Running Scene in India Vs USA: Random Thoughts
Running scene in India is growing at an explosive pace and every weekend there are tons of races across various towns. I ran/race quite regularly in Houston for many years and observed the running scene very closely. I can't help comparing running in India Vs Running in US in my mind. Moreover I have noticed some socio-economic trends which are peculiar to both countries. In USA, the running scene exploded in 70's where it became mainstream to run marathons. However, the runners were motivated by almost "Rocky" type self-motivation and grit and it wasn't much later when corporate houses like shoe/apparel/nutrition companies became a dominant force in running. In India, however the explosion of running scene is happening with clever and active drive of these same/similar corporate houses trying to entice upper middle class to lighten their wallet for the glory that comes with running. For the following socio-economic analysis, I have made the following assumption