Young Blonde Girl On The Field In A Jogging Suite

The terms to jog and jogging as referring to a form of exercise, originated in England in the mid-seventeenth century. This usage became common throughout the British Empire, and in his 1884 novel My Run Home the Australian author Rolf Boldrewood wrote "your bedroom curtains were still drawn as I passed on my morning jog".
In the United States jogging was called "roadwork" when athletes in training, such as boxers, customarily ran several miles each day as part of their conditioning. In New Zealand during the 1960s or 1970s the word "roadwork" was mostly supplanted by the word "jogging", promoted by coach Arthur Lydiard, who is credited with popularizing jogging. The idea of jogging as an organised activity was mooted in a sports page article in the New Zealand Herald in February 1962, which told of a group of former athletes and fitness enthusiasts who would meet once a week to run for "fitness and sociability". Since they would be jogging, the newspaper suggested that the club "may be called the Auckland Joggers Club"—which is thought to be the first use of the noun "jogger". University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman, after jogging with Lydiard in New Zealand, brought the concept of jogging as exercise to the United States in 1962. Bowerman published the book Jogging in 1966, and later updated the book for a 1967 republication. Bowerman established jogging programs for men and women of all ages. The popularity of these programs helped to spread the concept of jogging, as an exercise for everyone, throughout the United States. Many jogging and running clubs started up all over the world. The "MABAC" Running League are probably the pioneers of road running in Britain, founded in 1977. The prime mover was Alan Blatchford, who organised a running group at the British Aircraft Corporation in Weybridge (now British Aerospace). Ralph Henley brought in runners from Matthew Arnold School, Ashstead. This running league is still active.