FREE RUNNING

You don’t have to pay a lot of money to be fit. We all have busy lifestyles. Now for a second, forget travelling by train, metro or car, driving on a busy road or standing in a crowded station (1) .......................... . This is free running, and it is one of the world’s newest and most exciting sports.

Sebastian Foucan and David Belle invented free running when they were young in the 1980s. (2) .......................... . It involved running, jumping and climbing across their playground. Gradually, they found more interesting places to play and gave themselves more difficult challenges. The ‘moves’ became difficult and more complicated, and eventually the game developed into the sport of free running.

Today, free running is well known around the world. In 2003 there was a documentary on TV. (3) .......................... French director Luc Besson has made two films about free running. The sport has also taken off in the US and has appeared in adverts for trainers on TV.

Like many extreme sports, free running is considered to be a difficult but exciting sport, and the competitors have to be very fit and brave. (4) .......................... . One of the most important of these is that the aim isn’t to beat your opponent. You only ever challenge yourself.

Another important difference between free running and many other sports is that there are no absolute rules to follow. Runners find their own ways of doing things. Despite this, beginners are advised to start slowly. (5) .......................... . This will help them to avoid too many broken bones, cuts and bruises. Then as their confidence grows, they can learn more difficult moves and find more difficult obstacles.

Anybody who is fit enough can be a free runner. Unlike with skateboarding, rock climbing or diving, for example, there is no expensive board, helmet or mask to buy. (6) .......................... . Then you should look on the Internet, find a group of people who are free running in your area, join them and start to experience the thrill of a really exciting new sport.