This may seem strange, but have you thought about the best cities to take a run? probably not. However, New research by SportsShoes.com reveals the most beautiful cities for a run, based on Instagram hashtag data
To highlight how to make the most of the United Kingdom's extensive trails and to inspire people to explore cities on foot, sports retailer SportsShoes.com analysed running-related Instagram hashtags for over 600 cities worldwide to reveal the most stunning backdrops for a run.
Based on these factors, Cape Town ranked as the second most beautiful running city in Africa.
SportsShoes.com has researched over a million hashtags for 600 global cities on Instagram to reveal which urban landscapes provide the most beautiful scenery for runners.
The number of hashtags for #run{city} were counted and compared for cities in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.
Instagrammers are pounding the pavements and getting their cameras ready to capture Africa’s most beautiful urban running backdrops.
Lagos tops the list as Africa's most beautiful city to run in, with a staggering 15,000 hashtags under #RunLagos.
South African city Cape Town follows behind with over 7,300 hashtags, whilst Cairo's breath-taking running routes secure the city’s position in third, with 2,053 hashtags.
Durban lands a spot in fourth place with plenty of running groups sharing their sunrise jogs in the city’s parks and fellow South African city, Pretoria, ranks fifth.
Over 15,000 mentions for #RunLagos: Home to the famous Lagos City Marathon, Instagrammers in the city are uploading shots of them taking on the event as it moves around the city. Starting at National Stadium, Surulere, participants follow the route ending as Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island. When not taking on the marathon, runners are regularly seen over the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, as well as other Ikoyi-based routes and along the beaches Lekki has to offer.
Over 7,300 mentions for #RunCapeTown: Many of the posts under #RunCapeTown show off the city’s famous landmarks and beautiful scenery, with various routes affording lush views of the Table Mountain. The city has many safe running routes through Green Point and Seapoint, with plenty on offer for nature lovers with trails through parks, the botanical gardens, and a run to Chapmans Peak providing glorious views over the city.
Over 2,000 mentions for #RunCairo: Cairo boasts a growing running culture with its rich history providing the ideal backdrop to any running route. Gezira Island and the Zamalek district provide some of the best routes around this famous city, with other trails taking you near the pyramids - making it the perfect Instagrammable location for your runs.
This comes at a time when a lot more people are focusing on their health due to the pandemic. With self-care being a priority, people are choosing to take care of their bodies and physical appearance, therefore they either run or choose a different form of exercise.
Yet, according to a survey done by the fitness-tracking app Strava, The Why We Run survey which collected data from 25,000 runners around the world, it was established that only eight percent of runners actually love running, while the other half said that they either hated or disliked running.
In addition, in a Vice report, Blair Evans, Ph.D., states that the reason why people choose to run includes a combination of factors, mainly; wanting to improve their physical or mental health and wanting to improve body image.
Furthermore, she states that apart from people disliking it so much, they are willing to put aside momentarily hating their lives if it potentially means a longer-term increase to their happiness. Mayhaps the environment has a lot to do with it.