Running: A great cross-cultural boundary breaker…

Running: A great cross-cultural boundary breaker…

Posted In: ChiRunning | Running | Video divider No Comments »

I was out for a run on the hot & steamy weekend (later in the day so it was tolerable) around my multi-cultural neighbourhood and this thought popped into my head: Isn’t running a great way to break down barriers between different cultures.

In my ‘hood, I see all kinds of races, shapes and sizes, and that’s just the children. The great equalizer is that the children I see are usually running. From someone, to somewhere, they don’t care. C’est tu pas beautiful?

You see black children playing with Asian children. White children playing with them as well. You see them playing their own made-up ball game (remember those days), some children at the swing, some playing basketball and some rollerblading.

Some of the cool things about running is that it’s natural and crosses cultural boundaries. Is there much a difference between a black toddler and an Asian one? Don’t they run the same? I think so…

And another wonderful trait of running is that it’s very cost effective. All you need is shoes and you can get out there. Actually with the new barefoot movement, they’re even optional!

That makes running a true international sport. Yes, some folks are better at some distances like Kenyans at marathons and the Jamaicans at sprinting but overall you get almost all of the nationalities involved. Unlike women’s hockey for example…

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And here is a video that is quite timely with the weather we are having these days in Ottawa:

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