GP Warszawa

Smiles after a successful race

Like most European cities, Warsaw is a hectic place.  It’s no surprise that there’s traffic, crowded buses, sardine tin packed trams, and a lot of busy people caught up in the daily grind of racing to get to home or  to the office.    What is even more frustrating in Warsaw are the cold winters.  Life can be a bit of a bummer sometimes for a native small town Californian in a busy city on a snowy January day.  What is refreshing though is that spring truly is fantastic here.  Additionally, Warsaw has so many parks, which is a huge bonus for us runners.  On the North and South ends of the city are a plethora of trails through large shady forests that are wonderful places to escape the daily craziness and to chalk up a few miles.  With all of these favorable conditions, it’s no coincidence that Warsaw has a great 10k race series called GP Warszawa.  It’s a series of ten races through a handful of parks in Warsaw.  This is something I always look forward to.  Also, as the races are on Saturdays, I sort of feel like I am a kid again and I get that giddy sensation like I when I used to go to my little league games.  So it’s a great spiritual lift after a cold winter.

Smiles because of a completed race and warmer weather!

Most cities have their share of races.   However, what is interesting about the Warsaw GP is that it is only through parks in Warsaw.  Not only that, it’s a only a small group of runners that turn out which makes the atmosphere incredibly relaxed; come often and you start to recognize the regulars.   Despite the breezy personalities of the people who do turn up, it does get a little competitive at times, but with the warmer weather it's a great opportunity to work on improving one's time.  However, it’s more about being outside and getting some exercise with your friends.  In the end, that's what it's all about. It’s great to live in a place that has all of this in such an accessible way.  For a person who doesn’t always like busy places, it’s good to have such an outlet.