he’s largely credited with bringing the granddaddy of them all-Machu Picchu-to the world’s attention in 1911.