How did that happen in my case? Around Christmas time two of my children and myself decided to embark on that journey and to start training for this 21.0975 km run. The truth is that I do run and swim quite regularly but this event proves to be a different challenge as the timeframe of a mere eight weeks doesn’t leave much time for my personal ramp-up. Snowfall, lots of ice on southern Bavarian roads and the lack of sunshine in these winter weeks weren’t helping either. In comparison to myself my children are really fit - challenge accepted.
That said, the two prepared an eight-week plan for me and 176 training kilometres under my belt, after endless stretches and many kilometres of additional swimming I now find myself on the train from Munich to Paris. This first part of the trip proved to be a real challenge as public transport in Munich is currently on strike. The city of Munich, despite the many home office workers on a Friday, was crazily busy this Friday morning. But we made it and our train ride towards the Gare de l’Est is as smooth as always!
This personal motion challenge gives me a chance to have another look at what happened in Paris with regards to mobility changes over the last few months. I love the French capital because the mobility transformation here is so clearly visible in all urban areas. Paris is one of those urban role models for me when making sure that smart mobility solutions are implemented with a plan, here in all 20 arrondissements and surrounding villages. The mayor Anne Hidalgo started a few years back to make Paris ‘a city where people can breathe’ presenting a new Paris at the summer Olympics of 2024 to the millions of visitors expected at that time.
Breathing will be an important one obviously for me on my run too, however it is not about breathing only as you know. There will be a total number of 45,000 runners starting and finishing towards the Place de la République in the Eastern parts of the city. A good reason to check how sustainable the organisers will manage an event of such size too. Join me on Monday when I’ll present to you my findings of mobility transformation and sustainable motion in Paris. Wish me luck.
Photos courtesy of Michael Brecht.
