Running in Cities
I’ve run in Beijing (hot), Manila (hotter), Reyjavik (cold) and Stockholm (coldest!) as well as all over the British Isles. Whenever I visit a city, I find a wonderful running route ready for me and discover more about the place I’m staying than I ever could have done from a taxi window.
The way to get the inside knowledge is easy – before your trip, contact the local running club in that area, tell them when you’re visiting and ask if they can recommend a route to you. Nine times out of ten they’ll invite you to come along on a run with them. In Manila I was invited to run with a ‘guide’ – a student from the university who was training to become a sports instructor and who took me out on four wonderful runs. In Reyjavik I happened to arrive the same week as a local race and was invited to spectate with the local runner’s club, who then took me to a barbecue afterwards!
In Beijing the local club advised me not to run outside for pollution reasons. They offered me a week’s free membership at their own track and were delighted with my gift of half a dozen runner’s magazines in English.
Runners are a community and asking for help often leads to great friendships. It’s not a good idea to run solo in a strange place, even for a big tough bloke, and women in particular should be careful and remember that in many parts of the world women do not exercise in public and that sports clothing can lead to misunderstandings and maybe threats. So take local advice and enjoy your travel on the run!
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