Running past hard times
CBC’s Scott Russell discusses on his blog the immunity of the running industry during the recession. An excerpt has been included below, to read his post in full please visit his blog.
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The guy in the store where running shoes are sold had a simple message.
“People run even when they’re stressed,” he said. Then he punched the cash register and rang up $169 for a new pair of Mizunos while gleefully handing over a box full of hope.
Business is good.
“Maybe people run because they’re stressed,” replied the customer. “In times like these, maybe it’s a way to get by.”
Running events are myriad in this country and even in a period of recession they seem to be flourishing. The Vancouver Sun 10-kilometre race boasted 55,000 entrants in April. Early this month, 12,000 folks ran or shuffled in Sporting Life’s annual dash down one of the busiest streets in Canada’s largest city. From the Bridge City Boogie in Saskatoon, to the Blue Nose International Marathon in Halifax, people are still running, in literally thousands of races spanning the country and in record numbers.
