A study by SportsShoes.com has researched over a million hashtags for 600 global cities on Instagram to reveal which urban landscapes provide the most beautiful scenery for runners.
The number of hashtags for #run[city name] were counted and compared for cities in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.
Between the Two Oceans and Cape Town marathons alone, we’re not surprised that Cape Town is right up there with the best of the most beautiful.
Instagrammers are pounding the pavements and getting their cameras ready to capture Africa’s most beautiful urban running backdrops. Lagos tops the list as Africa’s most beautiful city to run in, with a staggering 15 000 hashtags under #RunLagos.
Cape Town follows with over 7 300 hashtags, whilst Cairo’s breathtaking running routes secure the city’s position in third, with 2 053 hashtags.
Durban lands a spot in fourth place with plenty of running groups sharing their sunrise jogs in the city’s parks and fellow South African city, Pretoria, ranks fifth.
Africa’s Top 10 Most Picturesque Running Cities:
Rank | City | Country | Instagram Hashtags |
1 | Lagos | Nigeria | 15 005 |
2 | Cape Town | South Africa | 7 361 |
3 | Cairo | Egypt | 2 053 |
4 | Durban | South Africa | 1 087 |
5 | Pretoria | South Africa | 640 |
6 | Ibadan | Nigeria | 598 |
7 | Nairobi | Kenya | 261 |
8 | Accra | Ghana | 122 |
9 | Casablanca | Morocco | 63 |
10 | Abuja | Nigeria | 32 |
On the podium:
- Over 15 000 mentions for #RunLagos: Home to the famous Lagos City Marathon, Instagrammers in the city are uploading shots of them taking on the event as it moves around the city. Starting at National Stadium, Surulere, participants follow the route ending as Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island. When not taking on the marathon, runners are regularly seen over the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, as well as other Ikoyi-based routes and along the beaches Lekki has to offer.
- Over 7 300 mentions for #RunCapeTown: Many of the posts under #RunCapeTown show off the city’s famous landmarks and beautiful scenery, with various routes affording lush views of the Table Mountain. The city has many safe running routes through Green Point and Seapoint, with plenty on offer for nature lovers with trails through parks, the botanical gardens, and a run to Chapmans Peak providing glorious views over the city.
- Over 2 000 mentions for #RunCairo: Cairo boasts a growing running culture with its rich history providing the ideal backdrop to any running route. Gezira Island and the Zamalek district provide some of the best routes around this famous city, with other trails taking you near the pyramids – making it the perfect Instagrammable location for your runs.
In the global rankings, just behind London is Michigan lakeside American city Chicago, with over 56 950 hashtags for #RunChicago. Following the ‘Windy City’ are fellow US locations Boston and Houston, Australian city Melbourne and Paris in France.
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Picture: Joshua Earle / Unsplash