Sharing a run with the world

In two weeks I will join a few hundred others in Saskatoon at the starting line of the World Run. That said, in a farther off reality, I am also toeing the line with tens of thousands of runners across the globe – 34 venues on six continents all participating in the same race. This race, hosted by Red Bull, is amassing a great amount of support for its partner in the event, Wings For Life, an organization dedicated to bolstering awareness and support for spinal cord injury research.

Where this event draws its interest is that the World Run turns tradition in ways that will make for a rather novel, if not once-in-a-lifetime, experience for many participants. And, with these twists in design, this slightly new take on the incomprehensibly ancient endeavour of running had immediate magnetism for me. The World Run includes four innovations that I find particularly interesting. I focus on two of these in this blog and the other two in my next blog.

COMMUNITY BUILDING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

Despite geographic divides, the World Run connects runners in real-time. Everyone toes the line at 10:00 UTC. For runners in Saskatoon, that translates to 4 a.m. A half-hour after everyone sets off, chase cars begin their pursuit, accelerating as the day goes on. The idea is that one male and female runner will be left somewhere in the world many hours after the start gun fires. Each course was designed and the venue selected to eliminate variation — paved roads and pathways on fairly flat terrain were used. This leaves only time of day and local weather as potential sources of variance.

This run sets the stage for a globally shared experience. All runners traverse the course at the same time, breaking away the usual barrier that separate them: geography, language, ethnicity, culture, and gender. In a way, the World Run will make steps in fostering community on a global scale, resulting in a shared transnational running identity.

The World Run creates a grand collective through reliance on, and implementation of, modern social media. Prior to the event, runners are connected with one another on the World Run website, Twitter and Facebook accounts. Then, come race day, the event hosts will rely on social media to maintain instantaneous connection with the thousands running on roads worldwide. And, within minutes, all runners can know where they are situated among their transnational cohort. Though a runner in Saskatoon may find their day finished after 95 minutes and appear to be alone on the roadway, they can quickly find out who in the world timed out beside them in South Africa, Chile, India, Belgium, New Zealand and all of the other locales. Most races in the world now rely on online registration and result-posting. Twitter feeds and online tracking are commonplace in many marathons and now even in the ultra-world. However, the use of social media to connect runners with one another in lieu of physical space is unprecedented.

It’s going to be an interesting day out!

Walk-Up Registration for the Saskatoon event will be available at Prairieland Park convention centre, Hall B:

Saturday May 3: 9AM – 7PM
Sunday May 4: 2AM – 3AM