Taking on challenges to get out of your comfort zone is a bit of a trend. But would you dare to run 200 laps around a fountain, right in the city center, in front of a puzzled public? Questioning looks, smirks and whispered comments are inevitable in this kind of unconventional challenge. It is a very special experience that is worth the detour! Let me show you.
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The fountain of shame
Around which fountain will I perform the challenge? I am in Aix-en-Provence, the city of the 100 fountains. I’m spoiled for choice.
I seek to achieve a challenge that is both sporting and social. I therefore need a large fountain, very exposed to the public. So I decide to run around the Rotonde fountain, in the heart of the city, on a market day.
To make myself even more visible, I equip myself with a large board to count the laps and I carry a sign to briefly explain the concept. In short, you can’t miss me.
Once there, I’m very uncomfortable and I’m struggling to start my first lap. I’m still sensitive to the way people look at me.
A sporting challenge to make your head spin
What does 200 fountain laps represent? What will be the distance to travel? People asked those questions many times. However, this is not what intrigues them the most, I will tell you about it right after.
As usual, I like not to plan my challenges too much in advance, to give free rein to the unexpected. So I have no idea how difficult this will be. Of course, having chosen the largest fountain in the city, the challenge will necessarily be daunting.
Under the sweltering heat, I chain the laps. The sign shears my forearms and forces me to run like a duck. This will be long…
I maintain a steady pace when I’m alone and adapt when a curious pedestrian accompanies me for a lap or two. Indeed, throughout the challenge, I tried to create a connection with people. As you may know, my main goal as The Motion Addict is to motivate people to get moving, and this challenge is a golden opportunity.
An unexpected social experience
As expected, I did not go unnoticed. People quickly observed that something unusual was going on and started wondering. Their questions were perfect for well deserved water breaks.
Before starting, I told myself that this challenge would be a great opportunity to pass on my passion for movement. I knew that I would have to answer several questions and I intended to take advantage of this to motivate as many people as possible to run a few laps with me. However, the reactions were not what I expected!
Indeed, until now, I have always shared my crazy sporting challenges with people who are like me and who understand my motivations. For the first time, I find myself facing a larger audience, not necessarily sporty. To my great surprise, these people fail to grasp the point of what I am doing. In the end, the most recurring questions were: “Why would you do it?”, “Which association is it for?”, “Where do I have to pay?”, “What’s the point if you do not make money?”.
Misunderstanding, distrust, skepticism, that is what I had to face! I who thought to promote the sport in an original and funny way, I found myself confronted with discussions that I had not even suspected!
I’m coming to the end of the 200 laps of the fountain! I no longer have any embarrassment regarding people’s look, you kind of get used to it. Moreover, I traveled a little over 27 km and I managed to convince passers-by to accompany me on 40 laps! 1 turn out of 5, not so bad! I also learned that my motivational crusade would not be as easy as expected, not everyone has the same sensitivity to sport. But I’m not giving up and I accept this new challenge!
