This is that time of year when passionate feelings erupt across the city. I am talking, of course, about marathons, those massive events where city streets are cordoned off one morning in a weekend for runners to make their way through neighborhoods.
Once confined to big events like the aptly named Boston Marathon, the movement to hold marathons has spread across the country. Proponents argue that this is a chance for cars to give way to those on foot. Doing so disrupts our everyday lives but also causes us to pause and think more about how we really do experience the built environment. It also encourages a healthy get out and move mindset and can be a form of community bonding, getting us out of our isolated urban bubbles.
Opponents are understandably frustrated when their routines get unsettled. Many marathons take place on Sunday, making the debate at times one of religious vs secular, churchgoing vs Sunday Brunch. Some might even consider it a form of temporary street-based gentrification where the lives of people trying to get to work and residents in older neighborhoods are inconvenienced for the recreational activities of the affluent.
It is also a conversation about who holds power over the streets. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness can be an issue when the liberty of one might impinge on the happiness of another.. It is very much a sense of where you stand depends on how you sit…or in this case…run.