New Zealand started the jogging trend

Recreational jogging on sidewalks and roads for exercise was unheard of in the United States up to the 1960s.

Bill Bowerman, a running coach at the University of Oregon and future co-founder of Nike, said he discovered jogging on a trip to New Zealand in 1962 and was inspired by meeting with New Zealand jogging coach Arthur Lydiard, who developed a cross-country running program.

When he pitched jogging in the United States, it was not just for fitness buffs, but an activity for anybody who wanted to live a healthy life.