From National to Global Running Day
Global Running Day, or National Running Day as it was originally called, is the first Wednesday in June. The first National Running Day kicked off in 2009 and changed its name from National to Global in 2016.
Once it became a global event in 2016, lovers of running from around the world celebrated their special day. In 2016 over 2.5 million people worldwide participated in the event. Today, hundreds of organizations from around the world support Global Running Day providing runners with a wide variety of running events.
Celebrations Over the Years
Today is the eve of Global Running Day and it seems like a great time to reflect over previous year’s celebrations. It’s been a fun looking back over the years. Won’t you join me?
2013
Seven of my Cruiser friends joined me after work on the W&OD Trail for a special mid-week four-mile run to celebrate National Running Day!
2014
By now a pro at hosting a National Running Day event, I invited my MRTT friends to join the Cruisers for an after work party on the W&OD Trail. We kept our celebratory run to four miles and got back to the parking lot just as the sky opened to heavy rain.
2015
Wanting to add more fun to National Running Day, I agreed to wear a sparkle skirt if we got a large turnout of MRTT friends. Those who know me, know that I don’t wear sparkle skirts so this was a huge deal. Worth noting, I took the sparkle skirt off before our run.
2016
Traffic was awful on the first official Global Running Day so only one other friend was able make it to the trail in time to join Bill and me. While my friend and I ran five miles, Bill rode with us for little while before heading out for a longer ride.
2017
We had arrived in Chicago a few days early for our oldest son’s graduation from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business; and therefore, I celebrated Global Running Day away from friends. I ran through some of my favorite parks eventually ending at Lake Michigan.
2018
I celebrated Global Running Day while on vacation in Southern Utah by hiking in Canyonlands National Park where I ran a few sections of trail, and even found a moment alone in front of Mesa Arch to capture a running picture.
2019
Sadly, I couldn’t run because my SI joint was bothering me after a run on the beach three days earlier. It was the first time I had missed running on the first Wednesday in June since my first time celebrating National Running Day.
2020
Even though I was injured again and couldn’t run, I wasn’t going to miss getting outside for an early morning five-mile walk on Global Running Day. I chose to wear my 9-year-old shirt from the Richmond Marathon hoping it would inspire my body to heal quickly.
2021
With no significant injury, my back was in no mood to run on Global Running Day thanks to sitting on a plane the day before. Fortunately, I recovered quickly and was able to run by the weekend.
2022
What better way to celebrate than to run with Meb Keflezighi sponsored by my favorite local running store. I didn’t position myself very well for the picture, but I’m back there! We ran a nice little 5K with Meb keeping his pace slow enough for the faster runners to hang with him. Not me, though, I fell way behind.
2023
It was a solo celebration, but I squeezed in a run during the morning on the trails behind our house.
2024
So what’s in store for tomorrow? I haven’t run since late January and even though I’ve been released by my doctor and physical therapist to do whatever exercises I want, I’m just not ready yet. The memory of the February/March pain is too real and I’ve been down this road too many times where after completing physical therapy I start running again only to get re-injured. I’ll run a quarter or half mile so I can celebrate, but I’ll be smart and keep it short.
Questions:
- • When did you first hear of National/Global Running Day? ~ I know I’ve been celebrating for a while because a 2009 Facebook memory just popped up where I wished everyone a Happy National Running Day.
- • How will you celebrate tomorrow’s special day? ~ Even though I’m not running, I may try running a quarter or half mile.
- • What other “national” days do you celebrate? ~ I always have a margarita on February 22nd, National Margarita Day!
That was a lovely trip down memory lane!
Yes, it’s good to be smart and go with your instincts. You can always break up that quarter or half a mile with walking break if it feels better.
Is there a Global Cycling Day?
Good question on Global Cycling Day! We just had Bike to Work Day a couple of Fridays ago. I need to do a little research to see what other cycling “days” there are.
Oh fun to look back on how you have celebrated over the years. I kind of decided the whole week is Global running week since Wednesdays are not my run day. Gotta do what works for ya!
I like the way you think, especially since I missed riding yesterday on World Bicycle Day, but rode on Sunday and today.
Thank you for taking us on a tour of your Global Running Days through the years! What fun and there are so many amazing memories!
I found the day through running, probably in the last ten years.
I definitely celebrated by running. and I’ll have a donut for national Donut Day tomorrow.
I’ve been trying to remember how I first learned about the day, and I’m thinking I may have seen a huge banner at Dick’s Sporting Goods years ago. Based on my facebook memory it was in 2009 or earlier.
Enjoy your donut tomorrow!