10 Inspiring Photos From Around the World That Will Get You Running

"When I started running, I was so embarrassed, I'd walk when cars passed me," said Joan Benoit Samuelson. "I'd pretend I was looking at the flowers." However, Samuelson stuck with it (she was using running as a way to recover from a broken leg), and eventually she went on to win the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

So.

​There's that motivation to lace up your running shoes. And then, there's these ten inspiring photos from around the world.

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1. AUSTRALIA: Yes, @outdoors_mum goes running in the elements. "Trail running can be beautiful, challenging and scary all in the one run," she writes. ​

2. NEW YORK: Thousands of people—from octogenarians to first timers to costumed ballerinas—will be making their way through the five boroughs today. @f3eventschicago will be there, toeing the line!

3. IRELAND: Behold @fit_body_fit_mind, completing an early morning run in the Dublin mountains.

4. CAMBODIA: And then, like @alordonc, you can run around the Angkor Wat temple complex, the largest religious monument in the world.

5. CANADA: @kimfostercunningham's "little piece of paradise..." ​

6. POLAND: It's 52 degrees in Krakow right now, but @aanilorak can handle it, "dressed to the teeth" in winter gear for her run.

7. GERMANY: Start your morning like @running.alexandra: with a brisk 12.5k run through Hamburg's fresh autumn air and many brightly colored leaves. ​

8. JAPAN: @markeite does his first run along the Tamagawa River today, just as the sun is rising.

9. SOUTH AFRICA: When @matt_w goes running, it's down dirt paths and over rolling hills, with a little mist thrown into the mix.

10. MEXICO: A stunning view in Mazatlan greets @habichthorn as she gets back into the running groove this week.

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By Ona Abelis
Ona is a Brooklyn-based writer who will spending the next year getting back into her fitness groove. And maybe skydiving.