One of the reasons I decided to study in Europe is the ease of travel between countries and the many different places you can visit. I’ve already visited Italy, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Morocco, and many more smaller cities along the French Riviera. Before coming to France, I decided to sign up for a half-marathon in Milan. I was an athlete for pretty much my entire life and wanted to experience that feeling of competition again. One random day over Christmas break, I registered for the Stramilano Semi-Marathon in March. I thought to myself, “There’s no better way to explore my new home city and the world than to run around it and discover new streets and hidden places.” I quickly fell in love with running and it allowed me to discover so many new places in Nice. From a coastal trail along the water to beautiful parks and gardens, I was able to see so much of Nice in just a short time frame. Before I knew it I had already signed up for two more races! The Monaco Run 12k in February and the Nice International Semi-Marathon in April.
Monaco was my first ever official race, and I saw it as part of my training for my half marathon. Little did I know that this race would be the moment I truly fell in love with running and the French Riviera. As it was my first ever race, I had no idea what to expect. However, it was even better than I could’ve imagined. I ran around the entire principality of Monaco! In doing so, I discovered so many iconic landmarks. From Port Hercule with multimillion-dollar yachts, running through the Musée Océangraphique (that was a complete surprise for me), running through the courtyard of the Prince’s palace, running along the famous F1 track, passing the Monte-Carlo Casino, to finishing on the starting grid along the port. This experience was a core memory for me and will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Milan was my first half marathon, and while I had run the race in Monaco, I was extremely nervous for this race. Luckily, I had my friend Meg, who is studying in Milan, there to support me. This race was a completely different atmosphere than the Monaco run. In Monaco, there were only about 800 runners; here, there were over 9,000! However, I felt even more energized in that environment because I was surrounded by so many people who had worked hard for months to prepare for this race. This was by far the most challenging race I’ve ever experienced. It was raining and cold, so the conditions weren’t ideal, however, the moment I crossed the finish line, I was overcome with joy. Looking around, I was not only proud of myself but of all those around me who had sacrificed so much and worked so hard for this accomplishment.
Nice was my second half marathon, and I wasn’t nearly as nervous about it because I had already run one in Milan. I had also been running along the Promenade des Anglais and the same streets of the race course for the last 4 months and felt at ease running in a familiar environment. I was even more excited about this half marathon and being able to compete in my new home, and this race was nothing short of incredible. The weather was perfect, and I’ll never get sick of the Mediterranean views. My favorite part of the race was when I was running towards the finish line, and on either side of me, there were crowds of people cheering me on. Complete strangers that I didn’t even know were supporting me until the very end. This moment put everything into perspective and showed me the beauty of humanity. I didn’t know them, they didn’t know me, and we were most likely from completely different countries and cultural backgrounds. Nonetheless, they truly made me feel like I belonged and that I had the support of not only my friends but of the entire community around me.
My newfound love of running, coupled with my experiences racing in 3 different countries, has shown me that no matter where you are in the world, you can always find a community. While I’m not part of an official run club in Nice (which is one of my regrets), I’ve still found myself part of the running community here. From seeing the same people on my runs to being surrounded by so many like-minded individuals during my races. These experiences have taught me that despite all the differences between countries and cultures, we aren’t all that different. Sports in general have taught me the value of community, and I truly believe they bring people together from all different walks of life. From major competitions such as the World Cup or the Olympics to smaller events such as local races and community runs, they all bring people together and show us that we are more similar than we think. I can without a doubt say that I’ve grown so much as a person from these experiences and have learned so much more than I ever could’ve imagined. I’m eternally grateful for this opportunity to not only travel to so many different countries during my time abroad but also the opportunity to run and explore all these new places in such a unique way.
À bientôt!
Kadence Grimm
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