In my neighborhood, the only place to run is alongside a stream of cars. Not exactly enjoyable. So this morning I asked Yulia to give me a lift to Luzhniki (a major sports complex in Moscow). It was great, a fantastic place for running. There’s a special running track there. Your knees practically cry out with joy: wheeeee, finally not asphalt, but something like soft ground! All in all, I enjoyed it immensely. But this thought stayed with me the whole run: why does a huge city of 15 million people, with an astronomical budget, have only a couple of places that are truly well equipped for running? Good for those who live near Luzhniki—but what about everyone else? I mean, sure: if someone really WANTS to run, they’ll find somewhere to do it. They don’t need a track. But for every motivated runner, there are 125 lazy ones. They need the right conditions. If we want to make recreational running truly mass participation—and we do, it’s a state priority—then we need to give people what makes them pull on their running shorts and sneakers in the morning: a pleasant outing in a comfortable, beautiful place. Where nobody gets in the way and there are no cars on the route. In a city the size of Moscow, at least 500,000 people should be running regularly. But where are they supposed to run? Enthusiasts have found 19 good park routes in all of Moscow (that’s where parkruns are held on Saturdays). Still far too few. Moscow’s population is larger than that of Austria or Sweden. And Moscow’s much-touted urban improvement program is focused on buying curbstones and paving tiles at five times the market price. Did you know, by the way, that Moscow’s “beautification” budget is bigger than its healthcare budget? Anyway, in the Beautiful Russia of the Future, Moscow will have no fewer than 150 excellently equipped running routes, and at least 500 full-fledged cycling routes.