Egyptians Take To The Chaotic Streets Of Cairo In Running Clubs

Young Egyptians are once again organizing on social media and taking to the streets of Cairo by the hundreds every Friday, not to protest injustice or clash with police, but to enjoy long runs through one of the world's most crowded and chaotic cities.
Cairo, a city of some 20 million people packed onto the banks of the Nile, with few green spaces and no jogging paths, is an unlikely venue for distance running.
Small running groups catering mainly to expatriates have been around for years, but Egyptians trace the growth in local interest to Cairo Runners, a group with a large social media presence that attracts hundreds of people to its weekly runs and has inspired similar groups across the city.
The group organizes weekly runs and advertises them on its Facebook page, which has racked up more than 320,000 "likes." The runs are usually held early Friday -- the first day of the Egyptian weekend -- when the streets are mostly empty. Strength in numbers protects the runners from both cars and street harassment.