Fame and Glory

Three 8-year olds set the pace so I tucked in behind them along with the other 20 or so adults. Overtaking children seemed to be frowned upon. We were running in a 5km Park Run in south Osaka. The route took us along a leafy path rather than a park. Open public spaces are rare in Osaka.

When I do a Park Run in Brighton, I can often get away without speaking to anyone. In Osaka I was greeted like a visiting foreign dignitary. Many people wanted to practice their English; others were just curious about who I was. After a detailed explanation of the route, we had a group photo , and then the race began.

I call it a race only because I won it. Another thing that would never happen in England. Even though I probably broke the rules by overtaking the 8-year olds, it is the finest sporting moment of my life.

Sadly there was no trophy for me at the finish. It’s no big problem though. I will get one custom-made. I will have to buy a bigger suitcase but it will be worth it when I display it in the screen of my Zoom lessons.