Physi-Kult is an all ages running group that I founded in 2000. Its name, a play on the phrase “physical culture”, is meant to affirm an approach to running, and to sport in general, that strikes a balance between the two dominant contemporary approaches: the safe, non-competitive “physical fitness” approach, whose basic goal is the pursuit of “good health”; and, the hyper-competitive, science-dominated “high performance” approach, in which victory “by any means necessary” is the overriding goal. I founded Physi-Kult based on my belief in the culture-creating potential of a balanced approach to competitive sport. Competitive sport, and distance running in particular, when pursued in balance and harmony with other important aspects of our lives is, like other forms of culture, capable of encouraging both individual self-actualization and the formation of deep and inclusive social bonds among participants. An approach to running as a form of “physical culture” means affirming its potential to be both exciting and humanizing.
