The State of Running

Visiting the State Capitol of California today, I couldn't help but look forward to one of my personal favourite runs around the perimeter of Capitol Park.

Whenever I look upon this great Statehouse, I am reminded of all of the cities and counties that are represented under that dome.  And, (our perennial fiscal calamities aside), I am often reminded of the beautiful state in which we live.

With 840 miles of coastline and gorgeous weather year-round, California surely has to be “the running Capital of the world.” Everywhere you turn – whether it is on a beach, a sidewalk, a neighborhood street or right here in Capitol Park – Californians are outdoors, and we are running.

I would venture to guess that California has more runners per capita than any other state in the union. And, thanks to our status as “the most populous state in the nation,” we no doubt have the largest sheer number of runners pounding the pavement.

That’s why it gives me great pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, to announce today that The State of Running is strong.

You see, our budget may be flailing, our roads may be crumbling, the earth may start quaking, and our state may go up in flames, but at the end of the day, Californians will still be running. Perhaps for our lives. But we'll still be running.

In all seriousness, there is no shortage of Marathons, 5Ks, 10Ks and Half Marathons from which to choose. Every time I turn around, I see an ad for the San Francisco Bay to Breakers race, the Los Angeles Marathon, the San Diego Rock n’ Roll Marathon, various Nike races, The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and the list goes on and on and on...

And we have something to show for it.

Californians are generally known as being more physically fit than their counterparts in other states. Among our counties, Marin County near San Francisco strides across the finish line first as the healthiest county in California. San Diego scores a respectable 16th. And Sacramento ties for 30th with Monterey County (somewhat surprising, as I’ve been to both and believe me, Sacramento ain’t no Monterey.) But I digress. If you live in California, you can check out your County ranking here to see how you rate. 

Here’s to good health, California!