GREATER HEIGHTS IN THE RUNNING CULTURE

Hoka Clifton 10 is cushioned for a smooth run, but is also good for people who need to stand for long periods of time.

- VICKY VELOSO-BARRERA

"Radical change often comes about in trying to solve a simple problem. Our original goal was to improve endurance race times by designing a shoe to go downhill faster. In doing so, we inadvertently reinvented the running shoe."

— Hoka co-founders Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud

It's been a long time since I last did any running, apart from dashing back and forth between my house and my school Tiny Kitchen. Back in the day, I would join 5 and 10k fun runs, usually fundraisers, held in the early mornings on Roxas Boulevard or around Ayala Center. Like walking, running is a relatively simple way to get fit. No gym memberships are required and you just need some warmup exercise, a good pair of running shoes and an interesting route.

But over the decades, an entire running culture has evolved. There are running clubs, some of which are for singles; midnight runs and, of course, improved running shoes. More major roads are now closed off on early Sunday mornings to allow runners to take over, like Ayala Avenue or Tomas Morato. Social media is very much involved: some people run as much for "the sights" as for their health, the "sights" referring to attractive runners along the way. My bunso got over a hundred thousand likes when she posted that she was running for "the sights," which turned out to be the cutest pet dogs running alongside their masters.

Running has evolved from a means of survival, from hunting for prey to escaping when one is actually the prey being hunted. It became a competitive sport that was held at the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, back in 776 B.C. A legendary runner named Pheidippides, who ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of a victory, led to the creation of the marathon in 1896.