The North London vs. South London divide exists. Really, it does: it is a marketing tool. It is a dangling carrot. It is the latest way to get Londoners running in this year's Nike 10km Run London event. Last year, Londonist was encouraged to join for far more individual and introspective reasons but this year, we're doing it to settle, once and for all which side of the river is the better London.
While last year the Nike 10km Run London event was all about, well, running the whole of London by holding simultaneous running events in Victoria Park, Hyde Park and Battersea Park, this year all the running will take place in Hyde Park, on Sunday 8 October. Those who sign up and get the official Nike 10km Run London chip for their shoes will be asked to join either the North or South London "teams" and on the day, will run in staggered (and possibly staggering) groups against one another.
The side that records the overall best time (from the collected times of all the individual runners in each team) will be declared the winner. And we will finally be able to move on from the endless debates about North London vs. South London and start a new fight in the pub about East london vs. West London...
The Nike 10Km Run London 2006 event takes place on Sunday 8 October in Hyde Park. To find out more about the event and to register go to the Nike Run London website here.
Not only has Nike injected a bit of healthy competition into this year's Run London event, the sports outfitters will be launching a new type of running shoe at the same time. What a massive, jaw-dropping coincidence! The new range is the Nike+ selection of footwear, sports clothes and accessories that are designed to accommodate and enhance the use of an iPod Nano during exercise.
Footwear in the Nike+ range has pockets to hold a sensor which sends information about your running speed and pace to a receiver you attach to your iPod Nano, which then can record all your running details, uploadable to Nike+ website for you to track your progress. The site also has a music section with downloads designed to help set your pace and increase your speed. For more information on the Nike+ range and how to use it as part of your running experience, go to the website here.
This Londonista has joined the Nike 10km Run London event and will be running for the North London team. Who is with me? And more importantly... who is against me?
