Central Park
I’ve covered some rough terrain in recent blogs, contrasting Endurance v. Deliverance, Civilization v. Nature, and Right v. Just. The next dialectic is Illusion v. Reality. During our years in New York, Julie and I ran frequently in Central Park, one of the loveliest settings on earth. Yet it is an illusion, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, and almost entirely man-made. Roughly 1,600 working-class residents occupying the area at the time were evicted in 1857, and small communities were razed to make room for the park.
Torrey Pines
Likewise, many runners salivate at the prospect of running on a golf course, perhaps the most land- and water-intensive of all human uses. In contrast with the California coast, this famous golf course is shaped by man. We runners pride ourselves as lovers of reality, yet many of the places we frequent are illusions.
Running in the uncharted wilderness is difficult. It is difficult to get to, and dangerous to get through. Thus the attraction of wilderness events having some level of administration and oversight to protect the participants. On the shoreline of Connecticut, we are truly fortunate to have available real terrain, like Westwoods and the Gorge, largely untouched by the blade and safely available to all. This blend of illusion and reality, synthesized by runs in all kinds of weather, keeps the refined sensibility alive and in touch with its roots.
