Remember that when we had the summit in

Pittsburgh (2009), with all the world leaders, the secret service took us for a run at a quarter to six in the morning through a fantastic natural park of the many that the United States can boast. It was still night and the American secret service was shining flashlights on us so we could run. I remember that race because we went along a spectacular path between a river and a forest, with 20-meter trees and crystal clear water. -- In Beijing we always went running in an urban park, near the hotel where we were, which was a spectacle, because at six in the morning you would meet an orchestra of older musicians, each one playing their instrument, others doing tai chi, They practiced judo, played basketball, etc. Around the park there was a running circuit of about two kilometers, which we walked around while we contemplated the magnificent spectacle of people engaged in different activities. There I began to feel the phenomenon that has caught my attention the most in my years as president of the government, which has been the growth and explosion of China. I visited that country approximately every year and a half during my years as president, and on each trip I perceived greater development and growth, including physical growth, of the people.



It was astonishing. -- I remember that once, running on a Chinese beach, they sent us ten military runners to accompany us, and all ten were completely the same, like in The Matrix . They were young people with very good character, they must have Special Database had spectacular times, and since they were Chinese soldiers, with a rigid mentality, and also on a mission with a president of the government, they were in impressive order. I was watching their reactions when I sped up or slowed down. Half of them were twenty meters ahead of me and the other half about ten meters ahead. It was impossible for me to change position. Even if I accelerated or slowed down, they always stayed the same distance from me. They formed a perfect machine, and that's how China works now, like clockwork. -- I ran with David Cameron , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, when I traveled to the G-20 summit in Seoul (Korea) and in Madrid I jogged with the President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy . Barack Obama played basketball, but I think he didn't like running that much. In general, presidents did not usually run, except for the Colombian Álvaro Uribe , who also did very well. -- I was once with Fermín Cacho , whom I greatly admire for his career, his friendliness and his personality, and we agreed to run together one day. I have always greatly admired the exploits of Fermín Cacho and Hicham El Guerrouj . I was also lucky enough to meet the Moroccan, who seems to me to be a spectacular athlete.







With Haile Gebreselassie I had the most beautiful race of my life. We ran on a small hill outside Addis Ababa, on a slightly uphill course. It was a very poor neighborhood in Ethiopia, which is quite hard to see, but it was impressive to see the joy with which people came out of their houses to greet Gebre, and what they called him, how they loved him. There he is a true idol. It was an honor to have the opportunity to run with the most important distance runner in history. I was very nervous in case the 2,300 meters of altitude would affect me and also because he was going to run with the best, and maybe he was riding at a pace that was too fast for me. If he gave me altitude sickness… My worry was that something would happen to me and then it would leak, because the press would immediately headline “International Ridiculous.” In the end the race was fantastic. I felt fine, I even made some changes of pace, and he laughed and made gestures with his hands for me to slow down. Gebre really appreciated that I made time in my busy schedule on that trip to run with him. For me it was like a tribute to him. I believe that all runners in the world should pay tribute to him and I paid tribute to him on behalf of everyone. I told him: “ You are a teacher, and also a humble person .