“Joggling” combines jogging and juggling

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Gabrielle Foran started running competitively 11 years ago. 3 years ago she learned to juggle, and 2 years ago she combined the 2 activities. Now, she is a world class joggler.

Running 5 km is a daunting task for the average person. Add a few juggling balls and it seems downright impossible. But for long time competitive runner, Gabrielle Foran, its a natural fit. “I actually don’t think about the balls that much. If ind if you over think about it, it’s easier to drop them.”

Joggling is exactly what it sounds like -a combination of jogging and juggling. It looks outlandish but it’s a legitimate sport, complete with competitions, international rankings and world records.

You can sprint joggle a 400 metre dash, or even backwards joggle a marathon. Gabrielle Foran holds records for the women’s three ball 800 metre, 1600 metre and 5 k races, the last of which she earned this past weekend in 18 minutes.

Before reaching speeds like Foran’s you have to master the basics. Which, not surprisingly, aren’t all that basic.

During a joggling race, dropping a ball will slow you down. “So what you have to do is go pick up your ball, return to the place where you dropped the ball and then you can continue joggling from there.:”

So the sport isn’t all speed. It’s about hand-eye-foot coordination.

Foran says joggling is an even better workout than jogging. Your arms are engaged, so you can’t use them to propel yourself. So you have to use even more leg strength to keep the same pace.