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. That first Global Running Day was observed throughout the U.S. with special runs led by celebrity runners.

Today over 100 organizations from around the world support Global Running Day. Some of the more famous organizations include USA Track & Field, Boston Athletic Association, Atlanta Track Club, and the Abbott World Marathon Majors.

 

Reminiscing About Past Celebrations

My first documented acknowledgment of National Running Day was in 2013, the first year of my blog. If I celebrated prior, I did not take a picture. Sidelined from running this year, I thought it would be fun to take a run down memory lane as I reminisce about previous year’s celebrations.

 

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!

More details can be found at Cruisers Doing it Right .

 

2014

By now a pro at hosting a National Running Day event, I invited my MRTT friends to join the Cruisers for an afterwork 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.

More details can be found at Post Holiday Blues.

 

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. Only two Cruisers were on hand to join in on the fun (that’s my youngest son Daniel on the left), and note that I took off my sparkle skirt before our run.

More details can be found at National Running Day Demands Sparkle.

 

2016

Traffic was awful on the first official Global Running Day so Alan, Bill, and I were the only ones who were able to make it to the trail in time for our run. Bill ran for half a mile before returning to our car to pickup his bike. At the time, he was a year out from knee surgery and still hopeful that he’d be able to run again. While Alan and I completed our five miles, Bill rode with us for a while before heading on for a longer ride.

More details can be found at Back on the Trail.

 

2017

We had arrived in Chicago a few days early for our oldest son Joseph’s MBA 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.

More details can be found at Running, Eating, and Celebrating in Chicago.

 

2018

I celebrated Global Running Day while on vacation in Southern Utah by hiking in Canyonlands National Park where I picked up the hiking pace and ran a few times, and even found a moment alone in front of Mesa Arch to capture a running picture.

More details can be found at Just a Little Teaser About a Vacation Filled With Hiking, Biking, and Photography.

 

2019

Sadly, I couldn’t run on Global Running Day 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 National Running Day in 2013.

More details can be found at Running with Wild Horses Cheering Me on and Trying New Foods.

 

Currently on Global Running Day
2020

Even though I couldn’t run today, 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.

 

Questions:
  • • When did you first hear of National/Global Running Day?
  • • How did you celebrate today’s special day?
  • • What other “national” days do you celebrate? ~ I always have a margarita on February 22nd, National Margarita Day!