Parkour: An Athletic Art Worthy of Spider-Man

By Lu Olkowski

Published June 15, 2006 at 2:51 PM EDT

The sport of parkour requires the endurance of a long-distance runner and the moves of a gymnast. It looks like a chase scene from a blockbuster movie: a guy running through the city, scrambling up fire escapes, leaping from building to building like Spider-Man and landing as gently as a cat.

Enthusiasts are turning New York City streets into staging areas for their own urban gymnastics meet, vaulting over barriers and climbing bridges. And this weekend, parkour practitioners from all across the country will descend on the Big Apple for a national gathering.

Lu Olkowski

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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