The Human Race

I ran across an interesting website today, ran by Nike.  They are sponsoring an event called “The Human Race 10K.”  They are billing it as the first global 10K race.  It looks to me like the goal is to get 1 million runners to race simultaneously in 25 cities around the world.  If you can’t make it to one of the race cities, you can buy one of the Nike+ products (that’s the plug, of course), and run anywhere in the world and still have your run included in the results.  Kind of neat, I guess.

To be honest, I don’t use Nike products.  I prefer the Asics GT-2110 shoe for running.  The application of GPS technology to runners has been well done by Garmin and others, but if you’re into the running gadgets, these products seem to review quite well.  If you carry an iPod with you on your runs, the Nike+ technology works with iTunes, so that reduces the amount of “stuff” you’ll cart along on the run.  I have several engineering friends who revel in the application of technology to their running progress.

I think the best thing about “The Human Race 10K” is that it may get people excited about exercise.  It helps to feel like you’re part of something bigger.  And even if you don’t buy the gadgets, or do the “race,” anyone can go to their website and get a personalized training plan to get them started toward running their first 10K.  That’s what its all about anyway.  Getting started is the hard part.

Related posts:

1. My First Race
2. Is running the fountain of youth?
3. How does it feel to run a half marathon?
4. So I finished. What next?
5. My First Foray Into Fitness And Weight Loss