Running in Bangalore?

Shaktipalooza

We were hiking with friends this weekend when they dropped the bomb that they might also have an opportunity to live and work in Bangalore.

The husband is very active and had major concerns about being able to keep up his running. I couldn't answer about running trails/paths/parks/tracks as I've never even thought about it for that city.

Anyone have any information that I might be able to pass along?

Thanks!

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crvlvr

The only places that come to mind are Cubbon Park and Lalbagh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubbon_Park
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lal_Bagh

Prashant.M

I can't think of any big jogging or running trails other than Cubbon Park or Lalbagh, which Crvlvr has already mentioned.

All areas in Bangalore have parks and they are mostly small in size. They also tend to get crowded as a lot of people use them for their exercise. Lot of joggers hit the road. Even in the parks the trails or paths are paved with interlocking cement blocks, which can't be good for the joints.

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sudheer poppa

Just ask him to go for a walk in the night, the dogs will take care of the running bit !

On a serious note, if he can take up a place near one of the ring roads, he can go for a jog in the service roads along the ring roads... Some of them are of good condition, while the others cannot be really much an option. Cubbon park and Lalbagh can be considered for weekends, but for daily jogs to find a place to live nearby or to drive back and forth would be a challenge.

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PeakXV

Geezus - the latest reports on running in smoggy air aren't that promising for health benefits. In Bangalore, I'd be running early in the morning at the greenest trail I could find.

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

fly2raven

Unless your friends actively search for apartments that are within close range of the local parks he may find jogging here to be difficult

One of our friends jogs every morning between five and six but this is easy for him as the park is literally across the street from his apartment.

saajan_20

and yes while looking out for same do not let the agent (i assume u might use one of em !!!) know that it is your requirement try zeroing on park s and then apartment s around

crvlvr

As Sudheeer point out, it may be more practical to jog on quite roads. Peak raises a mor important point about quality of air. Taking that into consideration, the jogging might actually turn out to be detrimental to your friend's health.

From wikipedia on Bangalore Air Quality:

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More onAir Quality Index

BTW, when I visit Bangalore, my body indicates the symptoms in reaction to "Very High" pollution

tacita

as an apparently avid runner, your friend likely appreciates the relative hazards of running in urban areas and knows he should run in as green an area and as early in the day as possible.
but there is real cause for concern, as inhaling diesel-fume-laden air demonstrably diminishes oxygen supply to the heart. nevertheless, the cardiovascular benefits of exercise, even in more heavily polluted areas, generally outweighs the health risks of not exercising at all.

these figures are a few years old but, for what they're worth, here are the numbers for major cities for particulate matter per cubic meter of air:

world urban average: 60
new delhi 177
kolkata 145
los angeles 36
new york 22
melbourne 13
perth 13
paris 12

i don't know exactly where bangalore falls on this spectrum, but if running is very important to your friend, he may wish to investigate his options for running indoors.

personally, i can speak only anecdotally to the issue of trying to exercise in a heavily polluted indian (or non-indian) city. i live in new york city, and run or ride my bike most mornings in central park. when i was in kolkata, i couldn't imagine running--just walking around left me wheezing and i came home with a respiratory infection. sitting in the back of an ambassador in traffic, my eyes burned and i was nauseous most trips. seeing the numbers above, i can now better appreciate why.

comparatively speaking, new york actually has pretty clean air, but it doesn't make even a bare pass at pristine. if i was suffering, i suspect a washingtonian would as well.

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