500 Adrenaline Adventures (Frommer's) - Lois Friedland [166]
Parkour, a made-up word, can be defined as “the art of movement, when one’s body and mind are trained to overcome obstacles efficiently, with the goal of moving from one point to another as quickly and gracefully as possible.” The traceurs (as participants are called) usually practice their sport in an urban environment. They vault over railings and drop down to a street, dive through a gap between fence posts, jump to reach the top of a wall and pull themselves over, continuing to navigate through, around, over, or under whatever obstacles are in their way.
David Belle and Sebastian Foucan (who played the evildoer in the opening Casino Royale scene) are credited as two of the founders of modern parkour, which started in France during the 1990s. They built upon the foundation created by George Hebert, who prior to World War I developed a Methode Naturelle technique of physical training using obstacle courses (parcours).
Today, parkour can be found all over the world. In the U.S., Denver is a hot spot, as are Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Seattle. Good international scenes are Toronto, London, and Paris. A Colorado-based group called “The Tribe” is made up of skilled traceurs who in the last few years have helped develop parkour in the U.S. by teaching classes, acting as unofficial ambassadors for the growing sport, and creating the American Parkour website. Check out the website to connect with others doing parkour in your area.
The best traceurs blend strength, training, and critical thinking skills, but newcomers can learn and embrace the sport at much lower levels. Training to learn such maneuvers as the cat leap, the wall run, and the roll, whether on one’s own or through schooling, is vital. Today, three gyms in the North America are devoted exclusively to parkour: In Denver, Ryan Ford runs Apex Movement. Other training facilities are Primal Fitness in Washington, D.C., and Money Vault in Toronto. In London, there’s Parkour Generations, and in Australia, a good resource is Australian Parkour Association (www.parkour.asn.au). A growing number of fitness gyms are offering parkour courses. Parkour is a blend of brains and brawn, but one that requires skill and training, because it can be dangerous. Before taking a parkour class, ask the instructor how long he or she has been doing it and whom they trained with before starting to teach. —LF
American Parkour (www.americanparkour.com). Apex Movement ( 720/242-9250;www.coloradoparkour.com). Primal Fitness ( 202/635-1941;www.primal-fitness.com). Money Vault ( 647/350-1111;www.themonkeyvault.com). Parkour Generations ( 44/7825-410134 or 44/7984-348218; www.parkourgenerations.com).
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Chapter 7: Races & Festivals
315
The Empire State Building Run Up
Upwardly Mobile
New York, New York, U.S.A.
No one needs an introduction to the Empire State Building. This 107-story skyscraper dominates the Manhattan skyline and is a giant amongst giants with 1,860 steps, 6,500 windows, 73 elevators, 2 banks, 5 entrances, 3 cafes, and 250 maintenance staff. It is undoubtedly the most famous building in the city and has drawn the multitudes to peer from its observation platform, including a rather large ape called King Kong. Built in 1931, it has been the scene of countless romantic movies as well as the final jumping off point for some 30 suicides. (One such jumper threw herself off the 86th floor in 1979, only to be blown back onto the 85th floor relatively unscathed.) The building, located on Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, has survived the Great Depression, near bankruptcy (initially it was nicknamed the