SWEAT IN THE CITY – It’s easy to make excuses about why you can’t get fit – you don’t have time, you don’t have the money for a gym membership, and so on. Well, in Thailand you can eliminate one of those excuses because etting fit doesn’t cost a satang.
Running on Bangkok’s streets, with its potholes, crowds of slow walkers, and stray motorbikes might not seem appealing, but Thephassadin Stadium, next to National Stadium, is the perfect place to get some real speed up without worrying about falling into a khlong or tripping over a loose pavement slab. It’s also entirely free and open to the public.
The four track 400m track is well-maintained and has plenty of shady patches for when you need a break from the intense sunshine. Of course, if you get there early enough, the blazing heat isn’t a problem. As the sun rises, I’m told the track is fairly busy with athletes limbering up and getting their sprint on. But, if you’re more of a snooze-button riser, like myself, you might find that when you stagger over at 10am it’s already completely empty and hotter than the earth’s core.
I felt like a bit of a crazy farang as I began to warm up for a few sprints around the track as some locals sat in the shade and openly watched me with interest. I styled it out and hoped I looked like I was well versed in sprinting in 30 degree heat. The truth is, I barely ever run, let alone sprint, and I was a little bit worried about collapsing from heat exhaustion. Perhaps, if anyone asked why I was running in the midday sun I could claim it was to sweat lots for detox purposes and not because I am too lazy to get up early enough for pre-sunrise exercise.
My sprints were the speed of most athletes’ gentle jog but, all the same, I felt like I got a much more intense workout than a long trot around Lumpini can offer and, unlike a treadmill, I could accelerate safely and quickly and slow down quickly, too.
After messing around a bit on the track, I decided to use some of the stadium’s other facilities. I ignored the sandpit (my long jump is more of a bunny hop) and made use of the climbing frame instead – I tried a little bit of monkey bar swinging and some very poor pull-ups which I prefer doing at the stadium than my regular gym because, aside from a few now disinterested Thai men, nobody else could see me make a fool of myself hanging from a pole and grunting.
All in all, it’s totally possible to get a good full-body workout using these simple facilities. There’s something about being at a track under the gaze of the impressive National Stadium that makes you come over a little bit Usain Bolt, as well. It’s impossible not to imagine roaring crowds and photo finishes as you leg it round a track and, if you ask me, that’s more excitement than a treadmill can ever deliver.
Thepassadin Stadium, Exit 2 National Stadium BTS
Photo: Gaby Doman
