Sport sits alongside our capacity to imagine, our ability to speak and our nimble thumbs in the things that make us human. And, often in under an hour, sport lets us exercise all those faculties: dreaming of a win, screaming our support, and using those nimble digits to give an emphatic thumbs-up – or toast a win with a beer. Here we choose some highlights from Lonely Planet’s new book A Year Of Sport Travel.

DAKAR RALLY

Where: South America, however the route changes frequently.
When: Early to mid-January.
Get involved: It takes a year of planning to compete in the event.

To watch, just turn up at the start of one of the race stages. Even if motor sport isn’t your thing, it’s hard not to be impressed by its sheer scale. The organisational feat required to manage 530 vehicles from 50 different countries, fuel stations, campsites, transport between stages for support crew, and food for 2000 people is mind-bending.

Spectators are asking to be sprayed with intermittent bursts of grit and dust as a competitor races past. Positioning yourself at the start of one of the 15 sections, which range from 520km to 840km, lets you smell the drivers’ anxiety, check out the cars at point-blank range and hear the deep rumble of the engines.

For the drivers, it’s two weeks of following a chewed-up track, negotiating sand dunes and patches of quicksand-like terrain – and that entails driving blind through a plume of yellow powder at 80km/h over a potholed surface. The drivers are constantly juggling speed and vehicle-damage limitation.

The traditional route is Paris to Dakar in Senegal. Race founder Thierry Sabine dreamt it up while lost in the desert in 1978, and the first rally was in ’79. The route has varied over the decades, mainly for geopolitical reasons, and this year was staged from Buenos Aires, Argentina, through Chile, and back. That route takes in Patagonia’s plains, the Atacama Desert and the Andes. True to its ethos, it’s the hard way.

Visit www.dakar.com.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING RUN-UP

Where: New York City, US.
When: First week in February.
Get involved: Ballot application available online.

So, you’re in New York and the day’s itinerary includes visiting the iconic art-deco Empire State Building. You already know that New York’s highest building, with 102 floors, is such a popular attraction that the entry queues are ‘as legendary as the building itself’. But there are two ways to beat the queues. One: pay a fee to skip to the front. Two: come in February and run up the stairs.

Racers ascend the stairwells to the 86th-floor observation deck. The run-up’s been held annually since 1978, and each year more than 100 ‘lucky’ runners are selected from piles of applications to take part in this calf-burning race, up a total of 1576 steps.

There is a mass start in two waves – ladies first. Five minutes later, off the men go. The record time is nine minutes and 33 seconds, achieved by Aussie cyclist Paul Crake in 2003.

It’s a high price to pay for a unique entry to the Empire State. If the souvenir T-shirt, post-run refreshments in a plastic cup and 360-degree views from the finishing line aren’t enough, maybe the all-expenses-paid ride down to the bottom in one of the building’s elevators will make it all worthwhile!

Visit www.esbnyc.com.

IL PALIO

Where: Siena, Tuscany, Italy.
When: July 2 and August 16.
Get involved: Arrive four hours before the race starts to grab a spot near the rails. You can also watch the warm-ups on previous days.

The Italians’ factional tendencies can be seen in all their swaggering glory at Il Palio, a bareback horse race, on which rests an entire district’s pride. The gleam in the mares’ eyes is reflected in the stands; this event strikes at the very heart of Sienese civic pride. Each horse represents one of the city’s contrade (districts). The pallium (silk banner) is awarded to the winner – the first horse across the finish line with its head ornaments intact, but not necessarily its jockey!

Pre-race, blessings, flag-waving, medieval-themed processions and a demonstration of a traditional mounted charge draws a huge crowd to the palazzo. And medieval Siena is an excellent base for a visit to Italy.

Visit www.ilpalio.org.

AUSSIE FAVES

 
Australian Open Tennis

Where: Melbourne.
When: Mid-January to early February.
Get involved: Tickets online but get in early for the finals.

Up for grabs in this Grand Slam event are ranking points and a share in a prize-money purse which totals A$23 million. Visit www.australianopen.com.

 
Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race

Where: Sydney and Hobart.
When: Departs Sydney, Boxing Day.
Get involved: Say ‘Hello sailor’ on Hobart’s Constitution Dock.

About 100 boats leave Rushcutters Bay and make a Rhumb Line (the shortest route) over 630 nautical miles (1170km) in this great race. Visit www.rolexsydneyhobart.com.

 
Bathurst 1000

Where: Bathurst, NSW.
When: Second Sunday in October
Get involved: Tickets go on sale on New Year’s Eve via Ticketek.

You’d be hard pressed to find a race that has exerted more influence on that car culture. About 187,000 fans flock to the event. Visit www.v8supercars.com.au.